Inclusive Usability Testing

Delivering truly inclusive digital experiences requires more than meeting technical accessibility standards. While compliance with accessibility guidelines provides an essential foundation, it does not guarantee that a product is intuitive, efficient, or empowering in real-world use.

Inclusive Usability Testing is designed to understand how people with diverse access needs interact with digital products in authentic contexts. By embedding lived experience into the evaluation process, we validate whether solutions function as intended and uncover barriers that automated tools, expert audits, or standards-based reviews alone may not reveal.

This approach complements technical accessibility assessments and helps organisations move beyond compliance toward genuinely inclusive digital experiences.

Technical audits and remediation efforts are valuable first steps. However, accessibility standards cannot capture every usability challenge, cognitive friction point, or contextual barrier that people may encounter.

Inclusive usability testing:

Validates whether remediated solutions work in practice
Identifies navigation and comprehension challenges
Highlights clarity, discoverability, and interaction issues
Reveals barriers specific to real-world device and assistive technology combinations
Provides practical, prioritised recommendations grounded in lived experience

The result is a deeper understanding of how people actually experience your product, not just whether it meets technical criteria.

Our Approach

Real-World Context

Where appropriate, end-to-end user journeys are evaluated. Participants complete representative tasks that reflect typical behaviours, enabling us to assess effectiveness, efficiency, and user confidence.

In most circumstances, participants use their own devices, operating systems, assistive technologies, and personalised accessibility settings. This ensures sessions reflect authentic environments and reveal practical configuration-specific challenges. Test devices are used only where participant-owned devices are not feasible or where specific configurations are required.

Testing Methods

To ensure a thorough and inclusive evaluation, the following methods are used:

Task-based evaluation: Participants undertake representative tasks while moderators observe effectiveness, efficiency, clarity, and confidence.
Assistive technology observation: Participants use their preferred tools, including screen readers, magnification software, voice control, alternative input devices, and customised accessibility settings. Interaction patterns and compatibility issues are recorded.
Behavioural and cognitive observations: Attention is given to how participants interpret information, understand instructions, recover from errors, and navigate complex or unfamiliar areas.
Think-aloud facilitation: Participants are encouraged to share expectations, reasoning, and responses. Moderation techniques are adapted to suit individual needs and communication preferences.
Identification of usability and accessibility barriers: Issues relating to readability, hierarchy, navigation, responsiveness, and overall ease of use are documented. While findings may reference relevant standards where appropriate, the focus remains on lived-experience impact and practical improvement.

Meet the Lead Consultant

Charlii Parker, Senior Usability and Accessibility Consultant

Charlii is a Senior Usability and Accessibility Consultant specialising in creating inclusive, user‑friendly digital experiences. With deep expertise in accessibility standards, assistive technologies, and lived‑experience research, Charlii helps teams move beyond compliance to deliver products that work seamlessly for all users. Known for clear communication and practical recommendations, Charlii brings a strong human‑centred approach to every project.