Axe, Lighthouse, WAVE, NVDA… the accessibility tooling is rich but can be overwhelming. Here's how to build an efficient and pragmatic testing routine.
Automated tools only detect around 30 to 40% of accessibility issues. They are essential as a safety net, but insufficient on their own. A complete testing strategy combines automation, manual testing and feedback from real users.
Axe DevTools (browser extension) is the ideal starting point. It integrates into Chrome and Firefox DevTools,
analyzes the page in real time and provides clear explanations with links to WCAG documentation. It can be used in CI
via axe-core integrated into Cypress or Playwright tests. Lighthouse, built into Chrome, offers an accessibility
score among its performance audits — handy for a quick overview. WAVE (WebAIM) visualizes issues directly on the
page, useful pedagogically.
Automated tools miss deep semantic issues and flow errors. This is where manual testing comes in. Navigate your application using only the keyboard: Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, Space, arrow keys. Every feature must be reachable and usable. Then test with a real screen reader: NVDA (free, Windows), VoiceOver (built into macOS and iOS) or TalkBack (Android). The first time is disorienting — that's exactly the point.
- Axe DevTools for automatic analysis during development
- axe-core in CI to block regressions
- Keyboard navigation to verify complete flows
- NVDA or VoiceOver for screen reader testing