Manual checks

Automated testing finds a large share of problems, not all. These take about 15 minutes per important page.

Keyboard

• Put the mouse away and press Tab through the page. Can you reach and use every link, button, menu and form field?
• Can you always see where you are (a visible focus outline)?
• Do pop-ups and menus close with Escape, and does focus go somewhere sensible after?

Screen reader

• Turn on VoiceOver (Mac: Cmd+F5) or NVDA (Windows, free). Do headings, links and buttons make sense read out of context?
• Are form errors announced?

Zoom and reflow

• Zoom the browser to 200% and 400%. Is everything still readable and usable without scrolling sideways?

Media and motion

• Videos have captions; audio has a transcript.
• Anything that moves for more than 5 seconds can be paused.

Content

• Link text says where it goes ("Download the 2026 report", not "Click here"). Instructions don't rely on color or shape alone.