Is Guideline-Based Approach the Optimum Way to Tackle Accessibility Challenges

Evaluating the accessibility and usability of a website can be a challenging task. Previous studies of users with visual impairments have considered conformance of the website content with accessibility guidelines or usability guidelines separately. But with the current release of WCAG 2.1 there is a shift to establishing a standard at one source. This research considers the usability aspect of the recently published WCAG 2.1 and assesses the usability study result with six visually impaired persons using screen readers, based on these guidelines and an accessibility standard monitor. The findings also make a stance on which method of testing is better - user testing usability study supported by established guidelines or automated accessibility evaluation tools supported by established guidelines. For researchers, my aim is to provide an overview of the findings of the study and a potential improvement of methodology while providing deductive reasoning. Whereas the main aim of the study is to increase awareness of accessibility and usability needs for visually impaired users.