Screen Reader Automation

Automate screen reader testing and auto-generate screen reader reports as a part of your functional tests.

BrowserStack’s Screen Reader Automation allows you to add screen reader testing capabilities to your functional tests with a single code change.

With Screen Reader Automation, you can:

• Automatically capture spoken output, traversal order, and UI element metadata as part of your automated test runs.
• Generate automated screen reader reports with built-in checks for meaningful reading order and descriptive spoken output to understand how your app’s UI is interpreted by assistive technologies. Learn more in Auto-generate screen reader accessibility reports.
• Perform native screen reader gestures using executors and add assertions based on captured output to validate your app’s screens and controls respond accurately and predictably for assistive technology users. For setup guidance, see Use executors to test screen reader interactions.

The following video provides an overview of BrowserStack’s Screen Reader Automation for Android:

Why screen reader testing is important

Screen readers are essential tools that convert text and UI elements into speech for users who rely on assistive technologies to navigate and interact with mobile applications. Ensuring that your app is compatible with screen readers is crucial for providing an inclusive user experience and meeting accessibility standards.

Challenges with traditional screen reader testing

Traditional screen reader testing methods have several limitations that can lead to accessibility issues being overlooked or skipped entirely, especially in fast-paced development cycles.

• Manual screen reader testing limitations:
  • Slow, repetitive, and hard to scale.
  • Prone to human error and inconsistent results.
  • Can bottleneck fast-paced development cycles because of the time required to manually test each screen reader interaction.
• Static checks limitations:
  • Cannot simulate real user experience.
  • Miss variations in screen readers across OS, screen reader versions, and settings.

How screen reader automation helps

Automating screen reader testing mitigates traditional screen reader testing challenges by allowing you to:

• Simulate screen reader gestures: Simulate gestures such as TalkBack swipe and double-tap, to replicate real user navigation flows.
• Capture screen reader output: Capture speech output as plain text. This allows you to verify that the screen reader announces UI elements correctly, including buttons, text fields, and other interactive components.
• Verify accessibility metadata: Verify whether accessibility metadata is included, including labels, roles, and the order in which elements are announced.
• Run assertions: Programmatically verify whether all elements contain accessibility metadata, and whether the metadata and the screen reader’s spoken output matches your expected accessibility labels or focus order.
• Automatically generate Screen Reader Reports: Generate detailed reports during App Accessibility testing sessions to evaluate how native screen readers interpret and navigate through your app’s user interface.
• Integrate into CI pipelines: Integrate directly into functional tests and CI pipelines to run accessibility checks continuously.
• Save screen reader output for offline review: Capture and save the screen reader’s spoken output in a file to review accessibility results offline.
• Scale testing: Scale accessibility testing across devices and screen reader configurations.