Testing with screen reader

Screen reader tests are an essential part of manual accessibility testing. They allow a realistic assessment of accessibility from the perspective of users with visual impairments. This is not only about listening to content, but above all about the correct semantic structure, navigation, and interaction with assistive technologies.

Goal of the screen reader test:

• Ensure that all content is accessible and read in a logical order
• Check semantic structures, labels and ARIA attributes
• Check forms, navigation and dynamic elements for screen reader compatibility

Preparation:

• Use a screen reader like NVDA (Windows), JAWS (Windows, commercial), VoiceOver (macOS/iOS), Talkback for Android (mobile devices)
• Use in combination with keyboard (without mouse)
• Test with ideally different browsers (e.g. Firefox + NVDA, Safari + VoiceOver)
• Best with two different screen readers (for desktop and mobile devices)

Typical test steps:

1. Grundlegende Navigation
   • Is the order of elements logical?
   • Is the page read out logically from beginning to end?
2. Check heading structure
   • Use H-keys (e.g. H in NVDA) to navigate through headings
   • Does the structure and content correspond to the visual structure?
3. Check landmarks and regions
   • Navigate through landmarks with R key (regions)
   • Are main, nav, footer etc. present and correctly marked?
4. Check forms
   • Are all fields correctly labeled and linked?
   • Are error states and required fields correctly communicated?
5. Test links, buttons and menus
   • Are links, buttons and menus announced correctly?
   • Do interactions (e.g. dropdowns, accordions) work with keyboard and screen reader?
6. Check images and alternative texts
   • Do images have meaningful, context-related alternative texts?
   • Are decorative images skipped?
7. Check dynamic content and ARIA attributes
   • Are status changes (e.g. error messages, loading indicators) read out?
   • Are ARIA roles, labels and live regions correctly implemented?

• NVDA
• JAWS

NVDA

Short information about NVDA:

NVDA (NonVisual Desktop Access) is an open-source screen reader software for Windows that makes it easier for people with visual impairments to access digital content. NVDA is supported by a worldwide community of developers and is continuously developed.

To the product page:

NVDA - NV Access

Keyboard combinations

Desktop layout: These keyboard combinations are relevant for using NVDA in the desktop layout. NVDA can be activated by pressing the NVDA key (usually the Insert key) and a specific keyboard combination to control the screen reader and read the content on the screen.

NVDA – Shortcut & Function

Shortcut	Function
INSERT+DOWN ARROW	Read All
ALT+DOWN ARROW	Read Next Sentence
ALT+NUM 5	Read Sentence
ALT+UP ARROW	Read Previous Sentence
INSERT+UP ARROW	Read Line
DOWN ARROW	Read Next Line
UP ARROW	Read Previous Line
INSERT+UP ARROW (twice quickly)	Spell Line
CTRL+NUM 5	Read Paragraph
CTRL+UP ARROW	Read Previous Paragraph
CTRL+DOWN ARROW	Read Next Paragraph
INSERT+RIGHT ARROW	Read Next Word
Tab	Jump to Next Element
H	Next Heading
E	Next Form Field
L	Next Link
B	Next Button
R	Next Region

Get Started with NVDA - NVaccess.org

Recommended procedure

• Conduct tests in realistic usage scenarios
• Document test cases (e.g. errors in navigation, focus loss, unclear announcements)
• Share results with developer teams
• If in doubt: Supplement tests with affected user groups

A careful screen reader test reveals central weaknesses that otherwise remain unnoticed – and thus improves digital accessibility.