Unlocking Accessibility: Visual Regression & Accessibility Testing with Browser Developer Tools

Maintaining the consistent visual appearance of your website across various browsers, devices, and screen sizes is vital in web development. This is where visual regression testing comes in. While specialized tools are available for advanced testing, browser developer tools offer a readily accessible and efficient method for basic visual comparisons.

Capture Baseline Screenshots:

Method 1

• Open your web application:
• Open the Developer Tools: Right-click on the page and select "Inspect" or use the keyboard shortcut (F12).
• Switch to the "Devices" tab: This tab allows you to simulate different devices and screen sizes.
• Capture Screenshots: Use the "Emulate Responsive Design" feature to switch between different screen sizes and orientations. Take screenshots of the page in each configuration. You can use the browser's built-in screenshot functionality.

Method 2:

• Select the element on the page
• Right click on the selected element code snippet -> Select "Capture Node Screenshot"
• Screenshot will be captured & saved to the local repo.

Make Changes and Capture New Screenshots:

• Modify the code: Introduce changes to the CSS, HTML, or JavaScript of your web application.
• Repeat Step 1: Capture screenshots of the modified page in the same device and screen size configurations as before.

Accessibility Testing

Accessibility testing is crucial for ensuring your web application is usable by everyone, including people with disabilities. Browser developer tools provide a suite of features to help you identify and fix accessibility issues.

1. Lighthouse:

A powerful automated tool that audits your page for performance, accessibility, best practices, and SEO.

Open your web page in Chrome or Firefox. Go to the "Lighthouse" tab. Select the "Accessibility" category and click "Generate report." Review the report for issues and their severity.