Inspect the customer’s path
Use the keyboard to reach navigation, contact links and form fields. Watch whether focus is visible and whether menus can be closed. Check that labels remain visible when fields contain text, that headings describe the page and that essential information is not conveyed only by color or images. W3C’s introductory checks provide a useful starting framework.
A worked example
Fictional defect: a quote form uses placeholder text as the only label. Once someone types, the field’s purpose disappears. A second defect marks invalid fields only with a red border. A clearer version keeps a visible label, gives a specific error such as “Enter a contact email,” and lets the user reach the error and correct it without losing unrelated input.
Choose the next action
Prioritize barriers that prevent the task: trapped focus, unlabeled controls, unreadable content and unreachable submission feedback. Ask the maintainer to test with appropriate assistive technologies and automated checks as part of a broader review. A scanner finding no issues does not establish that every user can complete the journey.
Check whether it worked
Repeat the same keyboard and form tasks after repairs at a narrow width and with enlarged text. Record remaining limitations and the responsible person. Check third-party widgets as well as the site’s own components. For a formal accessibility or legal determination, obtain the appropriate expert review; this checklist remains an owner’s practical starting point.
Put it to work
A record you can use
- Page and task
- Keyboard and focus result
- Label, contrast or error defect
- Repair and retest
- Remaining specialist review needs
Plain text. No email required. Store completed records in your approved business systems.
Next useful step
Need help applying this to your marketing? A strategy call starts with your business and the evidence you have.
Talk through your next step →For a general editorial question, email Chris. Please leave out customer details. Questions are private, and no response time is promised.