Guidepup vs other accessibility testing
Guidepup is not a replacement for existing accessibility testing tools.
Different tools test different aspects of an application, and a strong accessibility testing strategy can combine them.
Different tools, different questions
| Layer | Example Tool | What it helps you test |
|---|---|---|
| Static Analysis | axe | Statically detectable accessibility violations |
| Browser Accessibility Tree | Playwright accessibility assertions | Expected accessible names, roles, states and structure |
| Browser / Component | Playwright | Application behaviour under browser UI interactions |
| Simulated Screen Reader | Guidepup Virtual Screen Reader | Expected screen reader behaviour in fast, isolated tests |
| Real Screen Reader | Guidepup with VoiceOver or NVDA | Application behaviour under real screen reader interactions |
| User | Manual assistive technology testing | Real-world accessibility and usability |
The distinction is important.
An accessibility scanner might tell you that a button has an accessible name. A browser assertion might tell you that the button has the expected role and state.
Guidepup can test what happens when a screen reader user actually navigates to and interacts with that button.
Complementary, not competing
For example, an accessibility test suite might include:
- Static analysis to catch automatically detectable accessibility issues.
- Browser and component tests to verify application behaviour and accessible interface structure.
- Screen reader tests to verify screen reader navigation, interaction and output.
- Manual testing to evaluate the experience with real users.
Each layer catches problems that the others may not.
Guidepup is intended to add screen reader testing to this strategy rather than replace the tools you already use.
Real screen readers and the Virtual Screen Reader
Guidepup provides two ways to automate screen reader behaviour:
Real screen readers
Guidepup can automate real screen readers such as VoiceOver and NVDA.
That gives you higher-fidelity end-to-end coverage of the actual screen reader experience.
See getting started to learn more.
Virtual Screen Reader
The Virtual Screen Reader provides a fast way to test screen reader behaviour without running a platform screen reader.
It is well suited to component and integration tests where you want to run many tests quickly.
See Virtual Screen Reader for more information.