Browser expansion is easy, but to ensure that it is accessible to everyone deliberately care and skills.
Your extension can bring the data in a bad way and have a beautiful interface, but if screen reader users or keyboard navigators cannot use it, you have unintentionally excluded many potential users.
In this article, we will audit the Chrome browser extension for access issues and turn it into a comprehensive experience that works for everyone.
The table of content
Why is the leakage importance in the browser extension
Each click in your browser extension is an opportunity to empower or exclude users if leak is not part of your design.
The browser expansion facesable challenges, as they have to inject functionality in existing web pages while maintaining their accessible interface – a dual responsibility that can introduce potential obstacles. For example, a popup that trapped keyboard users or fails to communicate with screen readers can make the expansion unusable.
According to the World Health Organization, more than a billion people are living with disabled people, accessible design opens a wider user base and creates better experiences for everyone.
The browser expansion access, capable leakage barriers usually come out like this:
Keyboard Navigation Dead Ends: Popups and interfaces that trap or exclude keyboard users.
Silent interactions: Lost labels and statements, such as the only icon button that is announced by the screen readers as a “non -labeled button”, which uses users about this goal.
Refuse of non -declared dynamic material: Contemporary changes that take place without auxiliary technology, such as updating a quote without informing the screen readers about the change, including the Qualds Loads to load states or errors
Context’s integration conflicts: Editing the existing web pages can accidentally break the page access features or introduce elements that collide with the established navigation pattern.
By understanding these obstacles, the developers can take target steps to test and improve their expansion.
How to perform manual browser extension tests
While automatic tools catch clear issues, manual testing shows the user’s real experience. Here is a way to regularly estimate your extension access.
Keyboard navigation test
Disconnect your mouse and try to use your extension fully with the keyboard. Navigate using Tab To move between elements, Enter Or Space To activate buttons, and arrow keys inside the ingredients.
Is it always clear what factor is the attention?
Can you activate the buttons?
EnterOrSpaceAs expected?Can users get out of the Model dialog or dropdown menos?
If you face a dead head or confusion points, keyboard users will face the same obstacles.
Screen reader diagnosis
Use your operating system built -in screen reader to visit and listen to what is announced. Enable the voice over on Macos,. On Windows, use the narrator. On the Linux, and try.
Does the purpose of each element come clearly, such as just a “button” instead of “button” to be announced?
Has the titles, lists and other structures been delivered correctly?
Do users understand that when the content is loading, selected, or changed?
This often shows the difference between the testing phase that you intended to talk and which in fact reaches consumers.
Visual Leak Review
Review your extension in various visual context. To confirm that webaim’s contract checker use developer tools, to confirm that the text meets the contradictory proportion to WCAG’s 4.5: 1 reading qualification. Test how your extension system appears in high ratio settings. Make sure:
The functionality is usable at 200 % zoom.
Information is not delivered only by color, such as color coded indicators as well as using text labels.
These manual tests will pave the way for the target target to include your extension.
How to enforce a browser extension access
Imagine refreshing a page that happened without knowing or clicking a button without a clear purpose. The aforementioned manual tests have revealed that our extension screen reader is experienced for users in all three major leakage cases.
Missing button label: The dice button only has a picture with the Alt Text “Diace icon” which lacks contexts. Screen readers need
Silent dynamic updates: When a new advice burden, screen readers do not know the content has changed
No loading states: When you bring advice, consumers get no opinion that something is happening
Let’s resolve the issues before conducting an automated test.
How to solve the missing button label and ALT text
We will add aria-label To clearly explain the purpose of the button and provide a descriptive ALT text for the icon. role="presentation" The attribute ensures that the image is considered decorative by the screen readers.
<button class="dice-button" id="generate-advice-btn">
<img src="/icons/icon-dice.png" alt="Dice icon">
button>
<button class="dice-button" id="generate-advice-btn" aria-label="Generate new advice">
<img src="/icons/icon-dice.png" alt="A dice icon with green background" role="presentation">
button>
How to solve silent dynamic updates
We will add aria-live="polite" Announce new advice for screen readers and aria-atomic="true" To ensure that the whole reference is read. She is:
<p class="advice-quote" id="advice-quote">
"It is easy to sit up and take notice, what's difficult is getting up and taking action."
p>
<p class="advice-quote" id="advice-quote" aria-live="polite" aria-atomic="true">
"It is easy to sit up and take notice, what's difficult is getting up and taking action."
p>
How to solve loading states
We will add setLoadingState Function to provide loading indicators, ensuring that when content is being recovered, screen reader users are notified:
function requestNewAdvice() {
chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: "fetchAdvice" }, (response) => {
});
}
function requestNewAdvice() {
setLoadingState(true);
chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: "fetchAdvice" }, (response) => {
setLoadingState(false);
});
}
function setLoadingState(isLoading) {
if (isLoading) {
generateAdviceBtn.disabled = true;
generateAdviceBtn.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Loading new advice...');
adviceQuoteElement.textContent = "Loading new advice...";
} else {
generateAdviceBtn.disabled = false;
generateAdviceBtn.setAttribute('aria-label', 'Generate new advice');
}
}
With focus on manual testing issues, we can now move towards automatic tests for the same extension.
How to perform automatic browser extension tests
Manual testing provides important insights, but automatic tools can effectively catch common issues and provide ongoing monitoring.
These Extended Leak Checker The browser extension interface for compliance with the WCAG simplifies testing by analyzing the popup and content script, to deal with unique challenges such as popup barriers and content injection conflicts.
To use the extension lease checker:
Compress your browser extension folder in .zip file
Review the report prepared for specific leaky violations and implement the recommended reforms
As shown in the aforementioned GIF, this workflow helps you understand accessible as part of the usual development process.
With automatic testing at the place, let’s look for the best ways to ensure that your extension is accessible throughout the development.
Best Best of Accessible Browser Extension
We have changed our Extension of sample advice producing browser A function of a functional but inaccessible tool that works for everyone.
Based on our improvement, the four key principles for designing accessible browser extension are:
Cementic HTML and clear, descriptive label
Before adding ARIA attributes, start with the appropriate HTML structures (for example, for the proper heading process, proper heading) before adding ARIA attributes.
Make sure each interactive factor has a clear purpose aria-labelFor, for, for,. aria-labelledbyOr visible text that explains its process.
Clear communication at every step
Each interactive element should effectively convey its purpose. Users need to understand:
Access to complete keyboard
All functionality keyboard should be available through navigation. This is required to test with TabFor, for, for,. EnterFor, for, for,. SpaceAnd arrow keys as appropriate.
Provide clear and deliberate focus indicators that predict through your interface with clear ways to exit models or complex interactions.
User preferences and content script reservations
Respect the user’s selection by supporting the system font size settings and the user defined color schemes are not unnecessarily undermined.
When your extension edit the existing web pages, make sure you do not break the accessible features, focus management and navigation patterns. Ensure any new elements that you adhere to access standards.
Conclusion
As we have seen with us The advice generating extensionTransforms a functional tool, dealing with access issues, dealing with access issues.
However, while the current extension is helpful to fix problems, the most effective approach is to allow your design and development decisions to guide the code from the first line of code.
When launching your next browser extension project, ask:
How will one just go to it using the keyboard?
Is the purpose of each interactive element immediately clean for screen readers?
How will consumers understand what is happening during loading states?
Here are some helpful resources