Using Automatic Tools in Accessibility and Usability Assurance Processes

The paper claims that processes for monitoring, assessing and ensuring appropriate levels of accessibility and usability have to be adopted by web development and maintenance teams. Secondarily it argues that automatic tools for accessibility and usability are a necessary component of these processes. The paper presents first an analysis of web development and maintenance activities that highlights the reasons why accessibility and usability are so poorly achieved. It then suggests which processes, borrowed from the domain of software quality assurance, should be established to improve production and maintenance of web sites. The paper finally shows how automatic tools could fit in those processes and actually improve them, while being cost-effective.