Today, the quality of a digital product is no longer measured solely by its performance or visual design. True digital maturity of an organization means ensuring inclusive access for all users.
Digital accessibility, once seen as a legal requirement or technical detail, is now a key success factor for any digital solution—be it a website, a mobile app, or a service portal.
But how can you know if your product is truly accessible to everyone? How can you make sure you’re not unintentionally excluding part of your audience?
That’s where a digital accessibility audit becomes essential. More than a set of technical checks, it’s a discovery process that identifies hidden but impactful issues and outlines a clear plan to build truly inclusive experiences. In this article, we explain the types of audits to consider, what to evaluate, and how to turn the findings into strategic action.
What is a digital accessibility audit?
A digital accessibility audit is a structured process that evaluates whether your digital product complies with standards such as WCAG 2.2, the European standard EN 301 549, or national legislation (e.g., Portuguese Decree-Law No. 82/2022).
More than legal compliance, it’s about realizing that accessibility means usability, quality, and innovation. By definition, an accessible product is more robust, more resilient, and better equipped to meet the diverse needs of users.
Conducting an audit means your team isn’t just ticking compliance boxes — you’re investing in a smarter, smoother, and more universal user experience. This leads to greater adoption, stronger retention, and enhanced brand reputation.
Types of audit to consider
1. Automated audit
Ideal for projects in continuous development or with a large number of pages. It allows for quick, efficient identification of recurring issues and large-scale structural errors.
What is evaluated:
- Clear and semantic code structure, with well-defined headings and regions so screen readers can properly interpret the page’s hierarchy and layout;
- Color contrast and exclusive reliance on color to convey information;
- Alt text for images;
- Full support for keyboard navigation — no mouse required — and screen reader compatibility for both content and interactions;
- Form accessibility (labels, error messages);
- Ability to scale text (up to 200%) without truncating, overlapping, or losing usability — across different screen sizes.
At Xpand IT, we combine tools like BrowserStack, Axe, and Access Monitor to ensure robust automated analysis: we test in real environments, support technical teams with precision, and ensure compliance with institutional standards in Portugal.
Automated tools flag technical errors but don’t assess real user experience. To ensure full accessibility, manual testing by specialists is essential.
2. Manual expert analysis
Ensuring inclusion means testing your product as it’s used — with screen readers, keyboard navigation, mobile devices, and in diverse contexts, just like your users would.
This analysis catches issues missed by automated tools, such as inconsistent interaction flows, lack of visual feedback, or ambiguous instructions.
It includes:
- Screen reader testing;
- Keyboard navigation and visual focus validation;
- Interaction on real devices;
- Accessibility check of multimedia content (captions, audio description, transcripts);
- Assessment of instruction clarity and task flow coherence.
This is a demanding process, but absolutely essential to ensure design decisions don’t create barriers.
3. Content and PDF audit
Accessibility doesn’t depend on code alone — content can be a barrier too. A confusingly structured email, an unreadable PDF, or vague headings can hinder access to essential information.
What is analyzed:
- Hierarchical heading structure and logical information order;
- Coherence, readability, and visual distinction of links and buttons;
- Correct labeling of form fields, with accessible instructions;
- Alt text in images and correct document language setting;
- Clarity, consistency, and avoidance of ambiguous language.
Investing in this audit ensures that all teams involved in product creation — from marketing to technical writing — speak the same “accessible language.”
What should a good audit report include?
The true value of an audit lies in its ability to turn diagnosis into action. An effective report should be both technical and strategic — turning barriers into opportunities for improvement.
Key elements:
- Executive summary: main non-conformities, impact on users, and severity level;
- List of non-conformities: unmet criteria, visual evidence, problem description, and technical recommendation;
- Prioritization of fixes: ranked by impact and severity (from Critical to Minor);
- Improvement suggestions: best practices, feasible solutions, and reference examples.
This report is the link between assessment and execution. It’s a crucial tool for development, UX/UI, and content teams.
Turning diagnosis into action
Diagnosis is important — but action drives change. The true impact of an audit lies in how it guides decisions and improvements.
Strategic next steps:
- Technical and UX fixes of the identified issues;
- Integration of accessibility principles into design and development cycles;
- Ongoing internal team training, with specific sessions by role (UX, development, content);
- Validation of improvements through usability testing with real users;
- Creation of customized guidelines and checklists for each team, promoting a culture of embedded accessibility.
Transformation happens when accessibility stops being an isolated task and becomes a shared responsibility across the entire product team.
How can we help?
At Xpand IT, we believe accessibility isn’t an add-on — it’s a standard of excellence that ensures digital solutions are inclusive, resilient, and future-ready. That’s why we’ve developed a holistic approach that brings together technology, experience, and enablement.
We combine automated and manual audits tailored to each client’s real needs, with hands-on training programs that turn technical knowledge into strategic action.
If you want to ensure your digital product is accessible — and above all, usable and inclusive — start by understanding where you stand.
Download our complete digital accessibility guide and discover where (and how) you can improve.
