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Developing: Quality Assurance

Quality Assurance (QA) is the processes of review, assessment and remediation of Web site design and content. QA measures how closely the finished Web site meets the project goals established in the planning phase. During the QA process, Web designers check to see if the finished Web-based product meets the objectives. In addition to agency requirements, the QA process evaluates the success of the design team efforts to comply with regulatory, legal and internally mandated requirements.

• User Interface Testing
• Content Proofing
• Link Testing
• Browser Testing
• Accessibility Testing

User Interface Testing

To ensure your Web site meets the needs of your target audience and the goals of your organization, it is essential to test the site with intended users. This process will reveal any areas that cause the user difficulty or misunderstanding. It also helps give you a deeper understanding of the barriers that can exist to many people accessing the Web.

End-user testing involves the following tasks:

• Create user scenarios or profiles.
• Recruit users with specific needs.
• Conduct the user testing sessions.
• Compile and analyze the feedback.
• Provide a summarized and detailed report on the findings.

See Also:

• User Testing

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Content Proofing

To proof content review text and graphics for proper grammar, usage, spelling and punctuation. The content should be clear, accurate and professional. Some designers uses an internal style guide or the Associated Press Stylebook for answers to questions on proper language usage, spelling, capitalization and grammar. We will deviate from AP Stylebook rules when the exception allows for clearer readability and/or comprehension in the context of the Web-based medium.

Checking for factual errors is another facet of content proofing. Much of the content in a particular site may be so specialized that the design team may not be able to determine the validity of information. With this in mind, have someone knowledgeable about the topic review site content for incorrect, outdated and/or missing information.

See Also:

• Guidelines check sheet

Link Testing

The "linked" nature of the Web may be its most powerful attribute. Carefully verify the proper connections between linked page elements and their destinations. There are three primary types of links you must check when reviewing the site:

• External Links: Links to resources outside of the Web site's file system
• Internal Links: Links to resources within a particular Web site's file system
• Bookmark Links: Links to resources located in the middle of pages that reside inside or outside of a particular Web site.

While automated tools are effective in performing site-wide link checks, you should manually check hyperlinks before a site goes live on the Web.

Creating a site in a development environment that mirrors the live Web server environment is another step that helps ensure links will remain valid when site files are moved from the development phase to the live phase.

See Also:

• Guidelines check sheet

Browser Testing

A single Web page may look much different when viewed through the various browsers. While it is impossible to create a Web page that looks the same across all browsers, you should create and executing a design, which maintains an acceptable level of display consistency across the most widely-used browsers.

Test the Web page at various monitor resolutions, and look for content that is displayed outside the horizontal viewing area of the screen. Consider changes in design and layout if key content and/or navigation elements are hidden to the right of the viewable area when the Web page initially loads onscreen. You must also be aware of how font and graphic sizes are affected. For example, if text displays too small to read at the 1024 x 768 resolution, consider increasing the relative size of the fonts used on the page.

See Also:

• Compatibility check sheet

Accessibility Testing

Every Web site built by Kansas.gov will be developed and evaluated to comply with state and applicable federal accessibility guidelines. The State of Kansas Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are based in part on the work of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and their Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0). The Kansas guidelines also encompass the rules for Web-based intranet and Internet information and applications required of federal departments and agencies (and others as applicable) by section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended (29 U.S.C. 794d).

Accessibility testing requires testing the user-interface with assistive technologies, such as Web browsers designed for individuals with physical and/or cognitive impairments. accessKansas prepares a detailed Web accessibility check sheet for every site the organization creates. This check sheet specifically lists the accessibility guidelines adopted by the state of Kansas and measures a particular Web site’s conformance with the guidelines. We also provide a copy of the accessibility report to the partnering organization upon completion of site templates, which will be maintained by the partner.

See Also:

• Accessibility
• Accessibility guidelines sheet
• Accessibility checklist sheet
• Accessibility summary sheet

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