Step 1: Create a test plan

Define what to test

Identify what is in scope, for example:

• whole website, web application and mobile versions of a website
• separate parts of the site, such as transaction or booking portal
• specific pages
• content types and components
• third-party services in use (e.g. widgets, plugins).

Determine browsers and technology to test with

Determine the web browsers, assistive technologies and other user agents that someone might use to access your site or web app.

Test using each of the required web browsers, operating systems, and device types, including mobile, tablet, and PC. At a minimum, include:

• browsers—Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Safari
• operating systems—Windows, Mac.
• mobile devices— Android, iPhone and iPad (current version of operating system)

Select a sample to test

You don’t need to test every page.

The same web templates and content types are likely to be used across your site, and the same issues are likely to occur each time they are used.

Select a sample of pages, content types and components, ensuring that all page types, elements, and content types that make up your site are included. Consider:

• some more complex sections may need to be tested in more detail
• similar pages using the same template may have different issues caused by different page content.

Follow the process below to determine which site sections, user journeys, patterns and page types to include in your test plan.

Prioritise what to test

Focus on areas that impact user experience and interactions:

• High impact and high usage areas—focus first on pages or components that have the most visits and interactions and use site analytics to identify the pages with highest use.
• Critical user tasks—log in, site navigation, forms, completing an online service and finding help and contacting for more information.

Key pages to include

• Home page—make sure high-traffic pages work for users.
• Contact page—make sure users can get help when they need it.
• Login or registration pages—ensure users can register and login to use the service.
• Forms, error messages, confirmation and checkout pages—ensure users can navigate through forms, and labels and error messages help users perform tasks easily.

Elements and components to include

• Navigation and structure—main navigation, sidebars, search and footers to ensure screen readers can follow logical hierarchies.
• Interactive elements:
  • Buttons, links, and menus—test keyboard and screen reader accessibility for all controls
  • Modals and pop-ups—verify that they are announced properly and can be closed via keyboard.
• Media content—images, videos, and audio (includes GIFs):
  • Ensure that alt text, captions, and transcripts are present
  • Ensure that multimedia content doesn't auto-play and that controls are available, including pause, start, and stop, and that these controls can be operated using a keyboard.

Next step

Select tools and get set up for testing