Why one tool
When we deliver accessibility guidelines, testing instructions, or audit recommendations, the most common question we get is “how do I actually check this?” We want to provide consistent guidance to all customers.
Microsoft Accessibility Insights for Web is a free browser extension for Chrome and Edge. It has three testing modes: FastPass for quick automated checks and keyboard testing, Quick Assess for a focused set of 10 WCAG requirements, and a full Assessment for comprehensive WCAG 2.2 Level AA evaluation. Each mode walks you through what to look for, shows you visual helpers on the page, and explains how to fix what it finds.
What this means for our work
Every audit we deliver now comes with a companion guidelines document. It covers best practices and explains how to test them using Accessibility Insights. Our audit recommendations will reference the tool directly when explaining steps to recreate an issue.
This tool will be used to give every deliverable a clear, repeatable starting point that anyone on a team can follow without needing to be an accessibility specialist first.
Why this tool
It’s free, comprehensive, backed by Microsoft, and powered by axe-core, which is one of the most widely used accessibility testing engines. It stores everything locally in the browser, so there are no privacy concerns about sending data externally. It has built-in guidance for every test it runs, including why it matters, what to look for, and how to fix failures. And it exports clean reports that teams can share and act on.
We looked at a lot of options, and this is our preference at the moment!