Testing Assistive Technology for Compatibility with Microsoft Windows XP
Microsoft Accessible Technology Group
April 2002
Summary: This article prioritizes areas of the Microsoft Windows XP interface that can be tested to ensure compatibility between assistive technologies and Windows XP. (7 printed pages)
To ensure compatibility between your assistive technology and Microsoft Windows XP, you need to confirm that assistive technology can work with the Windows XP user interface. To make such testing easier, the Microsoft Accessible Technology Group has prioritized the most important user interface features, as shown in the following table.
Feature | Priority |
---|---|
Features that are new or have a new user interface in Windows XP - and - Features that contain known software bugs in Microsoft Windows 2000. - and - Features that work fully in Windows 2000 but might not in Windows XP. |
P1 |
Features that both work fully in Windows 2000 and are accessed frequently by users of assistive technology. | P2 |
Features that work fully in Windows 2000 but are accessed infrequently by users of assistive technology. | P3 |
At a minimum, test the user interface of each feature at its first and second levels. For example, in Control Panel, test all buttons and tabs in the Display Properties dialog box, and also test any dialog boxes that appear when you click a button in the Display Properties dialog box. You can test any dialog box that appears when you click the second level of buttons.
Use the following tools to test your assistive technology:
- Accessibility Event Watcher (AccEvent) to monitor how your assistive technology supports WinEvents.
- Inspect Object (Inspect) to monitor how your assistive technology supports Microsoft Active Accessibility (MSAA) objects.
- Narrator to compare the functionality of your screen reader to that of Narrator, which comes with Windows XP.
- Magnifier to compare the functionality of your screen magnifier to that of Magnifier, which comes with Windows XP.
You can get AccEvent and Inspect from the Microsoft Windows SDK Update for Windows 7 and .NET Framework 4. To download just the tools, select only Tools from the Installation Options page of the Windows SDK setup wizard.
The most important areas of the Windows XP user interface to be tested include:
- Control Panel.
- Accessories.
- Other user interface areas besides Control Panel and Accessories.
- Microsoft Internet Explorer.
The following sections prioritize items within these test areas.
Control Panel Category | User Interface Task | Priority |
---|---|---|
Appearance and Themes |
|
P1 |
Network and Internet Connections | Set up a network and Internet connection using your assistive technology. | P2 |
Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices | Change voice speed. | P2 |
Accessibility Options | Select High Contrast. | P1 |
Add or Remove Programs |
|
P1 |
Printers and Other Hardware | Add a printer. | P2 |
Performance and Maintenance |
|
P1 |
User Accounts | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P1 |
Date, Time, Language, and Regional Options | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P3 |
Other Control Panel Options | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P3 |
Confirm that your assistive technology works with the programs in the Accessories folder. The following table lists the programs to test.
Accessories Program | Priority |
---|---|
Accessibility
|
P1 P1 P1 P1 |
Communications
|
P2 |
Entertainment
|
P2 P2 P2 |
System Tools
|
P2 P2 P2 P2 P1 |
Calculator | P1 |
Command Prompt Console | P1 |
Notepad | P2 |
Synchronize | P2 |
WordPad (tooltip functionality only) | P1 |
The following table lists areas of the user interface other than Control Panel and Accessories. Perform the user interface tasks to confirm that your assistive technology works with Windows XP.
User Interface Area | User Interface Task | Priority |
---|---|---|
Start Menu and Submenus |
|
P1 |
Turn Off Computer | Turn off computer. | P1 |
Log Off Dialog Box |
|
P1 |
Explorer |
|
P1 P1 P2 P2 P2 |
My Network Place | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P2 |
Help and Support Center | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P1 |
Run in Compatibility Mode | Test all features. | P1 |
Desktop | Create shortcut on desktop. | P2 |
Quick Launch, Applications Tray, and System Tray |
|
P1 |
Search |
|
P2 P3 P2 |
Run |
|
P1 P2 P3 P3 P1 P2 |
Startup | Make sure all applications are accessible within the folder. | P3 |
The following table lists features related to Internet Explorer. Perform the user interface tasks to confirm that your assistive technology works with Windows XP.
Internet Explorer Feature | User Interface Task | Priority |
---|---|---|
Microsoft Internet Connection Wizard |
|
P1 |
Microsoft Internet Explorer Browser |
|
P1 |
Internet Options | From the Accessibility tab, test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P1 |
Microsoft Outlook Express | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P2 |
Windows Updates | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P3 |
Microsoft MSN Explorer | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P1 |
Address Book | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P2 |
MSN Messenger Service | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P1 |
MSN Search | Test the user interface at its first and second levels. | P2 |