Auditing Project

title: "Auditing Module Project" weight: 25 description: "Apply everything learned in this module: scope an audit, run automated scans, perform manual review, document findings, create a remediation plan, and produce a final audit report." date: 2026-06-28 lastmod: 2026-06-28 tags: [accessibility, auditing]

This capstone project combines all auditing techniques from this module into a comprehensive accessibility audit of a sample website, producing a complete audit report with findings, severity ratings, and a prioritized remediation plan.

## Project Overview

You will conduct a full accessibility audit of a sample e-commerce site (or your own project). Document every phase from scope definition through final report delivery.

## Project Steps

```mermaid
flowchart TD
  A[Define Scope] --> B[Automated Scan]
  B --> C[Manual Review]
  C --> D[Screen Reader Test]
  D --> E[Document Findings]
  E --> F[Create Report]
  F --> G[Build Remediation Plan]
  G --> H[Present to Stakeholders]

Step 1: Scope Definition

Define what you will audit. Select pages, WCAG level, assistive technologies, and platforms.

const projectScope = {
  site: 'Sample E-commerce Store',
  pages: ['/', '/products', '/product/*', '/cart', '/checkout', '/account'],
  wcagLevel: 'AA',
  assistiveTech: ['NVDA', 'VoiceOver'],
  platforms: ['Chrome 120', 'Firefox 120', 'Safari 17'],
  exclusions: ['/admin/*', '/api/*', 'third-party chat widget']
};

Step 2: Automated Scan

Run axe-core and Lighthouse on all in-scope pages. Aggregate results.

# Automated scan script
for url in https://example.com https://example.com/products; do
  npx axe "$url" --save "results/$(basename $url).json"
  lighthouse "$url" --output=json --output-path="lighthouse/$(basename $url).json"
done

Step 3: Manual Review

Perform keyboard testing, screen reader testing, visual inspection, and content review. Use a structured checklist.

<!-- Manual review checklist -->
<h2>Manual Testing Checklist</h2>
<ol>
  <li>Keyboard: Tab through all elements in order</li>
  <li>Keyboard: Test all interactive elements with Enter/Space</li>
  <li>Keyboard: Verify Escape closes overlays</li>
  <li>Screen Reader: Navigate by headings</li>
  <li>Screen Reader: Complete a form submission</li>
  <li>Visual: Check contrast at different zoom levels</li>
  <li>Content: Review alt text quality</li>
</ol>

Step 4: Report and Remediation

Document all findings in the report template. Create a prioritized remediation plan.

/* Remediation example: fixing contrast */
/* Before: fails AA */
.secondary-text { color: #888; }
/* After: passes AA */
.secondary-text { color: #555; }

Deliverables

Submit: scope document, automated scan results (aggregated), manual review checklist with findings, screen reader test notes, complete audit report (executive summary + detailed findings), prioritized remediation plan, and a presentation summary for stakeholders.

What's Next

Color Contrast covers WCAG color contrast requirements and testing in depth.