Video Testing

title: "Media Testing — Verifying Audio and Video Accessibility" description: "Learn how to test media accessibility using automated tools, screen readers, and manual verification of captions, descriptions, and transcripts." weight: 11 date: 2026-06-28 lastmod: 2026-06-28 tags: [accessibility, media]

Testing media accessibility requires verifying captions, audio descriptions, transcripts, player controls, and keyboard support.

## What You'll Learn

How to test media accessibility using automated and manual methods.

## Why It Matters

Media accessibility issues are often missed by automated tools. Manual verification of captions, descriptions, and player controls is essential.

## Real-World Use

A QA tester plays a video and enables captions. They verify captions match dialogue, sound effects are included, and the player controls work with keyboard.

## Test Checklist

| Check | Method | Expected |
|-------|--------|----------|
| Captions available | Play video, toggle CC | Captions appear |
| Caption accuracy | Compare to dialogue | Word-for-word match |
| Audio descriptions | Enable descriptions track | Descriptions play in gaps |
| Transcript provided | Find on page | Complete transcript available |
| Player keyboard | Tab, Space, Arrows | All controls operable |
| Focus indicators | Tab through controls | Visible on each control |
| Auto-play | Page load | Muted, or no auto-play |
| Reduced motion | Enable in OS | Animation stops |

## Automated Checks

```javascript
// Check for captions track
const video = document.querySelector('video');
const hasCaptions = video.querySelector('track[kind="captions"]');
const hasDescriptions = video.querySelector('track[kind="descriptions"]');

// Check for controls
if (!video.hasAttribute('controls') && !document.querySelector('[role=application]')) {
  console.error('Video missing controls');
}

Common Mistakes

1. Only checking if captions exist, not accuracy

Captions must be accurate. Auto-generated captions need human review.

2. Not testing with keyboard

Media players often break keyboard support for custom controls.

3. Forgetting audio descriptions

Verifying audio descriptions requires listening to confirm they play correctly.

4. Not testing on mobile

Mobile browsers handle media differently. Test on iOS and Android.

5. Not checking transcript completeness

Transcripts must include all dialogue and descriptions. Compare to the full video.

Practice Questions

1. How do you verify caption accuracy? Play the video with captions enabled. Compare each caption to what is spoken at that time.

2. What is the best way to test audio descriptions? Close your eyes and listen. The descriptions should convey all visual information.

3. How do you test the transcript is complete? Read the transcript while watching the video. Every line of dialogue should be in the transcript.

Challenge: Create a test suite for video accessibility with 15 test cases covering captions, descriptions, transcript, player controls, and auto-play.

FAQ

Mini Project

Write a comprehensive media accessibility test plan. Include tests for captions, descriptions, transcripts, player controls, keyboard, auto-play, and mobile.

What's Next

Apply everything in the Media Project by building a complete accessible media page.