Having an accessible website is no longer just a best practice; it is an expectation. Automated tools and WCAG compliance checks play an important role, but they only show part of the picture. For people using screen readers, magnifiers, or voice navigation, a technically compliant website can still feel confusing and frustrating to use.
That is where user research becomes essential. By testing with disabled users, you uncover the barriers that audits alone cannot detect and gain insight into real-world experiences.
In this guide, we will explore why accessibility audits are not enough, the role of user research in building inclusive websites, practical techniques and tools, real-world case studies, and tips for running your own inclusive research.
Why Accessibility Audits Aren’t Enough
Accessibility audits are often the first step organisations take when assessing their digital products. They are valuable because they catch common issues such as:
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Missing alt text on images
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Poor colour contrast between text and backgrounds
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Incorrect heading structures that break content hierarchy
However, audits only measure compliance, not usability, which is crucial for staying accessible. They cannot tell you how people actually experience your site. For example, an audit may confirm that your menu is fully keyboard-operable. On paper, that looks like success. However, when tested with a screen reader user, the menu might still be confusing, with a focus order that jumps around or dynamic submenus that are read out of sequence.
That gap is where user research and testing with disabled participants makes the difference. Audits highlight whether the technical requirements are in place, but user research accessibility reveals whether those requirements translate into a smooth, understandable experience for real people.
What is the Role of User Research in Accessibility?
Where audits stop, user research begins. The purpose of research is to go beyond technical compliance and understand how people actually interact with your website or app.
In the context of accessibility, it helps you answer a simple but crucial question: can disabled users complete their tasks with confidence and ease?
User research in accessibility plays three key roles:
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Identifying hidden barriers: It highlights challenges faced by people using screen readers, magnifiers, voice navigation, or switch devices that audits cannot uncover. You can learn more about these challenges in our article on the importance of landmarks for screen reader users.
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Validating design decisions: It provides evidence that your navigation, layout, and content structure work for people with different abilities, not just for an idealised user.
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Driving cultural change: It encourages teams to think inclusively and build accessibility into their process, rather than treating it as a checklist item.
Example:
When the UK charity Scope redesigned its website, it conducted user research and testing with a diverse range of disabled users, including those using screen readers, switch devices, and speech input. The findings showed that filter menus were difficult to operate with screen readers and switch devices. Using these insights, the team reworked the design to improve clarity and ensure keyboard accessibility.
What are the Benefits of User Research and Testing?
Running usability tests with disabled participants provides insights that automated audits cannot deliver. The benefits of user testing include:
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Real-world validation: Confirms whether your website or app truly works for people using assistive technologies.
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Early detection of issues: Highlights barriers during design and development, when fixes are easier and less costly.
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Improved user confidence: Ensures people of all abilities can complete tasks without confusion or frustration.
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Better design decisions: Provides practical evidence to refine navigation, content, and layouts. Our guide to designing for cognitive accessibility shows how user research and testing can identify challenges that automated checks overlook.
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Cultural change: Helps teams build empathy and develop a stronger commitment to inclusive design.
When paired with accessibility audits, user research and testing ensures you move from technical compliance to digital experiences that are genuinely inclusive. Using the right user research tools, such as screen readers or voice navigation software, can make these tests even more effective by revealing barriers automated audits cannot detect.
Case Study: User Research in the NHS App
The NHS App underwent significant user research as part of its development. Early testing revealed significant barriers that would never have been caught by audits alone. Some older users with cognitive impairments struggled to understand the registration flow.
Others using screen readers found that important form instructions were visually present but not programmatically associated, making them inaccessible.
The NHS Digital team responded by:
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Simplifying language across the app.
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Improving error messages and labels.
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Adding clear and consistent focus states.
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Re-testing prototypes with assistive technology users.
Through this iterative approach, based on continuous user research and testing, the NHS App became not only compliant but genuinely usable by people with a wide range of abilities and needs.
What is the Impact of User Research?
The impact of user research reaches far beyond fixing individual issues. It improves usability, strengthens team empathy, and sparks innovations that benefit all users.
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For organisations: It reduces long-term costs by catching issues early and helps avoid reputational damage from inaccessible products. Our guide on the business benefits of accessibility explores how inclusive design delivers measurable value.
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For teams: It creates alignment around user needs and encourages designers and developers to think inclusively.
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For users: It removes barriers and gives people of all abilities the confidence to interact with digital services.
In short, the impact of user research accessibility is a shift from building for compliance to building for people.
From Feedback to Culture Shift
Inclusive user research is not just about fixing a single website or app. It has the power to change the way teams think about accessibility altogether. When designers, developers, and stakeholders hear directly from people who face barriers in their product, it builds empathy, ensures alignment, and drives long-term cultural change.
Example:
Microsoft’s Inclusive Design methodology encourages teams to “design with, not for.” Their research process involves interviewing and testing people who have a wide range of permanent, temporary, and situational impairments.
This approach has led to accessibility innovations such as:
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The Xbox Adaptive Controller, designed in collaboration with disabled gamers
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Live captions in Microsoft Teams, making communication more inclusive for people with hearing loss and for those in noisy environments
Embedding user research accessibility practices into an organisation’s culture demonstrates how feedback from disabled users can spark innovation. Microsoft’s work shows that when accessibility is considered from the very beginning, the results are products that benefit far more people than originally intended.
Tips for Running Inclusive User Research
Running inclusive user research takes thoughtful planning. Choosing the right user research techniques, such as usability testing, interviews, or diary studies, helps create an environment where participants feel comfortable and supported while providing valuable insights. Here are some best practices to guide your process:
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Recruit a diverse group of participants
Make sure your testing pool includes people with a range of impairments: visual, auditory, motor, cognitive, and neurodivergent. A broad mix ensures your findings reflect the variety of ways people experience the web. -
Use assistive technology during testing
Observe how participants use your site with tools such as screen readers, switch controls, voice navigation, and magnifiers. These insights often reveal barriers that audits cannot detect. -
Allow time and flexibility
Provide clear instructions and build in breaks. Offer participants the choice of taking part remotely or in person, depending on what is most accessible to them. -
Pay participants fairly
Treat research participants as experts. Compensating them for their time recognises the value they bring to improving your product. -
Test iteratively throughout the lifecycle
Accessibility is not a one-time task. Conduct user research and testing regularly during design and development so issues are addressed early and improvements are validated.
Explore more practical advice in our how-to guide for inclusive user testing.
Final Thoughts
User research is often the missing piece in digital accessibility strategies. Audits and checklists may prove compliance, but they cannot confirm whether your product is truly usable. Research with disabled users bridges that gap and moves accessibility from theory into practice.
User research is essential because it uncovers barriers that automated tools miss, validates design decisions with real-world evidence, and helps teams build empathy. The outcome is not just compliance but digital experiences that people of all abilities can use with confidence.
True accessibility begins with listening. The most valuable insights will always come from the people who face barriers every day. Their feedback is what turns compliance into genuine inclusion.
Ready to move beyond audits alone? Check out our Audits & Inclusive User Testing service, which helps you uncover real barriers and create digital experiences that everyone can use.