How Do I Test My App With Users Who Have Disabilities?

A major retail chain launches their new shopping mobile app with great fanfare, spending thousands on marketing and expecting huge downloads. Within weeks, they're flooded with one-star reviews. The problem? Users who rely on screen readers can't navigate past the home screen, people with motor difficulties can't tap the tiny buttons, and those with colour blindness can't distinguish between different product categories. What seemed like a polished app to the development team was completely unusable for millions of potential customers.

This scenario happens more often than you'd think. We build apps assuming everyone interacts with them the same way we do—but that's simply not true. Around 15% of the world's population lives with some form of disability, and when it comes to mobile apps, that translates to a huge number of people who might struggle to use what we create.

Testing your mobile app with users who have disabilities isn't just about being nice or ticking a compliance box. It's about making sure your app actually works for everyone who wants to use it. When you include people with different abilities in your UX research, you discover things you'd never spot otherwise. That button you thought was perfectly placed? It might be impossible to reach for someone using voice control. Those colour-coded alerts? They could be invisible to users with certain visual impairments.

Inclusive design doesn't mean you're designing one thing for all people. You're designing a diversity of ways to participate so that everyone has a sense of belonging.

This guide will walk you through the entire process—from understanding what accessibility means in mobile apps, to finding the right participants, setting up proper testing environments, and turning feedback into real improvements. You'll learn practical steps that any development team can follow, regardless of budget or timeline constraints.

Understanding Accessibility in Mobile Apps

When we talk about accessibility in mobile apps, we're talking about making sure everyone can use your app—not just some people. This includes people who are blind or have trouble seeing, people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people who can't move their hands easily, and people who think or learn differently. About one in five people have some kind of disability, which means if your app isn't accessible, you're leaving out a lot of potential users.

Mobile accessibility isn't just about being nice (though it is that too)—it's also the law in many places. But let's be honest, most developers I work with care more about creating something people can actually use than ticking legal boxes. The good news is that modern phones already have loads of built-in tools to help; things like screen readers that speak text out loud, voice control, and ways to make text bigger.

Common Accessibility Features

Your phone probably has VoiceOver (on iPhones) or TalkBack (on Android phones) built right in. These screen readers tell users what's on their screen by speaking it out loud. There's also Switch Control for people who can't tap the screen normally, and voice commands for those who prefer talking to their phone. Many users rely on these features every single day.

Why This Matters for Testing

Here's the thing though—you can build an app that technically works with these tools, but that doesn't mean it works well. A screen reader might be able to read your button labels, but are those labels actually helpful? Can someone navigate through your app without getting lost or frustrated? The only way to know for sure is to test with real people who actually use these accessibility features in their daily lives.

Planning Your User Testing Approach

Before you start recruiting participants or setting up testing sessions, you need a solid plan. This isn't about creating a massive document that nobody will read—it's about getting clear on what you're trying to achieve and how you'll get there.

Start by defining what you want to learn from your mobile app testing. Are you checking if people can complete basic tasks like signing up or making a purchase? Or are you looking at more specific accessibility features like screen reader compatibility? Write down 3-5 clear questions you want answered. Keep them simple and focused.

Choosing Your Testing Methods

You've got options here. Remote testing lets participants use their own devices and assistive technology—which is brilliant because that's their real-world setup. In-person testing gives you more control and lets you observe body language, but it can be trickier to arrange. Many teams do both; starting with remote sessions to catch obvious issues, then following up with face-to-face sessions for deeper insights.

Setting Realistic Goals

Don't try to test everything at once. Pick the most important user journeys in your app and focus on those. If you're building a shopping app, test the browsing, adding to cart, and checkout process. Leave the account settings and wish lists for later rounds of testing.

Plan for 5-8 participants per round of testing. This gives you enough data to spot patterns without overwhelming yourself with feedback you can't act on.

Remember that inclusive design benefits everyone, not just users with disabilities. Your UX research will likely uncover usability issues that affect all your users—which makes this whole process even more valuable for your mobile app's success.

Finding and Recruiting Participants

Finding people with disabilities to test your app can feel overwhelming at first, but it's actually more straightforward than you might think. The key is knowing where to look and how to approach potential participants respectfully.

Start with disability organisations in your area—they often have members who are keen to help improve technology. Many universities also have disability support services that might connect you with students willing to participate. Online communities and forums dedicated to specific disabilities can be goldmine resources, though always check community guidelines before posting recruitment messages.

Reaching Out the Right Way

When you contact potential participants, be clear about what you're asking for and why their input matters. Explain how long the session will take, what they'll be doing, and how you'll use their feedback. People appreciate honesty—if your app isn't perfect yet, say so! Most participants want to help make things better.

Always offer compensation for their time. This shows respect and acknowledges that their expertise has value. Payment can be cash, vouchers, or even a donation to a charity they choose.

Building Your Participant Pool

You'll want to test with people who have different types of disabilities. Here's what to consider when recruiting:

• Visual impairments (blindness, low vision, colour blindness)
• Hearing impairments (deafness, hard of hearing)
• Motor impairments (limited hand movement, tremors)
• Cognitive differences (dyslexia, ADHD, autism)
• Age-related changes that affect app use

Remember that people with disabilities are the real experts on their own experiences. They use assistive technologies daily and understand barriers better than anyone else. Their insights will make your app genuinely better for everyone.

Preparing Your Testing Environment

Getting your testing space right can make or break your inclusive design research. I've seen too many mobile app testing sessions fail because the environment wasn't properly thought through—and trust me, when you're working with users who have disabilities, the stakes are much higher.

Your testing environment needs to be physically accessible first and foremost. That means wheelchair access, good lighting for people with visual impairments, and minimal background noise for those with hearing difficulties. But there's more to it than just the physical space.

Technical Setup Considerations

Your mobile app testing setup should accommodate different assistive technologies. Screen readers, voice control software, and switch devices all need to work seamlessly with your testing equipment. Test everything beforehand—and I mean everything. The last thing you want is technical difficulties interrupting your UX research session.

The testing environment should disappear into the background so participants can focus entirely on interacting with your app

Think about your recording setup too. Multiple camera angles help capture different interaction methods, but don't make the space feel like a TV studio. Keep it comfortable and welcoming.

Flexibility Is Key

Every participant will have different needs, so your environment should be adaptable. Adjustable desk heights, moveable lighting, and flexible seating arrangements are non-negotiable. Some people might need to bring their own devices or assistive technology—make sure you have space and power outlets for everything they need.

Remember, you're not just testing your mobile app; you're creating an inclusive space where honest feedback can flow freely. Get this foundation right, and your inclusive design research will be much more valuable.

Conducting Inclusive User Testing Sessions

Right, you've got your participants lined up and your testing environment sorted—now comes the main event. Running inclusive user testing sessions isn't quite the same as your standard usability tests; there are some key differences that'll make or break the experience for everyone involved.

First things first: give people time. I mean proper time, not the rushed 30-minute slots you might use for typical testing. Users with disabilities often need longer to complete tasks, and that's perfectly normal. Build this into your schedule from the start rather than scrambling to extend sessions on the day.

Creating the Right Atmosphere

Your tone sets everything. Be patient, encouraging, and remember that you're learning from them—they're the experts on their own experience. Don't jump in to help the moment someone pauses; sometimes people need a moment to process or navigate differently than you'd expect.

Let participants use their own assistive technology wherever possible. Their screen reader, their voice control setup, their magnification settings—these are tools they know inside and out. Forcing someone to use unfamiliar equipment defeats the purpose entirely.

What to Watch and Listen For

Pay attention to the small stuff: where people get stuck, what they skip over, how they work around problems. These workarounds are gold—they show you exactly where your app is failing and how creative users are in spite of poor design.

• Listen for frustrated sighs or confused pauses
• Note when someone has to try multiple approaches
• Watch for any physical strain or difficulty
• Record when features simply get abandoned
• Track how long common tasks actually take

Most importantly, ask questions throughout. "What's happening now?" or "What would you expect here?" These simple prompts reveal thought processes you'd never guess at otherwise.

Analysing Results and Identifying Barriers

Right, so you've completed your user testing sessions with participants who have disabilities—now comes the part where you make sense of everything you've observed. This is where the real learning happens, and honestly, it can be quite eye-opening. You'll likely discover barriers in your mobile app that you never knew existed.

Start by gathering all your notes, recordings, and observations from each testing session. Look for patterns across different participants, especially those with similar disabilities. Did multiple users struggle with the same button? Was there a consistent issue with text size or colour contrast? These patterns are golden—they point directly to areas that need attention in your inclusive design.

Common Barriers to Watch For

Navigation issues often pop up first. Users might get stuck trying to move between screens or find specific features. Touch targets that are too small, insufficient colour contrast, or missing alternative text for images are frequent culprits. Don't forget about cognitive barriers too—complex language or confusing layouts can create real problems for users with learning difficulties.

Create a simple spreadsheet listing each barrier you found, which users experienced it, and rate its severity. This helps prioritise what to fix first and makes your UX research findings much clearer for your development team.

Prioritising Your Findings

Not every barrier carries the same weight. Focus on issues that completely block users from completing tasks—these are your high-priority fixes. Medium-priority items might slow users down but don't stop them entirely, whilst low-priority issues are minor annoyances that can be addressed later. Remember, fixing accessibility barriers doesn't just help users with disabilities; it often improves the experience for everyone using your mobile app.

Implementing Changes Based on Feedback

Right, you've gathered all that brilliant feedback from your user testing sessions—now comes the part where you actually do something with it. This is where many app developers stumble because they get overwhelmed by the sheer volume of issues that surface during accessibility testing. Trust me, it's completely normal to feel a bit daunted when you see a long list of barriers that need fixing.

The key is prioritisation. Start with the issues that completely block users from accessing core features of your app. If someone using a screen reader can't log in or make a purchase, that needs fixing before you worry about colour contrast on a secondary page. Think about impact versus effort—some changes might take five minutes to implement but make a huge difference to user experience.

Quick Wins and Long-Term Improvements

I always tell my clients to look for the quick wins first. Adding alt text to images, increasing button sizes, or improving colour contrast can often be sorted in a matter of hours. These changes show immediate respect for your users' needs and demonstrate that you're taking accessibility seriously.

For more complex issues—like restructuring navigation or redesigning entire user flows—you'll need a proper plan. Break these larger tasks into smaller chunks and tackle them systematically. Don't try to fix everything at once; you'll make mistakes and probably create new problems along the way.

Testing Your Changes

Here's something that catches people out: you need to test your fixes with the same users who identified the problems in the first place. What seems like an obvious solution to you might create entirely new barriers for someone using assistive technology. Keep your participants involved throughout the process—they'll appreciate being part of the solution and you'll end up with a much better app.

Conclusion

Testing your mobile app with users who have disabilities isn't just a nice thing to do—it's the right thing to do. Throughout this guide, we've walked through every step of the process, from understanding what accessibility means to implementing the changes that really matter. And here's what I've learned after years of working on mobile apps: the insights you get from inclusive design testing will make your app better for everyone, not just users with disabilities.

The biggest mistake I see teams make is treating accessibility testing as a tick-box exercise. They rush through it at the end of development, hoping to catch any obvious problems before launch. But that approach misses the point entirely. When you plan your UX research properly—recruiting the right participants, setting up your testing environment correctly, and actually listening to what people tell you—you discover things about your app that you never would have found otherwise.

What really strikes me is how willing participants are to share their experiences when they feel heard. The feedback you receive will challenge assumptions you didn't even know you had about how people interact with technology. That person who navigates your app using voice commands might show you a completely different user journey that works better than your original design.

Don't wait until your next big update to start this work. Every mobile app can benefit from inclusive design principles, and every development team can learn something valuable from testing with disabled users. Your app—and all its users—will be better for it.