Low-code solution development and accessibility: An exploratory piece of research into the effectiveness of accessibility checkers with low-to-no-code solutions

In recent years, digital communicators and web developers have recognised the importance of producing web applications and content that is accessible to disabled users. Digital accessibility is measured by how closely an app or page adheres to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). Numerous browser-based accessibility checkers exist that can help identify accessibility issues and WCAG violations. However, their effectiveness with solutions produced by low-to-no code (L2NC) platforms is mainly unknown. This paper is a research project that investigates L2NC solution development and accessibility, focusing on a custom low-code application built within Power Apps. It investigates the challenges disabled users face in accessing digital content and evaluates the effectiveness of accessibility checkers within low-code solutions. To test the low-code application, two accessibility tools (WAVE and Lighthouse) and the product's internal accessibility checker were used to test two versions of a specific solution: a staff directory. One version of the staff directory was created to be accessible, whilst the other incorporated several of the most common WCAG violations identified in the literature. User testing was also carried out on both staff directory applications to gauge user perceptions of them. Descriptive statistics were produced to explain the paper's findings. Both WAVE and Google's Lighthouse were found to be ineffective at detecting WCAG violations within low-code solutions but the internal accessibility checker, whilst not able to identify all common WCAG violations within the staff directories, was the most successful utility. However, the inbuilt accessibility checker's rules do not align well with WCAG violations and have issues detecting colour contrasts. The findings indicate that significant accessibility barriers exist within low-code platforms. The 'ease of use' capabilities and other advantages offered by L2NC utilities are achieved by abstracting out complex paradigms, such as accessible design.