Quality Assurance (QA) Testing

Quality Assurance (QA) testing ensures that GNWT digital products meet accessibility, usability, and performance standards before being released to the public. QA helps maintain the reliability and trustworthiness of all GNWT web services, ensuring that residents have a consistent and inclusive experience across devices and platforms.

The GNWT Design System provides shared testing guidance so that every department and vendor team follows a consistent approach to quality. Testing should be integrated into the full design and development process.

QA Objectives

QA testing in the GNWT context focuses on verifying:

  • Accessibility: Pages and components must meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards and be usable with assistive technologies.
  • Responsiveness: Layouts must adapt correctly across devices, screen sizes, and orientations.
  • Compatibility: Services must function across all supported browsers and devices.
  • Performance: Pages should load quickly even in low-bandwidth or high-latency environments common in northern communities.
  • Content accuracy: Text, links, and translations must be reviewed for accuracy and clarity.
  • User experience consistency: Components should appear and behave consistently across all GNWT sites.

Assistive Technology Testing

Accessibility testing must be conducted using a range of assistive tools, including:

  • Screen readers: NVDA (Windows), JAWS (Windows), VoiceOver (macOS/iOS), TalkBack (Android)
  • Keyboard-only navigation across all browsers
  • Zoom and scaling tests for text enlargement (up to 200%)
  • Colour contrast verification using tools such as Axe DevTools, Lighthouse, or WAVE

These tests verify that the experience remains functional and perceivable for all users, regardless of ability.

QA Process Overview

1. Automated testing

Use automated tools such as Axe, Wave, or Lighthouse to identify code-level accessibility and performance issues early in development.

2. Manual testing

Perform device and browser tests to verify layout, interactions, and visual consistency.

3. Assistive technology testing

Conduct accessibility tests with real devices and screen readers to ensure compliance and usability.

4. Regression testing

After updates or deployments, re-test key pages and components to confirm no regressions were introduced.

5. User acceptance testing (UAT)

Validate with stakeholders and, where possible, residents to confirm the product meets GNWT standards and user needs.

Reporting & Documentation

QA results should be logged and reviewed before each release.
Documentation must include:

Summary

QA testing ensures GNWT services are reliable, accessible, and usable across all supported devices.
By following the GNWT Design System’s shared QA standards, teams can confidently deliver consistent, high-quality digital experiences that work for everyone.

Updated: Dec 18, 2025