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Assistive technology checklist

Last Updated: November 19, 2025

Conducting research with participants who use assistive technology (AT) is important, but the process is new for many people. Use the process outlined in the general research checklist, and follow the guidance below to help prepare for research sessions with participants who use AT.

1. Planning for research with AT

4 weeks before research begins

Plan your study

  • Partner with an accessibility specialist
    Seek out accessibility support from the Accessibility Digital Experience (ADE) team in the OCTO #accessibility-help Slack channel or through an ADE research intake ticket. Accessibility specialists on the ADE team can help you:

  • Review your design for accessibility

  • Review your prototype and/or coded application for accessibility

  • Review your research plan and conversation guide

  • Request AT users for your research pilots

  • Request AT tech support for your research sessions with AT users

  • Prepare your prototype
    If you build a prototype, make sure it's coded so it’s accessible to screen readers (e.g., Production, Staging, Codespace, not Figma). Learn more about testing your prototype with AT users.
  • Conduct a separate study
    Consider conducting a separate study just for AT users. This helps the moderator and team focus on the unique needs of conducting this research.
  • Plan for remote research
    Remote research is easier for participants to take part in vs. in-person because there’s no travel needed and participants can use their own AT.


Create a research plan

  • Start with the VA research plan template
  • Group similar AT users in cohorts
    Grouping your sessions into cohorts makes it easier for recruiting, the moderator, and accessibility specialists to plan and conduct them. Here's an example of how to organize cohorts.
  • Write a research goal that includes specific types of AT
    For example, “Learn how Veterans using screen reader or screen magnifier technology navigate the product-name.” For more information about different types of AT, see the Assistive technology device and recruitment guide.
  • Define recruitment criteria
    Decide what kinds of AT users you want to talk to and how many of each (e.g., 4 screen reader users, 2 screen magnifier users, 2 voice command/speech recognition app users)
  • Plan for more time per session
    Plan for 1.5-2 times longer than you'd usually need. We recommend 1.5 hours for most studies. There may be technical difficulties, a need for breaks, or unexpected situations during the study. Beginner AT users will also need more time to complete tasks. Here's an example of how to note session length.
  • Write AT-specific screener questions
    Use screening questions from the Successful screener questions.

  • Be specific about what AT is desired and what is acceptable (e.g., for screen magnification, is enlarging font/browser good enough, or do you want screen magnifier software like ZoomText?).

  • Ask for people who use AT every time they use the internet and are willing to use that AT during the research session.

  • Ask for the name of the AT that they will use in an open text field (don’t provide a list of options to choose from).

  • Consider screening out brand-new AT users (less than a year of experience) if you don’t want to help participants learn how to use their AT.

  • Request a kick-off call with Perigean
    Use this time to ensure they are clear on the types of AT users you want.

Create a conversation guide

  • Start from VA conversation guide template
  • Introduce the accessibility specialist at the beginning of the session
    If an accessibility specialist is attending your session to provide technical support, make sure to introduce them at the beginning in case you call on them later. That way, the participant is familiar with why they are there.
  • Include warm-up questions about their assistive technology
    Ask warm-up questions about the participantʼs current device, web browser, AT, and AT experience to help prepare you for the rest of the session:

  • What assistive technology are you using right now?

  • How many years have you been using assistive technology?

  • When or how often do you use it?

  • How would you rate your level of experience with using a screen reader/magnifier--beginner, intermediate, advanced, or expert?

  • Have you ever shared your screen in Zoom while using a screen reader/magnifier?

  • Plan for how to share URLs
    If you plan to share a URL for the participant to use, ask during the warm-up questions how they prefer to receive the URL (i.e., Zoom chat, dictate the link, email or text–if your Perigean contact is willing to do this). If the URL is long, you can create a short URL using Bitly for ease of dictated entry
  • Provide verbal instructions/tasks that don’t rely on vision
    (e.g., “please continue” instead of “click on the green arrow”)
  • Don't include a System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire in your session
    Many surveys are not built to be accessible. Check yours before including it in a session with AT users.

2. Research review

At least ten days before research begins.

3. Participant recruitment

At least seven days before research begins.

  • Follow the participant recruitment process in the research checklist
    Be patient, as recruiting people who use AT may take longer than usual (e.g., 2 weeks instead of 1 week).
  • Kick-off call with Perigean
    Use this time to ensure that everyone is clear on the type of AT users you would like to recruit. You'll want to know the following:

  • The specific combination of AT and devices they are using. For example, "VoiceOver on desktop with magnification tools" or "TalkBack on Samsung Galaxy 8" is better than just "Screen Reader."

  • If they have a screen (they won’t be able to screen share if there is no screen to share).

4. Scheduling

  • Include your accessibility specialist
    Complete an ADE research intake ticket to request the AT technical assistance you want to support participants.
  • Review the recruited participant list from Perigean for requirements met
    Follow up with Perigean about any requirements not met, if needed.
  • Make sure you know the specific AT software and devices for each participant
    You’ll want to let the accessibility specialist know in advance for each session.
  • Check scheduled sessions
    Make sure all research sessions scheduled by Perigean are in your calendar.
  • Create observer signup sheet
    Make a signup sheet (in Canvas, Excel, or other platform) for accessibility specialists and observers (maximum of 3-4 people, not counting moderator)--see spreadsheet template. Keep the following in mind as you fill in the signup sheet:

  • With input from your VA PO, make a plan for who to invite to observe sessions and when, per priority.

  • Reserve 1 observer spot for an accessibility specialist in each session with AT.

  • Share the signup sheet with the team and stakeholders to sign up.

  • Add observers to scheduled research sessions
    Add signed-up observers and accessibility specialists to the corresponding research sessions.
  • Schedule 30-minute team debrief sessions once a day
    Invite observers and accessibility specialists who plan to attend a session in the previous 24 hours.
  • Update the Recruitment Tracker
    Add participant numbers, dates, and times into the Recruitment Request participant tracker (to check off later after each session).

5. Run an AT pilot test

Anytime before your first research session.

  • Schedule a pilot test with an accessibility specialist
    Pilot tests can help you practice moderating a research session involving assistive technology before your study begins. You might want to schedule several pilot tests—one for each type of AT you expect to include in your study (e.g., screen reader, screen magnifier). This is also a great time to involve engineers and other team members by inviting them to observe the pilot sessions.

    Complete an ADEresearch intake ticket to request an accessibility specialist to be a pilot participant using AT. ADE will also provide a second accessibility specialist to take accessibility-focused notes during the pilot session, as well as an optional researcher to give you feedback on your moderation of the AT session.
  • Provide the pilot session specifics to Perigean
    ADE will provide a pilot participant, but you’ll also want to practice getting into Perigean’s Zoom account. Slack your Perigean lead with the date, time, participant, and observers for your pilot(s) to create the Zoom invite(s) so you can test their Zoom account sign-in, settings, and session recording.
  • After the pilot, revise your conversation guide and/or prototype
    Make any revisions needed to the conversation guide and/or prototype, especially if the AT pilot tests uncovered accessibility issues with your prototype.

6. Conduct AT sessions

While Perigean schedules sessions

Before research sessions

  • Learn how to speak respectfully with people with disabilities

  • Learn how to moderate sessions with people using assistive tech

During research sessions

  • Take separate notes about the AT experience, along with general notes

For AT sessions, it's helpful to have someone take notes on everything related to using the AT.

  • Give your participants choices

During the research session, ask each participant their choice on the following topics:

  • Observers vs. no observers

  • Recorded session vs. not recorded

  • How they prefer to receive links (if you plan to share links during the study)

Participants also have additional options that aren’t discussed during the session:

  • Camera on or off

  • Closed captions (CC) on or off

After research sessions

  • Debrief with your accessibility specialist
    Make sure your accessibility specialist is there to help you talk through any issues that may have come up or answer questions.

  • Report sessions where participants used ineligible assistive technology
    If you feel that a participant should be marked ineligible as an assistive tech participant, please let Perigean know why so they can update their database. See a list of ineligible situations.

7. Synthesize AT data

  • Conduct a separate accessibility synthesis workshop

Gather an accessibility synthesis group (in addition to the general synthesis) to focus on accessibility findings, insights, and bugs. Make sure to invite the accessibility specialists who helped with your research.

  • Document any risks and plan for future AT studies

Work with your accessibility specialist to understand what this research covered. For example, if you only conducted research with advanced screen reader users, you may have gaps in your data around beginner screen reader users, screen magnifier users, voice command/speech recognition app users, and more.

8. Share your findings with colleagues

Share with the broader design practice

Please help our community of researchers by noting any lessons learned that others can learn from.

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