The Squint Test: Accessibility Test for Every Interface

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Introduction

Accessibility is a topic that comes up frequently in design. You may not realize it, but accessibility is a pillar of ALL product design - not just for disabled users. In this post, we’ll dive deep into how to run a basic accessibility test on your site that we call “The Squint Test”.

What is the Squint Test

The squint test is when you squint at an interface, and see where your eye naturally travels. You’re testing to see “what is the dominant element on this screen?”

Your design passes the squint test if:

✅ There’s a primary focal point while squinting (or a clear path for the eye to move along)

✅ The dominant element stands out from all the other elements through contrast

✅ There is low visual noise, both ****within the focal point, and across the entire screen

If any one of these doesn’t hold, your design fails the Squint Test.

What is the Purpose of the Squint Test

The squint test is how you determine whether your interface or product is clear and usable. If you fail the squint test, it means that your user will need to spend a lot of mental effort to use your interface.

Good design doesn’t demand a lot of brainpower from the user. Good design lets the user accomplish a lot with a little bit of thought.

This isn’t just some lofty principle. Designs that pass the squint test get higher conversion rates, because the next step is always obvious.

Examples of the Squint Test with Real Sites

Google

Google’s minimal homepage is famous for how well it passes the squint test. True to this day, it’s just a blank page with a search bar in the middle. When applying the squint test to Google on Safari, we can see the focal point is not the search bar, but a white modal that prompts the user to switch to try Google on Chrome, Google’s browser, instead.

Typeforms

Typeform is a famous no code tool to create forms quickly. One of Typeform’s advantages is that it takes care of the UX and information architecture for you. It’s clear here that there’s exactly one action to take on this screen.

Notion

Notion is an all-in-one knowledge management tool for teams. Widely celebrated for their design, Notion’s landing page proves it. Even with the squint test, Notion’s copy shines through. Their usage of colors is minimal and focused (hint: they’re using primary colors only, which creates contrast). There’s a single call to action, and the type layout as well as the illustration push you towards it (see it sandwiched in the middle there?).

Airbnb

Airbnb is widely respected within the product design community. Their design team is a central part of their product practice.

Here on their homepage, we see all of this product design prowess on display. The interface is extremely clear. There’s a very vivid focal point (the coral pink search button). Even under the squint filter, you can see that there’s also great contrast.

So why does Airbnb fail the squint test?! Their photos add a lot of noise. Is this a bad thing? Well, every rule is made to be broken (once you know you understand it!). Airbnb isn’t trying to get you to press a single button, or take a single next action. They’re trying to get you to explore their listings. Their goal is to establish trust that they have such a deep selection, that your perfect next stay is listed somewhere on their site.

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Journeys

It’s not always the case that you’re going to guide your customer down the journey, one step at a time. The squint test can help you assess whether your design achieves its goal.

Do you want the customer to take one specific action? Then there better be a clear path.

Do you want the customer to poke around? Then there should be alluring visuals to draw the customer in the different directions you want your customer to go.

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Conclusion

It’s not always the case that you’re going to guide your customer down the journey, one step at a time. The squint test can help you assess whether your design achieves its goal.

Do you want the customer to take one specific action? Then there better be a clear path and an obvious next action in each screen.

Do you want the customer to poke around and feel immersed in your product? Then there should be alluring visuals to draw the customer in the different directions you want your customer to go.