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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
70
GRADE
C
FIX
4
REVIEW
5
PASS
4
INFO
0
Checks
13
4 PASS 5 REVIEW 4 FIX
D
Dark Mode Support
Action
No dark mode signals
FIX
No dark mode signals
Info::
No dark mode signals detected
Consider adding CSS with @media (prefers-color-scheme: dark) and <meta name='color-scheme' content='light dark'>.
Info::
Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles
External CSS files may contain prefers-color-scheme rules not visible to this scan.
Dark ModeNo Dark Mode Detected
color-scheme meta Not set Dark theme-color Not set CSS indicators Not detected

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

D
Print Stylesheet
Action
No print styles
FIX
No print styles
Info::
No print-specific styles detected
When users print this page, they get the screen layout including navigation and non-essential elements. Add @media print rules to hide navigation and optimize layout for paper.
Print Stylesheet No Print Styles
Print stylesheet Not found Inline @media print Not detected
D
Navigation UX
Action
2 navigation pattern(s)
FIX
2 navigation pattern(s)
Info::
Search functionality detected
Got: role-search
Info::
Skip navigation link detected
Info::
2 navigation landmark(s) detected
Breadcrumbs
Search role='search' landmark
Skip Link Skip link detected
Labeled Navigation 2 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
3 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Strong navigation UX with multiple discovery paths.
B
Form Accessibility
2 of 2 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 2 controls have issues
Warning::
2 control(s) rely on placeholder only
Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.
Got: <input type="text" name="q">; <input type="text" name="q">
2 controls
0 labeled
2 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
qtext(Search)placeholder only
qtext(Search)placeholder only

Placeholder text disappears on focus and is not a reliable label.

<input type="text" name="q">; <input type="text" name="q">

Why this matters

Placeholder-only labels disappear when the user starts typing — they must remember what the field was for.

Learn more

Placeholders are NOT labels. They vanish on input, fail color contrast checks (most are gray), and don't satisfy WCAG SC 3.3.2. Always use a real <label> alongside (or aria-labelledby).

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2 / Nielsen Norman

B
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
REVIEW
HTTP 404, custom page
Info::
Correct 404 status code returned
Got: HTTP 404
Info::
Custom styled 404 page
Info::
Navigation links present on 404 page
404 Page Quality Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 Page Title Page non trouvée ‒ EPFL ‐ EPFL Custom Styling Navigation Homepage Link Search Form
B
Favicon & Branding
20 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
20 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
Apple touch icon present
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
favicon.ico Present
PNG Icons Present
Apple Touch Present
SVG Favicon Missing
Manifest Icons Present
Multiple Sizes Present
B
Web Manifest
Valid manifest
REVIEW
Valid manifest
Info::
Name present: École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
Info::
Display mode: standalone
PWA Install Criteria Not Installable
Name École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne 192×192 icon 512×512 icon Start URL Display Mode standalone
Name École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne Display Mode standalone Theme Color #ffffff Background Color #ffffff Icons 2 icon(s)
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 11 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

Analyzes text contrast against the actual rendered page, including background images, gradients, and overlays that CSS-based tools cannot detect.

9 pass 11 fail WCAG AA
h1 EPFL
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
32px · bottom of viewport
h2 Latest news
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Highlights
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 About
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 EPFL Memento
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Missions
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h3 Lighting up the organizers of the cell's…
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 What your voice gives away
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 How to teach the same skill to different…
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Ig Nobel Award Tour Show 2026
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Visit EPFL
2.45:1
#000000
on
#4C4C4C
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 EPFL2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h2 Latest news2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h2 Highlights2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h2 About2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h2 EPFL Memento2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h2 Missions2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h3 Lighting up the orga…2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h3 What your voice give…2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h3 How to teach the sam…2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h3 Ig Nobel Award Tour …2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
h3 Visit EPFL2.45:13.0:1
#000000
#4C4C4C
Fail
title EPFL21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span When you access EPFL…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a privacy policy21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span . You can block cook…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Skip to content21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a About21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Education21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Research21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Innovation21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass

Methodology: The top 20 text elements by font size were checked. Background color was sampled from the desktop screenshot using a 5-point pattern. WCAG 2.1 AA requires 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text.

A
Landmark Structure
6 landmarks
PASS
6 landmarks
Info::
<main> landmark present
Info::
2 <nav> landmark(s) found
Warning::
1 of 2 <nav> elements are unlabeled
Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.
Info::
Skip navigation link present
Info::
Search landmark present
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV "Change language" SEARCH MAIN CONTENTINFO footer

Multiple navigations need aria-label to distinguish them for screen readers.

Why this matters

Some <nav> elements lack aria-label — screen-reader users hear 'navigation' multiple times with no way to distinguish them.

Learn more

When a page has multiple <nav> regions (primary, footer, breadcrumb), each needs aria-label or aria-labelledby. AT users navigate by landmark; identical 'navigation' announcements force them to enter each one to discover purpose.

Source: WAI-ARIA Authoring Practices

A+
Heading Hierarchy
14 headings
PASS
14 headings
Info::
Single H1 present
  • H1 EPFL
  • H2 Latest news
  • H3 Lighting up the organizers of the cell's architecture
  • H3 What your voice gives away
  • H3 How to teach the same skill to different robots
  • H2 Highlights
  • H3 David Atienza elected to Academia Europaea
  • H3 “When I need a boost, I turn to the music I grew up with”
  • H3 Where is mobility headed?
  • H2 About
  • H2 EPFL Memento
  • H3 Ig Nobel Award Tour Show 2026
  • H2 Missions
  • H3 Visit EPFL
A+
Alt Text Quality
All 17 images OK
PASS
All 17 images OK
Info::
3 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
14 image(s) with good alt text
17 images 14 good alt text 3 decorative
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 97/100 — 2 failing, 27 passed
PASS
97

Accessibility

These checks highlight opportunities to improve the accessibility of your web app. Automatic detection can only detect a subset of issues and does not guarantee the accessibility of your web app, so manual testing is also encouraged.

Contrast

Low-contrast text is difficult or impossible for many users to read. Learn how to provide sufficient color contrast.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Read more div.fullwidth-teaser > div.fullwidth-teaser-text > div.fullwidth-teaser-footer > a.btn
23.04.2026 a.card > div.card-body > div.card-info > span.card-info-date
18:00 a.card > div.card-body > div.card-info > span.event-time
20:00 a.card > div.card-body > div.card-info > span.event-time
Maps and directions div.fullwidth-teaser > div.fullwidth-teaser-text > div.fullwidth-teaser-footer > a.btn

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Visible text labels that do not match the accessible name can result in a confusing experience for screen reader users. Learn more about accessible names.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Maps and directions div.fullwidth-teaser > div.fullwidth-teaser-text > div.fullwidth-teaser-footer > a.btn
Interactive controls are keyboard focusable
Interactive elements indicate their purpose and state
The page has a logical tab order
Visual order on the page follows DOM order
User focus is not accidentally trapped in a region
The user's focus is directed to new content added to the page
HTML5 landmark elements are used to improve navigation
Offscreen content is hidden from assistive technology
Custom controls have associated labels
Custom controls have ARIA roles
`[aria-*]` attributes match their roles
`[aria-hidden="true"]` is not present on the document `<body>`
`[role]`s have all required `[aria-*]` attributes
`[role]` values are valid
`[aria-*]` attributes have valid values
`[aria-*]` attributes are valid and not misspelled
Buttons have an accessible name
Image elements have `[alt]` attributes
Form elements have associated labels
`[user-scalable="no"]` is not used in the `<meta name="viewport">` element and the `[maximum-scale]` attribute is not less than 5.
`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes
Document has a `<title>` element
`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
Links have a discernible name
Lists contain only `<li>` elements and script supporting elements (`<script>` and `<template>`).
List items (`<li>`) are contained within `<ul>`, `<ol>` or `<menu>` parent elements
No element has a `[tabindex]` value greater than 0
Touch targets have sufficient size and spacing.
Heading elements appear in a sequentially-descending order
Document has a main landmark.
Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
Identical links have the same purpose.
`[accesskey]` values are unique
ARIA input fields have accessible names
ARIA `meter` elements have accessible names
ARIA `progressbar` elements have accessible names
Elements with an ARIA `[role]` that require children to contain a specific `[role]` have all required children.
`[role]`s are contained by their required parent element
Elements with the `role=text` attribute do not have focusable descendents.
ARIA toggle fields have accessible names
ARIA `tooltip` elements have accessible names
ARIA `treeitem` elements have accessible names
The page contains a heading, skip link, or landmark region
`<dl>`'s contain only properly-ordered `<dt>` and `<dd>` groups, `<script>`, `<template>` or `<div>` elements.
Definition list items are wrapped in `<dl>` elements
ARIA IDs are unique
No form fields have multiple labels
`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
`<html>` element has an `[xml:lang]` attribute with the same base language as the `[lang]` attribute.
Input buttons have discernible text.
`<input type="image">` elements have `[alt]` text
Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
The document does not use `<meta http-equiv="refresh">`
`<object>` elements have alternate text
Select elements have associated label elements.
Skip links are focusable.
Cells in a `<table>` element that use the `[headers]` attribute refer to table cells within the same table.
`<th>` elements and elements with `[role="columnheader"/"rowheader"]` have data cells they describe.
`[lang]` attributes have a valid value
`<video>` elements contain a `<track>` element with `[kind="captions"]`
Tables have different content in the summary attribute and `<caption>`.
All heading elements contain content.
Uses ARIA roles only on compatible elements
Image elements do not have `[alt]` attributes that are redundant text.
Tables use `<caption>` instead of cells with the `[colspan]` attribute to indicate a caption.
`<td>` elements in a large `<table>` have one or more table headers.
All checks on this page are automated. Results are estimates - run targeted manual reviews when the score affects a release decision.

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