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Accessibility

· 24 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
79
GRADE
C
FIX
4
REVIEW
9
PASS
11
INFO
0
Checks
24
11 PASS 9 REVIEW 4 FIX
D
Mobile Keyboard & Autofill
Action
3/3 eligible field(s) missing autocomplete or inputmode
FIX
3/3 eligible field(s) missing autocomplete or inputmode
Warning::
1 field(s) missing recommended autocomplete attribute
WCAG 1.3.5 (Level AA): inputs whose purpose maps to a Common Input Purpose value should declare it via `autocomplete=`. Required for password managers, browser autofill, and assistive tech that customizes inputs (e.g., simplified keyboards). Mobile autofill in particular cuts form-completion time by 30-50% when these are present. Affected purposes: email.
Got: <input type="email">
Warning::
2 field(s) would benefit from inputmode attribute
Mobile browsers pick the on-screen keyboard layout from `inputmode=` when present (numeric pad, tel dialpad, email keyboard). Without it, users see the default text keyboard and must mode-switch -- 2-3 extra taps per phone-number or numeric-ID field. Type-based defaults exist (`type=tel` shows the tel keyboard on most browsers) but `inputmode` is the explicit, cross-browser way to control this. Affected types: email, search.
Got: <input type="email">, <input type="search">
F
404 Error Page
Action
Soft 404 detected
FIX
Soft 404 detected
Critical::
Soft 404: server returns HTTP 200 for non-existent pages
The server returns HTTP 200 for a path that does not exist. Search engines will index these pages, diluting your real content. Configure your server to return a proper 404 status code for missing pages.
Got: Status: 200 for /beavercheck-404-test-uezdr2
404 Page Quality ✗ Soft 404 (HTTP 200)
Status Code: HTTP 200

The server returned HTTP 200 for a non-existent path. Search engines will index this page as real content. Configure your server to return HTTP 404 for missing pages.

D
Dark Mode Support
Action
Theme color only
FIX
Theme color only
Info::
Theme-color present but no dark variant
A theme-color is set but no dark-specific variant was found. The browser toolbar may not adapt for dark mode users.
Got: #0f0
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 ModePartial Dark Mode
color-scheme meta Not set ✗Dark theme-color Not set ✗CSS indicators Not detected ✗

Detection limited to meta tags and inline styles.

F
Navigation UX
Action
No navigation patterns
FIX
No navigation patterns
Info::
2 navigation landmark(s) detected
Info::
Hamburger menu detected (responsive design)
Info::
No breadcrumbs, search, or skip link detected
These navigation aids help users orient themselves and find content efficiently, especially on large sites.
Breadcrumbs
Search
Skip Link
Labeled Navigation 2 <nav> element(s)
Back to Top
Hamburger Menu
Sticky Navigation Cannot reliably detect (CSS-based)
2 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
B
Landmark Structure
5 landmarks
REVIEW
5 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.
Warning::
Skip navigation link is missing (WCAG 2.4.1)
Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.
Page Structure — as a screen reader sees it
BANNER header NAV 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

Add a skip link as the first focusable element so keyboard users can bypass repeated navigation.

Why this matters

Without a skip-nav link, keyboard users tab through every nav item before reaching content — every page, every visit.

Learn more ▾

WCAG 2.4.1 (Bypass Blocks) requires a mechanism to skip past repeated content. The standard implementation is a 'Skip to main content' link that's the first focusable element, visually hidden until focused. Three lines of HTML + four of CSS.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 2.4.1

B
Heading Hierarchy
33 headings
REVIEW
33 headings
Critical::
No H1 heading found
Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.
  • H2 Inside Vi: An AI Organism Built Without a Rented LLM
  • H2 The AI Writing "Witch Hunt" Is a Huge Waste of Everyone's Time
  • H2 What Internal AI Projects Teach You That No Guide Will, Part 1
  • H2 The Demotion Ladder: A Year of Governing Claude Code
  • H2 Inside Walmart: Tianyu Zhang on How AI Is Changing Software Engineering
  • H3 Explore Categories
  • H3 Software Engineering
  • H3 Business
  • H3 AI & ML
  • H3 HackerNoon
  • H3 Web3
  • H3 Cybersecurity
  • H3 Boosted
  • H2 Why Running AI Agents in Production Is Harder Than Running a Web App
  • H2 APIs for Beginners: What They Are and How They Work
  • H3 Trending Stories
  • H3 This Week's Top Writers
  • H2 The HackerNoon Newsletter
  • H2 about
  • H2 read
  • H2 write
  • H2 Business
  • H3 Trending Stories
  • H3 Categories
  • H3 Trending Topics
  • H2 Light-Mode
  • H3 Classic
  • H3 Newspaper
  • H3 Proof of Usefulness
  • H2 Dark-Mode
  • H3 Neon Noir
  • H3 Minty
  • H3 Startups of the Year

Every page should have one H1 that describes the page content.

Why this matters

No H1 means screen-reader users can't identify the page's primary topic, and Google's content-extraction degrades.

Learn more ▾

The H1 is the document title for assistive tech and a strong signal to search engines about page topic. Pages without one force screen readers to fall back to the <title> attribute or page chrome. Add a single H1 that names the page's primary subject.

Source: WCAG 2.4.6 / Google Search Central

B
Form Accessibility
2 of 3 controls have issues
REVIEW
2 of 3 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="email">; <input type="search">
Info::
1 control(s) properly labeled
3 controls
1 labeled
2 placeholder only
0 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
inputcheckboxnone
inputemail(you@email.com)placeholder only
inputsearch(DISCOVER ANYTHING)placeholder only

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

<input type="email">; <input type="search">

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

C
Tap Target Adequacy
Action
5 tap target(s) too small or too close together
REVIEW
5 tap target(s) too small or too close together
Warning::
5 tap target(s) too small or too close to neighbors
WCAG 2.5.5 (Level AAA) requires interactive targets to be at least 44x44 CSS pixels; WCAG 2.5.8 (Level AA, added in 2.2) requires 24x24 minimum. Failing targets cause mis-taps for users with motor impairments, large fingers, or shaky hands -- and are a major bounce-rate driver on mobile commerce flows. Lighthouse measures rendered rects + adjacent-element spacing; the failing list is in the Lighthouse 'tap-targets' audit detail panel.
B
Mobile-Readable Font Sizes
99% of visible text renders at >= 12 CSS px (1 below threshold)
REVIEW
99% of visible text renders at >= 12 CSS px (1 below threshold)
Info::
1 text node(s) render below 12 CSS pixels on mobile
Mobile browsers default the root font-size to 16 px; text below ~ 12 px (75% of root) is hard to read without zooming. WCAG 1.4.4 (Resize Text) requires the page to support 200% zoom without loss of functionality -- which most layouts handle, but small base text still costs readability and conversion. Audit which selectors set sizes below 12 px (often footers, fine print, table cells) and bump them to 14-16 px or use rem units that scale with user preferences. Examples: <span> 8.0px ("...").
C
Favicon & Branding
Action
12 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
12 icon(s) detected
Info::
favicon.ico present at site root
Info::
HTML icon links detected
Info::
No apple-touch-icon detected
iOS devices use this when users add your site to their home screen. Add <link rel='apple-touch-icon' sizes='180x180' href='/apple-touch-icon.png'>.
Info::
Multiple icon sizes detected
✓ favicon.ico Present
✓ PNG Icons Present
✗ Apple Touch Missing
✗ SVG Favicon Missing
✓ Manifest Icons Present
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
C
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
Action
20 text elements analyzed, 13 fail WCAG AA
REVIEW

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

7 pass 13 fail WCAG AA
h2 The HackerNoon Newsletter
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Light-Mode
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h2 Dark-Mode
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
24px · bottom of viewport
h3 Explore Categories
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Boosted
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Trending Stories
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 This Week's Top Writers
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Classic
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Newspaper
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Proof of Usefulness
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Neon Noir
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Minty
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
h3 Startups of the Year
1.00:1
#000000
on
#000000
needs 3.0:1 (large text)
19px · bottom of viewport
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h2 The HackerNoon Newsl…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Light-Mode1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h2 Dark-Mode1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Explore Categories1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Software Engineering8.31:13.0:1
#58A6FF
#000000
Pass
h3 Business13.23:13.0:1
#F2C94C
#000000
Pass
h3 AI & ML11.44:13.0:1
#FFAE57
#000000
Pass
h3 HackerNoon15.30:13.0:1
#00FF00
#000000
Pass
h3 Web310.79:13.0:1
#D2A8FF
#000000
Pass
h3 Cybersecurity6.26:13.0:1
#F85149
#000000
Pass
h3 Boosted1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Trending Stories1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 This Week's Top Writ…1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Classic1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Newspaper1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Proof of Usefulness1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Neon Noir1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Minty1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
h3 Startups of the Year1.00:13.0:1
#000000
#000000
Fail
title HackerNoon - read, w…16.14:14.5:1
#000000
#61FF83
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.

B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 89/100 — 3 failing, 26 passed
REVIEW
89

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.

Names and labels

When a button doesn't have an accessible name, screen readers announce it as "button", making it unusable for users who rely on screen readers. Learn how to make buttons more accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
header.font-[ibm-plex-sans] > div.flex > div.navbar-end > button.btn header.font-[ibm-plex-sans] > div.flex > div.navbar-end > button.btn
div.flex > div.bg-accent > div.relative > button.absolute div.flex > div.bg-accent > div.relative > button.absolute
div.flex > div.bg-accent > div.relative > button.absolute div.flex > div.bg-accent > div.relative > button.absolute
div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent
div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent div > div#trending > div.:hidden > button.hover:text-lightAccent
section#about > div.rounded-lg > div.grid > button.col-span-1 section#about > div.rounded-lg > div.grid > button.col-span-1
section#about > div.rounded-lg > div.grid > button.col-span-1 section#about > div.rounded-lg > div.grid > button.col-span-1
section#about > div.rounded-lg > div.grid > button.col-span-1 section#about > div.rounded-lg > div.grid > button.col-span-1

These are opportunities to improve the semantics of the controls in your application. This may enhance the experience for users of assistive technology, like a screen reader.

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
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING div.grid > a.group > div.p-3 > h3.font-['IBM_Plex_Mono',_monospace]
MONTHLY READERS a.group > div.p-3 > p.font-['IBM_Plex_Mono',_monospace] > span.text-white/60
MONTHLY READERS a.group > div.p-3 > p.font-['IBM_Plex_Mono',_monospace] > span.text-white/60
MONTHLY READERS a.group > div.p-3 > p.font-['IBM_Plex_Mono',_monospace] > span.text-white/60
WEB3 div.grid > a.group > div.p-3 > h3.font-['IBM_Plex_Mono',_monospace]
MONTHLY READERS a.group > div.p-3 > p.font-['IBM_Plex_Mono',_monospace] > span.text-white/60
CYBERSECURITY div.grid > a.group > div.p-3 > h3.font-['IBM_Plex_Mono',_monospace]

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Best practices

Touch targets with sufficient size and spacing help users who may have difficulty targeting small controls to activate the targets. Learn more about touch targets.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
Go to slide 1 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 2 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 3 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 4 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3
Go to slide 5 div.lg:hidden > div.bg-dark > div.flex > button.w-3

These items highlight common accessibility best practices.

○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
●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 are distinguishable without relying on color.
●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
●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
○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.
○Elements with visible text labels have matching accessible names.
○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.
A+
Heading Text Quality
1 heading-text-quality issue(s) detected
PASS
1 heading-text-quality issue(s) detected
Info::
1 heading(s) are all-uppercase (excluding short acronyms)
Headings rendered in all-uppercase are a styling choice that should be done via CSS (`text-transform: uppercase`), not by typing the text in caps. Capitalized text is read letter-by-letter by some screen readers (e.g., "H-E-L-L-O W-O-R-L-D" instead of "hello world"). It's also a soft signal of CMS-migration artifacts where the original lowercase intent was lost.
Got: 1 all-caps heading(s)
A+
Alt Text Quality
All 91 images OK
PASS
All 91 images OK
Info::
91 image(s) with good alt text
91 images 91 good alt text
All images have appropriate alt text.
A+
Form Input Types
3 form control(s) checked, no type mismatches
PASS
3 form control(s) checked, no type mismatches
Info::
No input-type mismatches detected
A+
Form Input Quality
3 form control(s) checked, no input-semantic issues
PASS
3 form control(s) checked, no input-semantic issues
Info::
All form input semantics look correct
A+
Document Language
Lang attribute set to "en"
PASS
Lang attribute set to "en"
Info::
<html lang="en"> is set and valid
Got: en
A+
Tabindex Anti-Patterns
No explicit tabindex attributes found
PASS
No explicit tabindex attributes found
Info::
No explicit tabindex attributes found
A
Iframe Accessibility
1/1 iframe(s) missing title; 0 placeholder(s)
PASS
1/1 iframe(s) missing title; 0 placeholder(s)
Warning::
<iframe> missing title attribute (src="")
WCAG 4.1.2: iframes need a title attribute so screen readers can announce what's embedded. Without one, the announcement is just "iframe" -- the user has no way to decide whether to enter or skip.
A+
Web Manifest
PWA-ready
PASS
PWA-ready
Info::
Meets PWA install criteria
Info::
Name present: HackerNoon
Info::
192x192 icon present
Info::
512x512 icon present
Info::
Display mode: fullscreen
PWA Install Criteria ✓ Installable
Name HackerNoon ✓192×192 icon ✓512×512 icon ✓Start URL / ✓Display Mode fullscreen ✓
Name HackerNoon Display Mode fullscreen Theme Color #00ff00 Background Color #1a1a19 Icons 8 icon(s)
A+
PWA Depth
1 PWA signal(s) surfaced
PASS
1 PWA signal(s) surfaced
Info::
Manifest has no maskable icon
Android 12+ Adaptive Icons crop non-maskable icons to a circle or squircle -- frequently hiding important parts of the logo. Add at least one icon entry with `"purpose": "maskable"` (or `"any maskable"`) and a maskable-aware design (16% safe-zone padding around the inner mark).
A+
Print Stylesheet
Print styles detected
PASS
Print styles detected
Info::
External print stylesheet detected
Got: /nprogress.css
Print Stylesheet ✓ Print Optimized
Print stylesheet /nprogress.css ✓Inline @media print Not detected ✗
A+
Mobile UX Depth
1 mobile-depth signal(s) detected
PASS
1 mobile-depth signal(s) detected
Info::
Browser-chrome `theme-color` meta tag present
The page sets `<meta name="theme-color" content="...">`, which Android Chrome uses to tint the status bar and iOS Safari uses for the toolbar background. Brand polish that costs nothing and Just Works.
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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