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Accessibility

· 13 checks — Landmarks, headings, alt text, forms, and link quality rolled into one auditable list.
SCORE
60
GRADE
D
FIX
4
REVIEW
5
PASS
4
INFO
0
Checks
13
4 PASS 5 REVIEW 4 FIX
D
Web Manifest
Action
Not found
FIX
Not found
Info::
No web manifest found
No manifest at standard paths (/manifest.json, /site.webmanifest). A manifest is optional but enables PWA features like home screen installation and standalone display.

No web manifest found.

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 ✗
F
Navigation UX
Action
No navigation patterns
FIX
No navigation patterns
Info::
2 navigation landmark(s) detected
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)
1 of 6 testable patterns navigation patterns detected. Limited navigation support. Consider adding breadcrumbs, search, and skip link.
B
Landmark Structure
6 landmarks
REVIEW
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.
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

C
Form Accessibility
Action
3 of 12 controls have issues
REVIEW
3 of 12 controls have issues
Critical::
3 control(s) without accessible label
Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.
Got: <input type="checkbox" id="hamburger-toggle">; <input type="checkbox" id="toggle-search-hamburger">; <input type="checkbox" id="toggle-search-header">
Info::
9 control(s) properly labeled
12 controls
9 labeled
0 placeholder only
3 unlabeled
ControlTypeLabelMethod
ssearchSearch for:none
#dropdown-toggle-1checkboxSciencefor/id
#dropdown-toggle-2checkboxTechnologyfor/id
#dropdown-toggle-3checkboxEnvironmentfor/id
#dropdown-toggle-4checkboxDIYfor/id
#dropdown-toggle-5checkboxGearfor/id
#dropdown-toggle-6checkboxMERCHfor/id
ssearchSearch for:none
#emailemailEmail addressfor/id
#toggle-search-headercheckbox(none)none
#toggle-search-hamburgercheckbox(none)none
#hamburger-togglecheckbox(none)none

Form controls need a <label>, aria-label, or aria-labelledby for screen readers.

<input type="checkbox" id="hamburger-toggle">; <input type="checkbox" id="toggle-search-hamburger">; <input type="checkbox" id="toggle-search-header">

Why this matters

Form controls without labels — assistive tech announces 'edit text' with no context; users can't complete forms.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 3.3.2

B
Favicon & Branding
4 icon(s) detected
REVIEW
4 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 Missing
✓ Multiple Sizes Present
B
Lighthouse Accessibility Audits
Score 88/100 — 4 failing, 24 passed
REVIEW
88

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
SEE MORE div.homepage-hero-3-col-layout > div.latest-news-list > div.latest-news-list-cta-wrapper > a.latest-news-list-cta
SEE IT ul > li.recurrent-homepage-commerce-item > div > a.commerce-item-button
SEE IT ul > li.recurrent-homepage-commerce-item > div > a.commerce-item-button
SEE IT ul > li.recurrent-homepage-commerce-item > div > a.commerce-item-button
SEE IT ul > li.recurrent-homepage-commerce-item > div > a.commerce-item-button
SIGN UP section.recurrent-newsletter-block > div.container > div.newsletter-content > a.newsletter-direct-link
BROWSE ALL COVERS div.page-content > div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > a.cover-art-cta
SIGN UP div.newsletter-signup-form-wrapper > form > div.flex > button.footer-newsletter-cta

These are opportunities to improve the legibility of your content.

Navigation

Properly ordered headings that do not skip levels convey the semantic structure of the page, making it easier to navigate and understand when using assistive technologies. Learn more about heading order.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
People keep trespassing near cave filled with bats infected by Ebola’s cousin div.card-post > div.post-content > a.card-post-title-link > h3.card-post-title

These are opportunities to improve keyboard navigation in your application.

Names and labels

Link text (and alternate text for images, when used as links) that is discernible, unique, and focusable improves the navigation experience for screen reader users. Learn how to make links accessible.

Why this matters

Performance issues directly impact user engagement and conversion rates.

Failing Elements
div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a
div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a
div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a
div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a div.entry-content > section.recurrent-cover-art-block > div.cover-art-frames-grid > a
ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6 ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6
ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6 ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6
ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6 ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6
ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6 ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6
ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6 ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6
ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6 ul.grid > li.author-expert > div.flex > a.w-2/6
div.footer-columns-wrapper > div.footer-main-col > div.footer-logo-wrapper > a div.footer-columns-wrapper > div.footer-main-col > div.footer-logo-wrapper > a

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.

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
TV CHANNEL div.footer-content-col > ul#footer-line-2 > li#menu-item-709040 > a
PRIVACY POLICY div.footer-content-col > ul#footer-line-2 > li#menu-item-709044 > a
TERMS & CONDITIONS div.footer-content-col > ul#footer-line-2 > li#menu-item-709046 > a
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE div.footer-content-col > ul#footer-line-2 > li#menu-item-709038 > a
SITEMAP div.footer-content-col > ul#footer-line-2 > li#menu-item-709047 > a
DEPOSIT PHOTOS div.footer-content-col > ul#footer-line-2 > li#menu-item-709048 > a

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
●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.
●ARIA attributes are used as specified for the element's role
●Elements with `role="dialog"` or `role="alertdialog"` have accessible names.
●Elements use only permitted ARIA attributes
●Document has a `<title>` element
●`<frame>` or `<iframe>` elements have a title
●`<html>` element has a `[lang]` attribute
●`<html>` element has a valid value for its `[lang]` attribute
●Links are distinguishable without relying on color.
●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
●Document has a main landmark.
●Deprecated ARIA roles were not used
●Identical links have the same purpose.
○`[accesskey]` values are unique
○`button`, `link`, and `menuitem` elements have accessible names
○`[aria-hidden="true"]` elements do not contain focusable descendents
○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
○`<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 Hierarchy
48 headings, 1 skip(s)
PASS
48 headings, 1 skip(s)
Info::
Single H1 present
Warning::
Heading level skipped: H1 → H3 (missing H2)
Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.
  • H1 Popular Science. Demystifying the worlds of science and technology since 1872.
  • H3 Latest News skipped
  • H3 People keep trespassing near cave filled with bats infected by Ebola’s cousin
  • H3 How to tell eagle parents Jackie and Shadow apart
  • H3 Earth’s largest otters have chocolate bar-sized babies
  • H3 The rarest dog breed in the United States is a puffin hunter
  • H2 Curiosity rover finds signs of ancient life on Mars
  • H3 Featured
  • H3 Does deleting social media make you happier or lonelier? Short answer: It depends.
  • H3 Bruce is missing his upper beak, but it has not stopped him from dominance
  • H2 Gear and Reviews
  • H3 Anker’s Prime 3-in-1 MagSafe charger deserves a spot on your nightstand and it’s $80 off at Amazon
  • H3 REI has more than 50 hiking pags, backpacks, and travel bags on sale for clearance prices right now
  • H3 I did a speedrun through Under Armour’s innovation labs to learn how a marathon supershoe crosses the finish line
  • H3 The Pinter countertop home brewing machine can now automatically make super popular Lagunitas beer at home
  • H2 Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡
  • H2 Videos
  • H3 The Experiment That Tried to Weigh the Human Soul
  • H3 The Radioactive "Miracle Water" That Killed Its Believers
  • H3 What's Really Underneath This Massive, Noisy Siberian Crater?
  • H2 Podcast
  • H2 Phosphorescent paint inspired Victorian-era Australians to dress up as ghosts and pull pranks
  • H3 Having to pee makes you scientifically better at video games
  • H3 Americans planted entire forests of exploding Australian trees
  • H3 Chicago’s rat hole wasn’t made by a rat
  • H3 Rachel Feltman
  • H2 Latest Articles
  • H3 How to tell if your dog is in pain
  • H3 Can you best a math Olympiad? Test your skills with the world’s largest database of problems.
  • H3 Y’all versus yinz: Accents may say more about who we are than where we’re from
  • H3 450-million year old jellyfish ancestor looks like a flailing carwash tubeman
  • H3 Two mountain lion cubs rescued from certain death
  • H3 New Artemis II astronaut iPhone video reveals new Earthset view
  • H3 Why spring smells like semen and rotting fish
  • H3 8 cool images from the Mangrove Photography Awards
  • H3 Pigs could end the transplant waiting list
  • H2 Popular Science Cover Art Store
  • H2 Meet the team
  • H2 Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡
  • H2 FOLLOW US
  • H3 DISCLAIMER(S)
  • H2 Science
  • H2 Technology
  • H2 Environment
  • H2 DIY
  • H2 Gear
  • H2 Merch
  • H2 SHOP

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline. Screen readers may interpret missing levels as structural errors.

Why this matters

Skipping heading levels breaks the document outline — screen-reader users lose track of section nesting.

Learn more ▾

Screen reader users navigate by jumping between headings (H1 → H2 → H3). Skipping (H1 → H3) breaks the sense of hierarchy. Use sequential levels even if you don't like the default styling — restyle with CSS instead. WCAG 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) treats this as an A failure.

Source: WCAG 2.1 SC 1.3.1 / W3C WAI

A+
Alt Text Quality
All 37 images OK
PASS
All 37 images OK
Info::
2 image(s) with alt text over 125 characters
Info::
14 decorative image(s) correctly marked
Info::
21 image(s) with good alt text
37 images 21 good alt text 14 decorative
IssueCount
too long2 image(s)
A
404 Error Page
HTTP 404, custom page
PASS
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
Info::
Homepage link present on 404 page
Info::
Search form present on 404 page
404 Page Quality ✓ Custom 404 Page
Status Code HTTP 404 ✓Page Title Page not found | Popular Science ✓Custom Styling ✓Navigation ✓Homepage Link ✓Search Form ✓
A+
Color Contrast (Screenshot)
20 text elements analyzed, 0 fail WCAG AA
PASS

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

20 pass
Show all checked elements (20)
ElementRatioRequiredFGBGResult
h1 Popular Science. Dem…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Videos21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Latest Articles21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Popular Science Cove…21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Meet the team21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 FOLLOW US21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Science21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Technology21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Environment21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 DIY21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Gear21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 Merch21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h2 SHOP21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Featured21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 Rachel Feltman21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
h3 DISCLAIMER(S)21.00:13.0:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
title Popular Science | Sc…21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
span Search for:21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Science21.00:14.5:1
#000000
#FFFFFF
Pass
a Archaeology21.00:14.5:1
#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.

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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