Playwright A11y Audit Automation Tool
Accelerating accessibility POCs through intelligent test automation
The Challenge
Our sales and delivery teams faced a recurring bottleneck: prospects requesting accessibility audits for POC evaluation. The traditional approach required staffing manual testers to conduct WCAG compliance reviews—a time-consuming process that delayed deal cycles and stretched QA resources thin.
The core problem: We needed a way to quickly demonstrate A11y capabilities and deliver preliminary audit reports without dedicating full manual testing teams to every prospect engagement.
My Approach
I built a Playwright-based A11y automation framework from scratch, designed for speed and accuracy, with direct axe-core integration and multi-format reporting capabilities.
Direct axe-core Integration
Imported axe-core library directly (not Playwright's wrapper) to preserve result validity and granular rule control, maintaining full access to axe-core's extensive rule catalog without translation layer limitations.
Custom A11y-helper Module
Created a reusable helper that accepts any axe-core rule ID or best practice, enabling targeted scanning for specific WCAG 2.2 (Level A/AA) and Section 508 requirements, using fixture-based pattern for clean, maintainable test organization.
Multi-URL Batch Scanning
Accepts URL sets for comprehensive site audits, automatically scans each page against configured rule sets, and generates consolidated results across entire applications.
Triple-output Reporting
Generates markdown summary for high-level stakeholder review, HTML report with screenshots for detailed violation evidence and remediation suggestions, and Allure reports for internal platform compliance tracking and trend analysis.
Results & Impact
The automation tool transformed how the organization approaches accessibility POCs, delivering both business and technical value:
Key Learnings
Library Choice Matters
Using axe-core directly instead of abstraction layers preserved critical result accuracy and gave us granular control over rule sets and reporting.
Design for Reusability
The A11y-helper pattern makes extending rule coverage trivial as standards evolve (WCAG 2.2 → 3.0), ensuring the tool remains relevant as accessibility standards advance.
Multiple Audiences Need Different Artifacts
Markdown for execs, HTML+screenshots for devs, Allure for internal tracking—one tool, three perspectives. This multi-format approach ensures each stakeholder gets the information they need in their preferred format.