Testing mode

Static checkers look at the state of a page. Relief’s testing mode looks at the journey: what happens when someone fills in a form with the keyboard, submits it with an error, or listens to it with a screen reader.

Tests in plain language

Test files describe steps and expectations by role and name, the way assistive technology sees the page:

do: fill Name with Erika Muster
do: !click Send message
expect: focus now on textbox "Email"
expect: invalid

What it checks

• every form field has an accessible name;
• error messages are associated with their field and visible after submit;
• focus moves to the first error;
• confirmations are announced as status messages;
• an expected tab sequence reaches every field;
• what VoiceOver actually says, compared by parts rather than exact wording.

Where it fits

For plain functional tests Playwright remains the better tool — and Relief is planned to plug into it. The testing mode is for the part other tools miss: the experience of people using a keyboard or a screen reader.