The user test panel comprised of fifteen users, who were organised into three teams of five users. Each team included one tester of each impairment type, as follows:

• low vision
• blind
• mobility impaired
• reading impaired
• Deaf.

Every member of a team tested all websites assigned to that team (this meant that every tester tested ten websites).

Testers are located in different parts of New Zealand. They completed their tests accessing the internet and using any assistive technology in the same way that they usually do.

• Low vision testers used screen magnifiers, such as Zoomtext, or used browsers, such as Firefox, that magnify text up to very large size.
• Blind testers used screen reader technology, such as JAWS.
• Mobility-impaired testers used voice input technology, such as Dragon Speaking Naturally, as well as ‘sticky’ keys.
• Reading impaired/low literacy testers used no assistive technology, except for one tester who used software that assists reading the content of a website by highlighting menus and links.
• Deaf users used standard visual browsers with no assistive technology.