Axe Updates: New extension launch screen & UI improvements

It’s only been a few months since we released version 4.6 of the axe extension, but we’ve already received a ton of positive feedback regarding the new single-tab experience. With the release of version 4.6.2, we are building upon that work to further improve the experience as well as integrate the latest version of axe-core.

New Launch View

The first thing you’ll notice about this release of the extension is a completely redesigned starting screen that highlights one of the most used features of axe beta; the ability to scan part of a page. We’ve also changed the terminology to be less confusing and the workflow for scanning a part of the page to be simpler.

New Sign In/Sign Up Workflow

In addition to reworking how users sign in to the extension and sign up for an account, we have enabled login with third party IDPs to simplify the user experience. Now you can connect your Deque account to your Google or GitHub account and use that to sign in. We’ve also added a new Welcome page for new and returning users showing how you can use axe beta in your day-to-day workflows and we’ve added answers to the most frequently asked questions.

Consolidated Results View

We’ve built upon many of the visual changes from the 4.6 release. Namely, we’ve made changes to the record view and the results view to not only bring them in line with one another but to also make better use of screen space to provide a more streamlined experience.

axe-core Update

The latest version of the extension has been updated with axe-core 4.1 which was just recently released. In addition to bug fixes and the correction of a few false positives identified with the help of the community, there are a bevy of new rules that have been added to further increase what is covered with automated testing. For more information on what’s new in axe-core 4.1, check out the blog post covering the release.

Looking to the Future

While we can’t unveil everything we’re working on right now, we can tell you that the team has been hard at work and there is still more to come before the end of the year. We’ve heard feedback regarding light mode versus dark mode and we will be offering more options in the near future. We have also received requests for export options and the sharing of test records. 

Chief among the inquiries we get are questions regarding the status of “the beta.” All I can say right now is that we are very excited about the future and that you should keep an eye out for updates next month…

Sign up for the free axe beta and try Intelligent Guided Tests, test a part of the page, save and share results, and more.