The Accessible Usability Scale (AUS) is a free, ten-question survey designed to measure the usability of digital products specifically for users of assistive technologies. It is modeled after the System Usability Scale (SUS) but adapts the statements and scoring to reflect the experiences and needs of people using tools such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, and alternative navigation devices. The AUS is easy to administer, provides a numerical score out of 100, and is licensed under Creative Commons, making it freely available for use and adaptation in research, product development, and accessibility testing contexts.

Key Features

Accessibility-Focused Survey Designed for users of assistive technologies.

• Ten-question Likert-scale survey tailored to digital accessibility.
• Alternates positive and negative statements to reduce response bias.

Numerical Scoring Provides a clear, quantitative usability score.

• Scores range from 0 to 100, making results easy to interpret and benchmark.
• Calculation method mirrors SUS but is adapted for accessibility context.

Open and Free to Use Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0.

• Can be freely used, adapted, and shared with attribution.
• Suitable for academic, nonprofit, and commercial contexts.

Easy to Administer Simple for participants and researchers.

• Minimal support required for assistive technology users to complete.
• Can be administered at the end of usability testing sessions.

Complementary to Existing Tools Works alongside other usability and accessibility metrics.

• Complements SUS and qualitative feedback.
• Provides additional insight into the experiences of users with disabilities.

Benefits

Improved Inclusion Ensures usability feedback from assistive technology users is captured.

• Highlights accessibility barriers not covered by technical compliance.
• Supports more inclusive product development and testing.

Actionable Insights Generates data that is easy to analyze and act upon.

• Enables benchmarking and tracking of accessibility improvements over time.
• Facilitates communication of accessibility status to stakeholders.

Community and Research Support Promotes shared standards and best practices.

• Encourages open adaptation and improvement by the accessibility community.
• Supports research and development in digital accessibility.