A11y at ProductDock: Innovation through digital accessibility testing

During our latest Friday Talk, Jovica Zorić, our chief technology officer, presented the A11y application, developed as part of ProductDock’s ongoing accessibility initiative.

Jovica showcased the app’s journey, from its initial concept to its current capabilities, and shared future development plans aimed at enhancing digital accessibility. On the technical side, the project leverages Golang and Wails (similar to Electron-based applications such as Slack), incorporates AI-generated React code, and utilizes JavaScript, Docker containers, and Mac app packaging for deployment.

A11y app at ProductDock

Jovica presented “A11y ProductDock”, an internal accessibility testing tool he has been developing over the past few weeks. The demo demonstrated how the tool combines automated audits with AI-powered analysis using custom profiles for smarter accessibility testing.

What we learned from building an AI accessibility testing app

The session covered the tool’s key features: axe-core integration for standards-based audits, AI image analysis powered by custom accessibility profiles instead of generic prompts, and a profile management system for creating and sharing reusable configurations. The presentation highlighted the multi-provider architecture supporting both Anthropic and local Ollama (which can be extended with other providers e.g. OpenAI).

Overall, the talk showcased how the solution advances A11y automation with AI through flexible, custom accessibility profiles that make accessibility testing smarter and more adaptable.

The tool is built as a desktop app with Wails (Go backend + React frontend) that enables local deployment for security while maintaining web app usability.

Key takeaways from the session

The development process revealed several key insights:

• Targeted profiles consistently outperform generic AI prompts,
• Automation works best when combined with human expertise, and
• Flexibility matters for addressing different security, speed, and cost needs.

The talk emphasized that profiles improve through iteration and real-world use.

The presentation showcased how A11y ProductDock moves beyond traditional accessibility testing toward a more intelligent, adaptable approach.
 

Discover more insights and initiatives like this in our Blog section.