What the check includes
The passport of the Muse Agent fixes the purpose: to check the interface, the scenario and the texts for clarity, accessibility, consistency and honesty toward the user. The input of the audit is the URL, the scenario, the mockups and the texts; the output is the observations, the evidence and the priorities. WCAG heuristics are the second method in the list of Muse: the formal accessibility criteria are used as a heuristic grid of checks, not as a certification checklist.
Steps 1-2: Scenario and Observation
The audit starts not with the standard but with the person: the user, the task and the criterion of successful completion are fixed. Then the agent walks through the screens and collects specific fragments of the interface — not "something is inconvenient" but exact places: text contrast, the size of the tap zone, the labels of the fields, the focus order, the alternative text of images. Every observation has evidence that can be opened and checked.
Step 3: Critique with three fields
Every violation is broken down into three fields: the violation itself, its consequences and the degree of confidence. This protects against the two typical errors of an audit: inflating the trivia and missing serious barriers. In the final report every problem has its severity and its affected users — the team sees what to fix first and for whom it is critical.
Step 4: Alternative without dictating
Muse suggests fixes but does not substitute the designer's decision: a problem can have several correct solutions, and the choice depends on the product, the brand and the constraints of the platform. A good alternative removes the barrier without breaking the rest of the scenario. Honest alternatives as a separate method are analyzed in the article "Honest alternative".
The honest limits of the method
The passport of the agent formulates the limits without softening: Muse does not issue a legal certificate of compliance and does not replace testing with people with disabilities. A heuristic audit finds structural barriers and prioritizes them, but the real user experience of people with different forms of disability remains a mandatory part of a full accessibility check.
Questions and answers
What does the team get after the audit?
A report with evidence, the severity of every problem, the affected users and the fix options — prioritized by what to fix first.
Does the audit replace WCAG certification?
No: Muse does not issue a legal certificate of compliance. Certification requires accredited expertise.
Are only technical criteria checked?
No: along with the WCAG heuristics Muse checks clarity, SEO optimization (the SEO-AEO-GEO perimeter), consistency and honesty — dark patterns and ambiguous promises are part of the same audit.
What are WCAG heuristics?
Practical accessibility checks based on WCAG: contrast, keyboard, labels, predictability.
What steps does the audit consist of?
Scenario, observation, critique, alternative.
What is recorded as evidence?
Specific fragments of the interface found while passing the scenario.
How is severity evaluated?
By the consequences for the user and the degree of confidence in the finding.
Does the audit replace tests with people with disabilities?
No: the passport of the agent states directly that the audit does not replace testing with people with disabilities.
Is the report a certificate?
No: Muse does not issue a legal certificate of compliance.
What materials are needed for the audit?
The URL, the scenario, the mockups and the texts.