Making Mobile Applications Accessible
Application accessibility is not
something often considered by many mobile application developers. In 2014 there
are approximately 1.75 billion smartphone users which is set to increase to 2.5
billion by 2017. According to the World Health Organization there are around 1 billion
people globally who experience some form of disability. There can be little doubt
that a number of individuals with some kind of physical or mental disability are
similarly mobile device users. Thus it is an important topic for developers to consider
if they want to increase their app’s marketability, as well as to cater to the specific
needs of various users.
Mobile users may need accessibility
options for a number of cognitive or physical disabilities including visual impairment,
hearing impairment, physical impairment, and cognitive impairment. User’s disabilities
can vary in terms of severity as well as type, thus it is important to understand
how different features and formats can be useful to users with different disabilities.
Visually impaired users include
individuals who are blind, have poor vision, or are color blind just to name a few.
Having options to increase the size of text, buttons, or images can assist with
those who are have difficulty seeing and is also useful for users who are blind
as it makes selecting the correct button or link significantly easier. Text to speech
and other auditory based forms of accessibility are the most useful in making mobile
applications usable for visually impaired users, as well as using voice recognition
and speech to text for text input. For color blind users it is important to provide
an option to switch to a monochromatic color scheme or avoiding colors that are
difficult to distinguish between for individuals who are red-green or blue-yellow
color blind. Understanding the way in which a color blind user may see certain colors
can be helpful, as it can easily be overlooked when designing a layout. Another
option is to include specific patterns for usable features so they can be distinguished
between. The image below has colors that for color blind users can easily be mistaken
as similar colors, but adding patterns makes each button easily identifiable.
Users with disabilities benefit
the most from having options to convert audible features to text, or adding subtitles
to videos. Popup notification and vibrating alerts are important to notify users
in lieu of audio alerts. For video playback having sign language can act as a universal
translation for hearing impaired users who can read a language that differs from
the language used for closed captioning. Finally, having options for increased volume
or mono audio assists users with hearing aids and a lack of hearing in only one
ear.
For the physically handicapped the
most difficult task are typically related to performing touch screen based gestures
such as pinch and zoom, selecting buttons, and scrolling. Many of these hindrances
can be overcome by utilizing voice recognition to operate the device hands free.
More advanced forms of accessibility assistance include eyeball tracking and touch
free gestures. Some users may find it easier to use a stylus, and for developers
increasing the size of buttons and scroll bars can help users with physical disabilities
use their application with fewer incorrect selections.
Individuals with cognitive impairments
may have issues relating to their attention span, memory retention, information
analysis, computation, communication, and poor reading skills. While these users
may not need any physical forms of accessibility aid when interfacing with mobile
applications, other features can make an application more user-friendly.
Simplifying the layout of the app
itself can assist in making it more intuitive and make performing app functions
easier. Text-to-speech in conjunction with highlighting text as it is read out loud
is useful for users with reading difficulties and low attention spans as it can
help these users focus on the text. Auto-filling fields can make data entry easier,
and not having time restrictions on app tasks will reduce the stress for users who
may be slower at using mobile applications. Overall, many of the other accessibility
features mentioned for users with visual, hearing, and physical disabilities can
help users with cognitive impairment.
It may seem like adding accessibility
features is an additional task that only increases the time it takes for an app
to move from development to the marketplace, but being user conscious and providing
these options can make a significant difference for users with any kind of disability.