Video: Mobile Accessibility and You

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Mobile Accessibility and You

Gold

Thursday, June 9, 2022 • Design at Scale 2022

Sam Proulx

Accessibility Evangelist, Fable

Summary

You may be familiar with desktop screen readers like JAWS, and desktop voice control like Dragon Naturally speaking. You might know about WCAG, and popular automated testing tools for your websites. But what about mobile apps? How do accessibility techniques apply on the touch screen? As the entire world moves mobile first, your accessibility strategy needs to adapt. In this talk, we’ll introduce you to some of the changes that doing mobile-first accessibility correctly requires. We’ll cover some of the most popular assistive technologies on mobile, give you tips for automated and manual testing of your mobile apps, warn you of some of the pitfalls to watch for, and help you bring your mobile accessibility strategy to the next level.

Key Insights

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Mobile devices lead in accessibility because iOS and Android embed assistive technologies natively, removing barriers like additional installations.
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Many accessibility features on mobile, like GPS integration and voice dictation, naturally enhance the experience for people with disabilities beyond desktop capabilities.
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People with disabilities often switch between mobile and desktop to choose the best tool for the task, highlighting the need for seamless cross-device usability.
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Mobile screen readers and assistive tech have fewer variations and are tightly integrated with operating systems, simplifying accessibility testing for developers.
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Desktop accessibility testing is more complex due to multiple screen readers, browser versions, and assistive technology variations.
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Mobile’s smaller screen real estate forces designers to simplify interfaces, reducing distractions and cognitive load for users sensitive to overload.
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Security and update management is simpler on mobile devices, offering a huge usability advantage for users with cognitive or technical challenges.
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Standard mobile app development using Apple’s or Google’s tools tends to yield accessible apps by default, but cross-platform or custom toolchains require extra diligence.
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WCAG guidelines already cover mobile interactions and are evolving to address emerging mobile-specific accessibility scenarios.
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Augmented reality and wearable devices present fresh accessibility challenges on mobile that are still under research and development.

Notable Quotes

"It is so much easier for me if GPS can just find my location rather than having to pinpoint it on a map."

"Mobile phones have a lot of built-in accessibility features that are ready to go without needing to install or configure anything extra."

"The mobile screen is easier to angle and pull close to you or push far away, which can be a huge accessibility advantage."

"Because mobile has less screen real estate, designers create simplified interfaces with the same features but fewer distractions."

"Dictation on mobile is seamless and accurate—you just tap a microphone and start talking."

"Accessibility is about building accessible, customizable experiences that allow users to pick the best tool for the job."

"There is just far fewer variables to deal with on mobile because Apple and Google control the OS, assistive technology, and guidelines."

"Every app built into my phone is perfect for accessibility, and many third-party apps like Spotify and LinkedIn do a great job too."

"Augmented reality is an entirely new paradigm and we need to figure out what accessibility means in that always-on mobile wearable realm."

"Starting your accessibility journey with mobile can be simpler and the skills and processes you learn there can be reused for desktop and other platforms."

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