6. Inclusive Design and Mobile Devices Flashcards
What are the advantages of mobile devices for disabled people? (3)
AT - Mobile devices come with accessibility features
Sensors
Apps
What are some potential issues with mobile devices? (4)
Low contrast colour schemes, small text, and images that cannot be resized affect people with low or limited vision
Touchscreens can be problematic for people with dexterity problems (too small ‘touch’ areas that require precision).
Affordability of the latest mobile tech is also an issue for many people with disabilities.
Privacy is an issue for people who use voice to navigate their devices/ or screen readers to read out messages to them in public spaces
What are the advantages and disadvantages of not having separate mobile accessibility WCAG guidelines?
Developers and designers only need to become familiar with a single set of guidelines. However:
Some extra guidance is still required to account for mobile-specific interaction patterns (e.g touch interaction, complex touch gestures, device manipulation gestures, orientation support, etc)
Devs and designers have to translate web guidelines to native apps
How can we meet WCAG’s principle Perceivable on mobile? (7)
Reduce content on screen, by providing a dedicated mobile version
Make content and controls a reasonable size
Adapt link length to viewport
Linearise forms (form labels above form fields and form fields in single-column vertical sequence)
Support changing text size
Do not suppress pinch to zoom
Increase contrast (mobile devices are often use in glare-prone conditions, which heightens the importance of good contrast).
How can we meet WCAG’s principle Operable on mobile? (6)
Support external keyboard
Reasonable target size and spacing. Include padding
Gestures should be easy to carry out (e.g. tap, swipe).
Gestures should be discoverable (e.g. a swipe in from the left side of the screen gesture to open a menu is not discoverable without an indicator)
Provide alternatives to device manipulation gestures (e,g. shaking, tilting)
Controls should generally be operable with one hand
How can we meet WCAG’s principle Understandable on mobile? (6)
Orientation - Aim to support both portrait and landscape
Be consistent in layout (UI components appear in the same location and sequence across screens)
Put important items upfront and above the fold if possible
Group items that perform the same action within the same target area (e.g. link icon and link text in a single actionable element)
Clearly indicate actionable items by following conventions (e.g. button shape and contrast, iconography, colour and underline for links).
Provide help / instructions for custom gestures (e.g. overlays, tooltips, tutorials).
How can we meet WCAG’s principle Robust on mobile? (6)
Support the right onscreen keyboard for data type (e.g. type = email, type = tel).
Minimise text entry
Support platform accessibility
What in built accessibility features do mobiles have for people with visual impairments? (5)
Screen reader: VoiceOver (Apple) / TalkBack (Android)
Visibility enhancements, contrast and colour options (e.g. extra dim, dark theme, colour correction, colour inversion, extra contrast, etc).
Detailed audio descriptions
Magnification
Text size
What in built accessibility features do mobiles have for people with hearing impairments? (4)
Captions
Haptic feedback
Real Time Text / TTY (teletypewritter) mode: use text to communicate on phone calls.
Hearing aid support
What in built accessibility features do mobiles have for people with motor impairments? (3)
Voice input / navigation
Assistive touch (Apple) – Use onscreen menus and controls to access gesture-activated features, instead of pressing hardware buttons or performing device manipulation gestures
Switch support - allows users to interact with their device using a switch instead of the touchscreen
What are some examples of mobile experiences for people with disabilities? (5)
Navigation and maps (find accessible spaces, get audio navigation instructions)
Communication aids (e.g. word prediction for people with aphasia)
Peer support
Taptapsee - uses device camera and voiceover to identify subjects out loud
Bemyeyes - Connects visually impaired people with sighted volunteers through live video
