Accessibility on mobile apps

What is accessibility?

It is an opportunity for developers; they can make sure that their products are "accessibility-friendly".

It is the "ability to access" and give benefit to as many people as possible to some system or entity.

It is a challenge: lots of users with special needs (e.g. the elderly, blind, visually impaired or deaf users) find barriers which don´t allow them to access technology.

Are your apps accessible?

Are you sure that your products are compatible with accessibility tools used by people with special needs?

Do you think about accessibility while developing your products?

Accessibility... why?

• 15% of people in the world have challenges accessing technology. (source: World Health Organization).

• Integration of people with special needs to the “Virtual Society”.

• Show your company's corporate responsability.

Social benefits

Financial benefits

• Milions of potential users are currently unable to access technology.

• Market saturation is not true when it comes to accessible apps.

• Comply with accessibility laws in different countries.

Mobile Assistive Technologies (AT)

Mobile ATs

Specialized gesture UIs

Voice recognition

Screen Reader

Specialized external I/O

devices

Screen Magnifier

Accessibility & Mobile Platforms

• Accessibility API sets are provided by modern Mobile OSs.

• Assistive Technologies provide alternative UIs which rely on Accessibility APIs.

• Best Practices on Accessibility allow developers to create accessible apps with minimal extra effort.

Accessible Apps

Making accessible apps means developing products which are compatiblewith existing ATs availablefor each platform.

Useful links

• Android accessibility API guide:http://developer.android.com/guide/topics/ui/accessibility/index.html

• Android accessibility implementation traininghttp://developer.android.com/training/accessibility/index.html

• iOS accessibility overviewhttp://www.apple.com/es/accessibility/ios/

• Accessibility Programming Guide for iOShttps://developer.apple.com/library/ios/documentation/UserExperience/Conceptual/iPhoneAccessibility/Introduction/Introduction.html

Accessible development

• Accessible labeling of functional UI components.

• Accessible feedback for context changes.

• Accessible feedback for status changes.

• Accessible information refreshing.

• Accessible notifications.

• Accessible progress indicators.

• Accessibility-friendly focus navigation.

Best practices on accessible app development:

Accessible development

• Implement Accessibility API interfaces for custom controls.• Be careful with changing controls.• Correct description of complex controls such as DataPickers.• Don't generate accessibility feedback on your own.• It's not necessary to add descriptions to decorative controls.• Check that your app's special gestures don't collide with the

ones used by assistive technologies.

Special attention to:

Accessible design

• Accessible UI structure.

• Control distribution & grouping.

• Multiple output channels.

• Complementary UI components for activating functionality.

• Support for multiple input mechanisms.

• Accessible Multimedia.

Best practices on accessible mobile app design:

Multiplatform...

• Native accessibility API is not present.

• The app depends on accessibility of the web control.

Accessibility on multiplatform apps:

Accessibility... when?

• Accessibility still makes the difference.

• Reach ALL your potential customers.

• Reduce costs by including accessibility from the start.

• Experts will test the accessibility of your mobile solutions and guide you all the way to make your apps accessible.

• Specialized engineers provide technical support for accessible design & development.

Accessible App Certification

Company endorsed by ONCE/CIDAT for mobile app accessibility certification.

www.codefactory.es

For more information

Ferran Gállegoferran.gallego@codefactory.es