Accessible Mobile Apps - Issue #47
Hello everyone,
Hope you're having a great week.
This week's a bit busy for me as I'm travelling to Germany to speak about accessible maps on iOS at SwiftConf. If you'll be there, too, let me know and we can grab a Kölsch! And, for those who won't be there, I'll share the video here in the newsletter once it is published. :)
As always, don't hesitate to reach out with any suggestions for the next issue via email (hello@accessiblemobileapps.com) or Twitter (or Mastodon).
- Robin
New Threads app fails accessibility test
AbilityNet performed an audit on the new Threads app, and the results are not pleasant. Here's to hoping they prioritize improving accessibility.
A11y Talks: Benchmark Accessibility & Usability Testing (August 17)
Save the date for another A11y talk that looks really interesting. Jennifer Chadwick Elana Chapman will be talking about the Accessible Usability Scale (AUS), and how you can quantify the level of accessibility of your website/app.
Accessibility Done Well: Cabify
Have you heard about Jonathan Chacón Barbero, Senior Accessibility Software Engineer at Cabify? As one of the few blind software engineers in Europe, he talks about accessibility improvements he made to the Cabify app.
Workshop: Accessibility for Designers
Stéphanie Walter is leading a paid workshop in November to show designers some best practices when it comes to accessibility. Looks really interesting, so be sure to forward this to your design team!
Vibes To Avoid In Disability Campaigns
When talking about accessibility to other developers or at work, what's your vibe? Check out this article that talks about which vibes to avoid, and proposes better ways to approach the subject.
Testing Sites And Apps With Blind Users: A Cheat Sheet
If you're testing with real people who use assistive technology (which I 100% recommend), this article provides some insight and structure about the testing process. I found especially helpful their templates for conducting user interviews: medium.com
Washington Post Design System (WPDS)
The Washington Post recently made their design system open source. Inside you'll find accessibility resources for designers and developers. It focuses mainly on web, but there is always some information to gleen that applies to mobile.
Workshop: Foundations for Mobile Accessibility (Washington, DC on October 12)
If you're close to Washington, DC, consider going to this workshop in October that covers mobile accessibility on both iOS and Android, even discussing how to work in accessibility tasks into your day-to-day development work.
iOS
Assistive Access
Take a deep dive into Assistive Access with Bas Broek in his latest article:
Accessibility Done Well: Please Don’t Rain
Christopher Wu's done accessibility right in his app Please Don't Rain. Give it a download, share your feedback, and give him a high-five next time you see him! Keep up the good work, Christopher! :)
Check out a review of his app from the perspective of a VoiceOver user here:
Android
Pre-launch Report (PLR) and Accessibility
Google Play's pre-launch report can help you spot accessibility issues you missed during development. Check out this recently-released video about touch targets:
And you can also watch a higher-level video that covers everything the PLR can help you with:
InRhythm: Android Accessibility Lightning Talk
A very well done introductory talk about Android accessibility, by Greg Fein at InRhythm.
Join the Accessible Mobile Apps Slack Group
Use this link to join our Slack workspace for mobile accessibility. Ask technical questions, share resources, get advice from other developers, and most importantly connect with developers who share your passion for a11y.