Introduction
The fact that accessibility is not an option in mobile app design anymore continues to be a limitation to consumers. Creating accessible applications is also the best way of providing a better user experience and can often improve the usability to a broader audience. In the action of creating an inclusive application we will examine what mobile app accessibility is, why it is important, and how we could create applications that are fully inclusive.
What is Mobile App Accessibility?
It includes users who are blind or have low vision, users who are deaf or hard of hearing, users with limited motion, users with cognitive challenges, and users who have Speech Impairments.
Why Accessibility is Important
Legal Obligations: Several laws exist at the state, federal, national and international levels such as Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), UK Equality Act, EU Accessibility Directive that mandate digital access.
Market Reach: When accessibility is ignored, the result is a large segment of your potential users are excluded and you are losing visibility.
Testing Accessibility
Automated Testing: Automated testing tools like Axe, Google Accessibility Scanner, and Xcode Accessibility Inspector, are amazing.
Platform Guidance: Use WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) and platform guidance from Apple and Google.
Type of Errors to Watch Out For
Overall alt text is missing or duplicated
Bad contrast between colors
Very small tap targets
Navigation or gestures aren’t consistent
Accessibility is neglected all the times in updates
The business rationale for accessibility
Accessible apps will always rank higher in the app stores, and will earn higher ratings and reviews more often.
Using an inclusive design approach can also create a culture of innovation; the solutions that provide accessibility for a small group of users often help all users (i.e., voice input, dark mode, and auto-captioning).
Conclusion
Accessible apps are new, they are not an option, they are a requirement. When you consider inclusive design at the beginning, and not at the end, you develop better experience for all users, more users, and it has a smaller moral footprint as a digital product.
It does not have to be transformational – if cleanliness matters to you, you are thinking about harm reduction, and start small. But start now.