As you probably know – web users are now more active on their mobile devices than they are on the desktop PC’s. I guess the numbers vary from site to site and from location to location but it is very logical when we think of our selves. Mobile phones are replacing our wallets and even personal identification and they are with us through out the day and maybe even at night.
At the same time their computing power rises and they are actually very powerful, small factor computers that have moved way out of telephony into custom application and web thin-clients.
So when your website is getting more and more mobile visitors – do you think beyond responsive and mobile first design as well?
Accessibility software on mobile devices
Besides doing manual testing with real devices – not just scaling down your browser – but really testing how the web interface behaves you should also test your website with mobile screen-readers.
As you probably know – there are two giant user groups out there – Android and iOS operating system devices. Depending on where you users come from their device preferences can vary a lot. In some parts of the world there are more Android devices because they can be made very cheap and in other parts of the world there are more iOS based devices ( those are not so cheap, so you will probably find some parallels with geographical economy).
Screen-reader on mobile device – how cool is that
For accessibility it means that we have at least two different screen-readers that we have to use in our manual tests.
Android has it’s TalkBack and iOS has it’s VoiceOver. Both are quite amazing pieces of engineering as they allow us to control almost any aspect of the mobile device with special gestures and speak to us and therefore they both offer alternative interfaces between human and mobile devices that is not sight-only based.
Before you will do any testing with screen-reader on the mobile phone I suggest that you really read the instructions or follow the learning guide if offered. Otherwise you can get very frustrated very fast.
Kind reminder from me to you.
Screen-reader enables you to navigate you device in multiple ways with multiple possibilities. Please take the time and study official documentation on how to use common features at least. It takes some practice to really experience it as a useful tool it is.
Screen-reader for Android – TalkBack
TalkBack is the default screen-reader for Android OS and it is common that it comes pre-installed on the device. In some cases it must be downloaded manually and you can get it on Google Play for free – as a part of Android Accessibility Suite (opens in new window).
It is not turned on by default and you must turn TalkBack on manually(opens in new window). You can also make some shortcuts to turn it on or off that makes it even easier to use it (pressing both volume keys at once is the preferred option).
Please read about how to use TalkBack before you enable it on your device (opens in new window). It will give you some insight into all the possibilities and make it easier to follow the start guide and eventually be more fluent when using it.
Screen-reader for iOS – VoiceOver
VoiceOver is the default screen-reader on iOS devices and is included by default. To enable it you must reach into settings and then enable it. You can also enable some shortcuts so that it is turned on or off with for example pressing the home key three times or you can just ask Siri to “Turn on VoiceOver” if you are a fan of her.
More information about VoiceOver from Apple (opens in new window).
Practice and practice even more
Like with almost anything – you need to practice to really be good with it, and (mobile) screen-readers are no exception. Personally I found VoiceOver a bit more friendly or easier than TalkBack, but I really enjoy using both as I can really get my hands on the experience.
Is testing with mobile screen-readers enough
I am still investigating if testing with mobile screen-readers means that I do not need to test with desktop screen-readers. It kind of makes sense. But I am afraid that it is not enough. Desktop screen-readers allow much, much more, so it is probably smart to test with them as well.
Should every developer try to use screen-readers on mobile devices
Yes – I think that every front-end developer, at least, should test their “products” with screen-readers. It is only then we will really understand how we must make them accessible. And it will benefit all users for sure.
