Take a deep look at accessibility as it applies to mobile and wearables. This book covers topics within the accessibility domain that are rarely covered or understood, despite the fact that nearly half of the world’s population uses smartphones. Moreover, by 2025, 72% of smartphone users are expected to only use smartphones to access the internet. And yet, accessibility is often an afterthought instead of a core principle of product development. This book changes that.
You will begin by exploring the current landscape and policy frameworks, looking at the software product lifecycle and how to embed inclusion from the start. You’ll learn the nuances of mobile accessibility as it applies to mobile devices, wearables, and IoT. From there you’ll move onto automated testing, accessibility and inclusion, and the next frontiers of emerging technology including AR and VR. There will be notes at the end of programming examples to help those in orthogonal roles, such as project management, understand the basics and the language to better communicate with their engineering counterparts.
Over 1 billion people in the world live with some form of disability so it's imperative you devise a comprehensive game plan to make your digital products accessible for all. Beyond Accessibility Compliance is your guide to understanding the current landscape of assistive technology and how emerging techniques are changing the way we think about personalization and accessibility.
What You'll Learn
See how people with the most common forms of disabilities use digital products
Review the basics of the product development lifecycle and how to embed accessibility
Explore tangible answers as to how accessibility pertains to unique roles
Understand the difference between compliance and usability
Make data visualizations accessible for blind users
Implement code-level changes to address gaps in accessibility
Build a campus programs and course material inclusive for people with disabilities
Who This Book Is For
Current developers, designers, and others building technology products with basic knowledge of front-end development. This book is also suitable for students in computer science, engineering, HCI, and related fields. Sections that are not engineering-specific are applicable to design, user research, communication, and business students who are looking to pursue careers in technology.
Author(s): Sukriti Chadha
Publisher: Apress
Year: 2022
Language: English
Pages: 154
Tags: a11y
Table of Contents
About the Author
About the Technical Reviewer
Foreword by Mike Shebanek, Meta
Foreword by Larry Goldberg, XR Access
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Chapter 1: The Billion People Question
What Is a Disability?
What Is Accessibility? What Is Inclusion? What Is the Difference?
Power in Numbers
The Rich History of Innovation Inspired by People with Disabilities
Policy and Regulations
Case Study: Data Visualization for the Blind
Step 1: How Do We Summarize the Information Without a Visual Representation?
Step 2: How Do We Let the User Dive Deeper into the Data at Points of Interest?
Step 3: Why Do We Need a Chart on the Screen If the User Is Blind?
Step 4: Why a Dedicated, Full-Screen Experience?
Step 5: What Are the Options for Customization?
Step 6: How Else Can We Make This Better?
Case Study Takeaway
The Greatest Challenge
Mobile Focus
Summary
Chapter 2: The Chicken or the Egg?
Measuring Impact
What About Products Already on the Market?
Note on Roughly Quantifying Overhead of Audits
Summary
Chapter 3: The Basics: Functional User Needs and Common Solutions
User Needs by Type of Disability and Examples of Assistive Technologies
People with Visual Impairments
Alternative Text
Image Processing and Machine Learning in Action
Meaningful Sequence, Grouping, and Hierarchy
Dynamic Sizing
Colors Alone Are Not Used to Convey Meaning
Links and Other Actions That Lead to Context Change Have Clear Descriptions
An Auto-playing Video or Audio Should Not Interfere with the Screen Reader
Synchronized Video Content Has Audio Descriptions
Beyond Compliance
People with Hearing Impairment
Audio and Video Content Include Captions
Sound Cues Alone Are Not Used to Convey Meaning
Beyond Compliance
Case Study: Transcripts and Captions
People with Cognitive Impairment
Content Is Organized, Digestible, and Consistent
Timeouts or Limits on Interactions Are Adjustable
Animations, Complex Language, and Auto-updating Content Can Be Turned Off or Paused
Instructions and Errors on Forms Are Presented as Text, and in Context
Captcha and Other Authentication Methods Have Alternatives
Focus Indicator Is Visible
Beyond Compliance
People with Speech Impairment
Primarily Voice Input Applications Provide Alternative Ways of Interaction
Beyond Compliance
People with Mobility Impairment
All Content Is Accessible Through a Keyboard
Motion Actuation, Pointer Focus, or Activation Is Reversible
Beyond Compliance
Everyone
Avoid Using Jargon or Unnecessarily Complicated Language
Adhere to Global Settings
Allow Users to Provide Feedback
Summary
Chapter 4: Gameplan
Addressing Existing Issues
The Software Product Lifecycle: Embedding Inclusion
Product Management
User Research and Insights
Project Management
Design
Creativity and Common Sense Before Rules
When in Doubt, Use Standard Patterns
Avoid Custom Experiences Based on Assistive Technology Use
Consider the Broadest Possible Use Case
Handle Loading States Effectively
Don’t Overuse Modals, Tooltips, and Popups
Accessibility Never Gets in the Way of Good Design
Multiple Use Cases Represented in Deliverables
Design Plugins
Engineering
When in Doubt, Use System Defaults
Engineering Practices
Customer Experience
Marketing
Testing
Procurement
Leadership and Business Stakeholders
Legal, Privacy, and Security
Accessibility Team or Consultants
Education and Evangelism
Community
Innovation
Accessibility Champions/Ambassadors
When Are We Done?
Summary
Chapter 5: Nuances of Mobile Accessibility
Limited Documentation and Guidelines
Fragmentation
Smaller Screen Sizes and Conflicting Guidelines
Orientation
Release Cycles and Long-Tail Adoption
Haptics and Other Sensors
Data Usage
Two-Way Scrolling
Case Study: Indoor and Outdoor Wayfinding
Case Study: Floating Action Buttons
Case Study: Ephemeral Experiences
Implementation
Summary
Chapter 6: We Built It, Now What?
Automated Testing
Scanners
Manual Testing
Evaluating Third-Party Testing Vendors
Customer Service: How to Help Customers and Escalate Critical Issues
Summary
Chapter 7: The Next Frontier – Expanding the Definition of Accessibility
A Day in the Life: 2040
Performance, Localization, and Financial Accessibility
Technical Performance
Localization
Multimodal Input and Output
Interoperability and the Role of Platforms
Mindset
Summary
Index
