Did you know, as per the World Bank, 15% of the world's population has some disability?Â
Yes, indeed! Needless to mention that with ageing, visual impairments, sensory moments, and hearing abilities get impacted naturally. Most of today's users may have difficulty using the same smart devices & mobile apps with that ease in the future. That's where Government's and regulatory institutions' web and mobile accessibility guidelines come to the rescue. They ensure mobile apps accessibility remains at the core of quality mobile app development.Â
Why are mobile apps better than websites? The popularity and availability of smartphones across the globe is the primary reason behind the increasing inclination of the majority toward mobile apps. Around 71.8 million mobile connections in the UK in the wake of 2022 reasons why businesses in the UK have to be more cautious about accessible engineering when designing mobile apps wireframe.Â
Focusing on the larger picture, mobile accessibility features help businesses create inclusive mobile applications for all users. No doubt, it gives you a competitive advantage and strengthens your brand image. In addition to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) for websites, the guidelines also cover mobile app accessibility to design user experience perceivable for every user across diversities.Â
Mobile Apps Accessibility Features & Tips to Use Them Optimally
Screenreaders
Visually impaired individuals or ones with weak eyesight largely rely upon screen-reading features to use apps. Androidâs TalkBack and iOSâs VoiceOver have gained wide popularity for having users visually free control of their devices.
Add meaningful descriptions for your appâs elements:
The screen reader tool uses an ALT tag, element descriptions made on the screen, and accessibility label property to help users describe whatâs on the screen. Thatâs code level update mobile app developers do to make each and every code element accessible for users who rely on screen readers.Â
Letâs consider a hypothetical use case where a screen reader tells a user whatâs listed on Facebook Marketplace. Soundcloud
Now, itâs hard to recognize whatâs in there for the images where no description is provided for the elements. Check the video recording for the same now and you can see whatâs in actually there. Â
https://youtu.be/g0PS_DdgwGU
Hereâs the example code of how mobile app developers configure each of the elementsâ labels to improve the accessibility of mobile applications.Â
Describe the state of the element:
The challenge in configuring accessibilityLabel property is that it reads all the text thatâs mentioned within the label. So, it will also read CTA button text like the regular text unless mentioned otherwise. Here comes the need to mention active/inactive state of the element.Â
For instance, you all know how the Facebook status update section works. That small âPOSTâ button is disabled until you type some text in the status section, and it gets enabled as you feed any character. For someone relying on the screen reader to update their Facebook status, you need to mention that button is disabled unless provided with some input and then gets enabled. Hereâs the example code for the sameÂ
<Button accessibilityState={disabled ?{disabled: true} : {disabled: false}}>
Donât forget to emphasize the context in focus:
The app naturally gets bulky when you try to provide a full-fledged web experience to mobile app users. In such a case, it's vital to clarify what needs to be emphasized and whatâs to be ignored by the screen reader.  Â
UI SimplificationÂ
Easy navigation:
Your users wonât do the guesswork to decide where all the elements are. When hiding the elements to make the design compatible with mobile devices, consider how the screen reader tool perceives it. The compact screen sizes add the responsibility of adding proper padding in design elements to distinguish them from each other. Individuals with motor impairments and reduced dexterity often find it challenging to press the right button. Iâm sure youâve observed how our old generations use smartphones extra cautiously.Â
To ease navigation in mobile apps, declutter the categories, and it is advisable to use bigger CTA sections to minimize accidental selection of nearby elements. For instance, the hamburger menu can be replaced with the tile-style menu.  Â
Text & image contrast:
On average, people spend 4-5 hours daily glued to their smartphones. With everything moving to digital space, screen time will keep increasing. To minimize the stress on the userâs eyes, keep the contrast ratio in check for foreground and background color. Limit the usage of bright colors. Mobile devices and all renowned mobile apps are enabling dark mode functionality in their apps to help users overcome challenges like eye fatigue and blinking. Â
Check out our tips and best practices for improving mobile app accessibility, and see how a dedicated
mobile app development agency can help you implement these crucial features.
Adaptability:
You never know the user's preferences, whether the choice of screen orientation or screen size. No generalized formula can be implemented to decide on one code that fits all device configurations. So, donât fix the screen vertically!
The adaptability of UI is crucial for people suffering from motor impairments, cognitive fatigue, and learning disabilities. At WedoWebApps, we strictly adhere to accessibility guidelines for native mobile apps to develop inclusive mobile applications for your users worldwide.
Ease the SearchÂ
Voice Search:
Voice search powers individuals with cognitive issues and repetitive stress injuries who face challenges searching for what they are looking for without typing manually. Google voice assistant, Siri, Cortana, and several such voice search options haveÂ
Scan & Search:
Though itâs not a core accessibility feature, scan search/ image search options ease product searching for people with dyslexia. Ecommerce businesses are using the scan & search feature to simply product search for users.Â
Implementing mobile app accessibility tips is vital, but creating a great user experience goes beyond that. Explore
mobile app UX best practices to design apps that users love.
Wrapping Up
The success of any mobile app can be measured using mobile apps metrics. To optimize mobile app performance per accessibility guidelines, accessibility testing, and live app testing has been done many times before making it live.Â
Add one more touchpoint to your business by launching your mobile app. WeDoWebApps LTD is a Mobile App Development Agency in London that can help you with everything, from mobile apps wireframe to app designing, testing, and launch to post-deployment services.