How can you design mobile apps for accessibility?

100% our humans/users should always be front and enter. Whether we are designing for consumer or enterprise experiences, making sure your design, engineering team and product managers all understand the importance of designing inclusive experiences. Investing in a design language system which is accessible is key to scaling and influencing WCAG requirements. Inclusivity includes the images, the interactions, the colors, the words and much much more. No human should be left behind to benefit the experiences we design. Glocal, scalable and inclusive always!

I guess that integration of basic accessibility would be highly appreciated not only by people with permanent impairments, but by overall user audience. Let's not forget that a user might stumble upon temporary conditions - cognitive or physical, paired with nontypical use cases, when the user needs just a bit more help from his favourite app. There are quite a few characteristics that should be considered a staple of quality in terms of inclusivity: starting from great contrast and reasonable font hierarchy, ending with logical content architecture that contributes to coherent voice over produced by screen readers.

Understanding the spectrum of user needs is paramount. While tools and data can guide us, it's the human stories that truly illuminate the importance of accessibility. Consider organizing focus groups with individuals from various impairment categories. Their firsthand experiences can provide invaluable insights, ensuring your app doesn't just meet standards but genuinely resonates with its users.

I agree, but have found better results embedding basic accessibility into your design process/persona rather than as a separate set of steps. In some cases, we have discovered a large number of accessibility needs that align with our persona/user profile and have addressed them directly, making them a part of the problem we solved for.

Understanding your users is pivotal. Accessibility spans various impairments—visual, auditory, cognitive, motor, and speech—each requiring distinct solutions. For example, users with low vision need larger fonts, high contrast, and screen magnification. Hearing-impaired users benefit from captions and vibration feedback. Employ personas, user research, and testing tools for a user-centric approach.

While guidelines like WCAG and platform-specific recommendations are foundational, it's essential to view them as a starting point. The true essence of accessibility goes beyond compliance. Regularly revisiting these guidelines and staying updated with evolving standards ensures that your app remains at the forefront of accessibility.

I couldn't agree more with the emphasis on following established accessibility guidelines and standards. These guidelines, such as WCAG, Android Accessibility, and iOS Accessibility, serve as invaluable references to ensure our apps meet essential accessibility requirements. They provide a structured framework that not only helps us meet minimum standards but also promotes a consistent and inclusive user experience across different platforms.

Compliance with accessibility guidelines is essential. Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) set global standards with four principles and 12 guidelines. Android and iOS also offer platform-specific accessibility standards. These guidelines act as a checklist, ensuring your app meets accessibility requirements.

WCAG website has a quick reference guide based with the four principles. I also think calling out the four would be useful to audiences: 1. Perceivable 2. Operable 3. Understandable 4. Robust

With the emphasis on using simple and clear design elements and patterns in accessible mobile app design. This approach benefits all users, but it's especially crucial for those with impairments. Consistency, intuitive layouts, and well-designed elements contribute to a more user-friendly experience. Addressing spacing, legibility, and touch targets ensures that the app is easy to navigate and interact with. Clear communication through language and instructions further enhances the overall usability and inclusivity of the app.

One thing often overlooked is the negative impact dark themes can have on people with visual impairments. Especially those with astigmatisms. Dark themes (and dark mode) can be a relief for many. But folks with astigmatisms and other visual impairments can compromise readability and increase eye strain. The simple solution is to allow control with settings/preferences. Better yet, respect system defaults. And when you design with dark themes, consider backgrounds that aren’t 100% black. If you do, offer a second theme that’s lower contrast.

Simplicity in design is often mistaken for minimalism. In the context of accessibility, it's about clarity and predictability. A user should be able to anticipate the next step in the app journey. Regularly reviewing design elements with diverse user groups can help ensure that the app's design remains intuitive and user-friendly for all.

Simplicity and clarity in design are vital for users with various impairments. Consistency, intuitive layouts, readable fonts, and proper contrast are key. Adequate spacing and alignment reduce clutter, aiding navigation. Touch targets and gestures must be user-friendly. Clear language, instructions, and feedback communicate effectively.

Strip out what's superfluous to the task at hand. Accessibility is more than just color contrast or audio cues for the seeing impaired. Needs are a diverse spectrum, from neurodivergence to physical abilities. Keep things simple to make your product more successful for the differently abled, then watch it work better for the entire userbase.

Offering choices is about empowerment. By providing multiple modes and input methods, we're acknowledging the diverse ways users interact with technology. It's also worth considering cultural nuances. What's intuitive in one culture might be perplexing in another. By embracing this diversity, we ensure our app is globally accessible.

Offer users multiple options and alternatives. Dark mode, different input methods (voice, touch, keyboard), and various media formats (audio, text, image) accommodate diverse preferences and abilities. Accessibility settings like font size and captions empower customization, promoting inclusivity.

Continuous testing is the heartbeat of accessibility. While tools like Lighthouse offer a technical perspective, nothing replaces the feedback from real users. Consider setting up a beta testing group comprising individuals with various impairments. Their feedback can guide iterative improvements, ensuring your app remains both compliant and genuinely user-friendly.

Regular testing and improvement ensure ongoing accessibility. Use tools like Lighthouse, Accessibility Scanner, and VoiceOver to check compliance. Employ heuristic evaluations, user testing, and expert reviews for usability assessment. User feedback through surveys, reviews, and support channels aids refinement.

Ultimately, the best way to find any issue is to user test, especially for different accessibility needs. Don't only focus on screen reader users and, if possible, utilize a company like Fable who can provide you the resources to cover all your bases.

Test. test. test. Then, test again. Different environments, groups of different individuals, varied levels of distractions, every quality of devices from CPU speed to the resolution and color gamut of the display. You'll discover that so many of your assumptions need updating to make your product more successful.

Accessibility is an ongoing journey, not a destination. As technology and societal norms evolve, so do the benchmarks for what constitutes an accessible app. Engage with communities, attend accessibility workshops, and always be open to feedback. In the end, an accessible app isn't just about reaching more users; it's about building a digital world where everyone feels included.

The great thing about designing for accessibility is that a simple and clear design not only benefits those with impairments, it benefits all users through making experiences easier to interact with. It's also important to consider that nearly all of us will experience some form of impairment during our lives, be it a temporary injury or illness, or simply declining vision that comes with age. Designing for accessibility benefits us all.

Real-world examples demonstrate accessibility's impact. Netflix's audio description feature for visually impaired users improved engagement. Apple's VoiceOver screen reader revolutionized accessibility for iOS users with visual impairments. Embrace accessibility as a continuous journey, evolving with user needs and technology advances.

Learn how to identify implicit context that becomes invisible for disabled users. It can be hard if you are a designer that take hearing and seeing for granted. A button that says “add” can make sense in a visual context - but totally in-comprehensive if you can’t see that context. Also, learning how to use assistive technology and designing the experience with and for that technology - is a must.

As with everything we do in product building, the job is never done. Constant testing, analysis & iteration are necessary to in-line with your market.