iOS and Android Mobile app Accessibility

Can you afford to let as many as 100,000 potential users of your mobile app go to a competitor? If your iOS or Android app isn’t accessible, you’ve walked away from a gold mine. Let us help

When you pick up that shiny touchscreen phone or tablet, it’s hard to imagine that any blind people are using such devices. There are no buttons to feel, so how can they? But the fact is, we are, in very large number.

VoiceOver – the screen reading software built into iOS, and Talkback – the screen reader built into Android mean that blind people are using our smartphones and tablets for the same reasons as everyone else. We want to stay connected with family, friends and business associates, be productive on the job, play a game or two, and even take great photos.

While there are apps that cater specifically to the needs of blind people, the vast majority of apps we use are designed for a general audience. An app doesn’t have to be visually unattractive to be accessible, it just has to conform to a few simple guidelines so the screen reader knows how to speak the information to a blind person, or display it using a Bluetooth-enabled Braille display.

If you make money from your apps, it just doesn’t make economic sense to shut out an eager group looking to purchase apps that are accessible. Even if you don’t make money from your apps, then hey, it’s just the right thing to do.

Developers tell us at Mosen Consulting that they want to do the right thing, but don’t know where to start. We’re here to help. We offer a range of services from writing a report on your completed app, to consulting with you during the design phase so you build in universal design principles at your project’s foundation.

When we work with you, we take no shortcuts. We never use any automated testing tools, ever. Our testing is done by real end users, all of us blind. Even if you’ve looked at the accessibility guidelines for iOS and Android, and we encourage you to do that, only an end-user can tell you how your implementation is working in the real world. Does your app talk too much, or not enough? Are the labels too terse, or too verbose? We’ll work with you to ensure you have an app that’s in good shape for this growing market.

And when we’re done, Mosen Consulting will help you connect with blind customers through our blog and podcast. We’ll submit your app to relevant app directories with comprehensive comments on its accessibility features.

To learn about our cost-effective accessibility audit, or how we can work with you at the app design stage, contact us.