Introduction
Accessibility enables people with disabilities to use computers, smartphones, and other devices. An application that supports accessibility in design, helps people with disability have a better user experience. People can experience disabilities at any age and their level of disability may differ. It is important for developers to understand and follow accessibility guidelines so that everyone can use the apps that they have created. The most important accessibility guidelines are on vision and hearing impairments.
Developers should always test their apps with VoiceOver or Dynamic Type, which are built-in features of iOS so that it is easier for users who have these impairments.
What is Accessibility?
Accessibility is the practice of making products, services, and environments usable by as many people as possible. It is about removing barriers and enabling people with disabilities to participate in society. The philosophy behind accessibility has its roots in the early days of computing when it was realized that certain groups of individuals might not be able to use computers because they were physically impaired or had other impairments such as blindness. Over time this has expanded into covering a wider range of needs but still maintains its original focus on making technologies accessible for those who need them the most.
Today it is widely recognized that everyone should have access to technology regardless of age, gender, identity, or ability level. So designers need not only to consider how well their product works but also consider how people will interact with it once they get there!
Why should we care about Accessibility?
Accessibility is now a legal requirement in some countries like the US and Canada. Apple, Google, and Microsoft have all taken steps to make sure that their apps are accessible to as many people as possible.
Accessibility makes your app better for everyone who uses it. To meet these requirements, you must take the time to ensure that your app’s accessibility meets industry standards for usability and performance. This means including methods for screen readers and other assistive technologies so users can navigate through your application without relying on visual cues alone or having trouble following instructions given by voiceover text transcripts.
Not only this, but Accessibility also helps you test your app at scale before launch day! As an example: if there’s no way for developers to see how their applications look when run against different devices or operating systems without resorting back to their code which isn’t readable enough (or has bugs), then they have no idea what kind problems might arise during testing sessions where thousands upon thousands of devices need testing against each other simultaneously – something which would cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars just per hour spent doing this type activity alone!
VoiceOver
VoiceOver is a screen reader that allows visually impaired users to use an iOS device. VoiceOver will read out the text on the screen, read out buttons, other controls, and elements such as links. It can also read the description from images. Default apps like Camera and Photos, support VoiceOver and they can easily tell how many people are in your shot.
In Settings, you can find it under Settings -> Accessibility -> Voice Over
Dynamic Type
Dynamic Type is a feature that allows users to adjust the size of text on their devices. It is available on iOS devices and Macs and works in all apps.
In Settings, you can find it under Settings -> Accessibility -> Display & Text Size -> Large Text
Siri and Dictation
Siri and Dictation are built-in features in iOS that can be used to type text using voice commands. It can also be used to speak text using voice commands or dictate text using voice commands.
Important considerations when developing iOS apps
Accessibility is an important part of iOS development. It makes the app more usable for people with disabilities and can improve the user experience, increasing your app’s ranking in the App Store. There are several ways you can make your iOS app accessible:
- Enable support to use VoiceOver in your apps.
- Enable large text accessibility when designing screens in the app.
- Adding information about how to use accessibility features to your app’s description or metadata file in iTunes Connect.
- Providing custom keyboards that allow users to type text using only one hand, such as T9 or Swipe able Keyboard.
- Testing all accessibility-related features with and without automation scripts.
Conclusion
In this blog, we have covered the basic things you need to know about accessibility in iOS apps. We have also shared useful tips for making your app more accessible and user-friendly for all users. The next time you are designing an app, keep these points in mind before building it thereby ensuring that we are not leaving anyone behind in our growth.
