Summary
You may be familiar with desktop screen readers like JAWS, and desktop voice control like Dragon Naturally speaking. You might know about WCAG, and popular automated testing tools for your websites. But what about mobile apps? How do accessibility techniques apply on the touch screen? As the entire world moves mobile first, your accessibility strategy needs to adapt. In this talk, we’ll introduce you to some of the changes that managing mobile-first accessibility correctly requires. We’ll cover some of the most popular assistive technologies on mobile, give you tips for automated and manual testing of your mobile apps, warn you of some of the pitfalls to watch for, and help you bring your mobile accessibility strategy to the next level.
Key Insights
-
•
Mobile accessibility features are more mature and better integrated than desktop equivalents.
-
•
Built-in mobile accessibility tools are free and easy to enable, reducing friction for testing and design.
-
•
Mobile’s smaller, streamlined interfaces reduce distractions, aiding users with cognitive disabilities.
-
•
Touchscreen and voice control interfaces on mobile provide more customizable and accessible interaction.
-
•
Mobile devices’ physical affordances, like being handheld, support better usability for people with physical disabilities.
-
•
Mobile platforms have clearer accessibility guidelines and standards, simplifying accessible design.
-
•
Mobile accessibility tools and screen readers are uniform within each OS, unlike the fragmented desktop ecosystem.
-
•
Analytics and crash data on mobile give developers better feedback for improving accessibility.
-
•
Starting accessibility efforts on mobile first makes it easier to transfer learnings and designs to desktop.
-
•
Mobile accessibility supports a growing population of users shifting away from desktop, aligning with broader market trends.
Notable Quotes
"You might be thinking about accessibility backwards; start with mobile first, then extend to desktop."
"Mobile is the first major platform where accessibility features are built in and mature."
"You can just ask Siri to turn on VoiceOver—no installs, no approvals needed, making it easier to test."
"A smaller screen means fewer distractions, making it easier for people with cognitive challenges."
"Mobile interaction with gestures and touch was revolutionary for accessibility."
"Voice control on mobile was developed primarily to support people with disabilities."
"On mobile, there's only one screen reader per platform—no confusion across multiple software versions."
"Desktop requires understanding multiple browsers and assistive tech variants, increasing complexity."
"Mobile provides more detailed analytics that help developers iterate accessibility improvements."
"Accessible mobile designs can be reused on desktop, but desktop-first accessibility is harder to transfer to mobile."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"If growth board content overlaps with quarterly business reviews, don’t do both; instead, inject an outcome mindset into existing meetings."
Kit Unger Jackie Ho Veevi Rosenstein Vasileios XanthopoulosTheme 2: Discussion
January 8, 2024
"Every bee understands the same purpose — the survival of the hive for winter."
Mariesa LenzWhat Beekeeping Taught me about Product Teams
October 29, 2025
"In synthesis sessions, it’s a pretty unstructured discussion focused on facts rather than interpretation."
Jesse ZolnaInviting the Whole Org to Come See For Yourself
March 30, 2020
"I kind of think of it one as like fields of influence — staff influences the team or pillar, principal influences organization-wide."
Catt Small Micah Bennett Brian Carr Jessica HarlleeWhat's Next for ICs: Exploring Staff and Principal Designer Roles
February 22, 2024
"We see AI as a tool that can quickly sketch ideas and ask thoughtful questions to take designs to the next level."
Louis Rosenfeld Billy Carlson Jon Fukuda Maria TaylorHow AI will Change DesignOps Tooling
October 3, 2023
"We made a thing an actual thing. It’s a book called Closing the Loop: Systems Thinking for Designers."
Sheryl CababaExpanding your Design Lens with Systems Thinking
March 28, 2023
"Key is a reminder that these metrics reflect what is authoritative and important to the customer and the business."
Saara Kamppari-Miller Nicole Bergstrom Shashi JainKey Metrics: Comparing Three Letter Acronym Metrics That Include the Word “Key”
November 13, 2024
"Career growth isn’t just vertical but also horizontal development in design skills."
John DevanneyThe Design Management Office
November 6, 2017
"I use mural for a lot of research where I create interactive co-creative experiences with customers."
Erika FlowersIntroduction to MURAL for UX
June 11, 2021
Latest Books All books
Dig deeper with the Rosenbot
What role does education about AI’s limitations play in responsible UX according to Steve Krug?
How can research repositories score or show the impact of research recommendations to enhance organizational learning?
What is Steve Krug’s perspective on the role AI will play in UX research and design moving forward?