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 should be prioritized over desktop because many users are mobile-first, making it critical for Civic design.
-
•
Mobile devices have built-in, free, and mature accessibility features like VoiceOver, TalkBack, screen magnification, voice control, and live captions.
-
•
Starting accessibility efforts on mobile can be easier and more effective than retrofitting from desktop accessibility.
-
•
Mobile’s smaller screens encourage simpler interfaces that reduce cognitive overload for users with ADHD or other cognitive challenges.
-
•
Mobile offers unique capabilities like biometric authentication, accurate GPS, and real-time voice dictation that improve accessibility beyond desktop.
-
•
Mobile operating systems integrate browsers and assistive technologies in a way that simplifies testing and replicability for developers.
-
•
Desktop accessibility tools vary widely and may require expensive licenses, complicating testing and user experience consistency.
-
•
Mobile’s centralized app stores simplify security and updates, which benefits users who are less tech-savvy or cognitively challenged.
-
•
Engaging people with disabilities early and throughout product development leads to better accessibility outcomes.
-
•
Mobile accessibility enables people with disabilities who may only have access to mobile devices to participate fully in digital services.
Notable Quotes
"Accessibility doesn’t stop at the desktop just because you’ve made your desktop website accessible."
"If you request the mobile website on desktop it usually works better than requesting the desktop website on mobile."
"Apple really premiered mobile accessibility in a very exciting way with the iPhone 3GS and VoiceOver."
"Both iOS and Android have built-in screen magnification and voice control that don’t require extra software."
"Live captions on mobile can caption not only audio on the device but sounds and speech in the real world around you."
"Mobile screens can be angled and positioned easily, which helps if you struggle with glare or neck positioning."
"Simpler interfaces on mobile are an accessibility win for users with ADHD or cognitive challenges."
"On desktop, users pick varying assistive tools, making replicability of experience difficult; on mobile, the assistive tech is tightly integrated and versioned."
"Mobile app crashes give more detailed feedback and user metrics than desktop browser crashes."
"If you haven’t done accessibility work yet, it makes sense to get started on mobile because you already have the tools in your pocket."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"We have over 140,000 IBMers who’ve completed design thinking online training."
Doug PowellClosing Keynote: Design at Scale
November 8, 2018
"If a group session with middle schoolers goes off the rails, one-on-one sessions can save the research."
Mila Kuznetsova Lucy DentonHow Lessons Learned from Our Youngest Users Can Help Us Evolve our Practices
March 9, 2022
"Signals are something that’s happening at the horizon, percolating at the fringes of society or in a narrow subset of the population."
Sarah GallimoreInspire Progress with Artifacts from the Future
November 18, 2022
"Stakeholders start demanding better digital experiences at work because they expect the same quality they have at home."
Lada Gorlenko Sharbani Dhar Sébastien Malo Rob Mitzel Ivana Ng Michal Anne RogondinoTheme 1: Discussion
January 8, 2024
"We created an AI persona called Dreamweaver to answer real-time team capacity and project questions."
Alnie FigueroaThe Future of Design Operations: Transforming Our Craft
September 10, 2025
"When executives start questioning your research details, that’s a good sign they’re engaged and trusting the process."
Landon BarnesAre My Research Findings Actually Meaningful?
March 10, 2022
"When you’re talking, it’s easier to learn something new, but if you’re shy and don’t talk, you don’t learn anything."
Emily EagleCan't Rewind: Radio and Retail
June 3, 2019
"Legacy applications linger because changing them is risk-ridden and a major undertaking."
Malini RaoLessons Learned from a 4-year Product Re-platforming Journey
June 9, 2021
"Building rapport and rituals helped our remote team foster camaraderie and trust."
Asia HoePartnering with Product: A Journey from Junior to Senior Design
November 29, 2023