Summary
As we shift into a mobile first world, are you struggling to conceptualize and design accessible mobile experiences? While screen readers are included on both IOS and Android, it can be difficult and overwhelming for designers to learn about them. This session will help you get started! Samuel Proulx, Fable’s accessibility evangelist and a life-long screen reader user, will guide you through the ins and outs of screen readers on mobile. This interactive live demo will show you what an excellent mobile experience can sound like, give you some ideas of things to keep in mind during design, and help you make the case for bringing the voices of assistive technology users into the training and testing at your organization.
Key Insights
-
•
Both iOS and Android have strong accessibility features, but their screen readers differ: Android offers multiple options and high customizability, while iOS provides one consistent but configurable screen reader.
-
•
Customization is critical in accessibility because users have unique needs and preferences; one size does not fit all.
-
•
Using a screen reader effectively requires skill and muscle memory developed over years, making it difficult for novices to accurately test accessibility by themselves.
-
•
Developers and designers testing screen readers on their own often misunderstand user experiences, sometimes seeing accessibility as harder than it actually is for experienced users.
-
•
Testing with real users who rely on assistive tech provides rich, actionable insights that cannot be replaced by simulated testing or personas.
-
•
Fable facilitates accessibility by providing training (Fable Upskill) and connecting teams with real users remotely (Fable Engage) for practical research and testing.
-
•
VoiceOver on iOS relies heavily on gestures like swipe to navigate elements and double tap to activate, which can be customized extensively including speech rate and voice.
-
•
Apple’s screen curtain is a privacy and battery-saving feature that blanks the screen while still providing audio feedback.
-
•
Conducting virtual accessibility research is feasible and effective, especially supported by platforms like Fable that allow video, audio, and screen sharing with assistive tech users.
-
•
Accessibility advocacy should focus on integrating real user feedback into all stages of a product lifecycle, not just technical compliance checks.
Notable Quotes
"With great customizability comes great complication."
"Accessibility isn’t one size fits all; it’s about customizability because people need to access information when, where, and how they need."
"Using assistive technology is a skill and muscle memory built over years."
"Designers and developers can turn on a screen reader to do a technical test, but they can’t understand the real user experience without actual users."
"The secret is that accessibility isn’t hard if everyone takes their small piece of the pie."
"VoiceOver gestures like swipe right move the focus through elements; double tap activates them."
"Screen curtain blanks the screen for privacy and battery life, so no one can look over my shoulder."
"Testing with real users humanizes the problems and reveals simple fixes like changing one label or color."
"At Fable, our platform lets you do generative and exploratory research with real assistive tech users remotely."
"Apple has thought hard about letting people unbox and set up their phone entirely without help, including turning on VoiceOver."
Or choose a question:
More Videos
"Innovation in large companies often requires breaking rules and hiding what you’re doing from management."
Nathan ShedroffRedefining Value: Bridging the Innovation Culture Divide
May 14, 2015
"Realtime model feedback on egocentric inputs really feels like lucid dreaming."
Lukas Moro“Feels Like Paper!”: Interfacing AI through Paper
June 11, 2025
"Stakeholder analysis and managing stakeholders is critical in hierarchical cultures to maintain trust."
Megan BlockerA Selectively Scrappy Approach to ResearchOps
November 8, 2018
"My team’s focus is to make sure employees have all the digital products and services they need to work effectively and have a great user experience."
Adel Du ToitGet Your CFO To Say: 'Our Strategic Goal is User Obsession'
June 10, 2022
"The best way to build trust and bond in teams is just breaking bread together and sharing meals."
Jennifer Bolduc Diane Gregorio Emily DayWhat's involved with getting people back to work?: A panel discussion
July 1, 2021
"The one ingredient that made some of the insights work was simply time."
Robin Beers Sonja Bobrowska Mujtaba Hameed Josh MoralesHow to create actionable insight in the face of politics and silos [Advancing Research Community Workshop Series]
October 12, 2023
"Democratizing research can lead to duplication and even conflicting results if we’re not careful."
Mike Oren Janice WiitalaDesign Research Strategy & Strategic Design Research
February 3, 2022
"Small feedback comments like, 'Hey, how’s that going?' keep the momentum alive in addition to structured meetings."
Gina Mendolia Jasmine ToyCoordinated collaboration: a Service Design & DesignOps love story
November 19, 2025
"If people already love their process, you’re fighting their emotional state — start where dissatisfaction exists."
Andrew WebsterScaling Design Capability: How Involved Should You Be?
September 30, 2021
