Comments on: Should the iPhone be more accessible? http://niquimerret.com/?p=95 Changing tracks... Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:14:17 -0800 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0 By: robert http://niquimerret.com/?p=95&cpage=1#comment-24032 robert Wed, 07 Jan 2009 22:09:24 +0000 http://niquimerret.com/?p=95#comment-24032 Having not yet read through all the comments here I may be repeating others! However, I would think that the extensibility of the iPhone platform is probably the key to it's accessibility. There are, I believe, various possibilities: 1. The possibility to write apps which present highly visible interfaces for the visually-impaired. There are already one or two apps which help with text entry (EasyWriter is a good start with a (landscape format) keyboard for people with bigger fingers - or for on buses and trains. This could be taken further. 2. Maybe the combination of sound input together with motion-sensing (using the in-built accelerometer) could also help in some way... shake the iPhone a certain way to make an emergency call? 3. If the iPhone programming API allows it, a screen-reader of sorts could be created, using the speaker to read back content 4. Just about every phone on the market, including the iPhone, has a vibration alarm as a minimum level of accessibility for visually-impaired, hard-of-hearing or blind users. An option of having a much larger (full-screen) call accept button would be good here. Just a few thoughts and I could probably go on. I do think there are options there and the ingenuity of the developer community is called upon to make a difference, if a need for improved accessibility on the iPhone is perceived. I certainly agree with you - it'll be interesting to see how this develops! Having not yet read through all the comments here I may be repeating others! However, I would think that the extensibility of the iPhone platform is probably the key to it’s accessibility.

There are, I believe, various possibilities:

1. The possibility to write apps which present highly visible interfaces for the visually-impaired. There are already one or two apps which help with text entry (EasyWriter is a good start with a (landscape format) keyboard for people with bigger fingers – or for on buses and trains. This could be taken further.

2. Maybe the combination of sound input together with motion-sensing (using the in-built accelerometer) could also help in some way… shake the iPhone a certain way to make an emergency call?

3. If the iPhone programming API allows it, a screen-reader of sorts could be created, using the speaker to read back content

4. Just about every phone on the market, including the iPhone, has a vibration alarm as a minimum level of accessibility for visually-impaired, hard-of-hearing or blind users. An option of having a much larger (full-screen) call accept button would be good here.

Just a few thoughts and I could probably go on. I do think there are options there and the ingenuity of the developer community is called upon to make a difference, if a need for improved accessibility on the iPhone is perceived.

I certainly agree with you – it’ll be interesting to see how this develops!

]]> By: Learning the World » The Accessible iPhone Cometh http://niquimerret.com/?p=95&cpage=1#comment-24003 Learning the World » The Accessible iPhone Cometh Tue, 09 Sep 2008 12:03:42 +0000 http://niquimerret.com/?p=95#comment-24003 [...] flaw of the iPhone is its inaccessibility for visually impaired users, despite some built-in accessibility features for other [...] [...] flaw of the iPhone is its inaccessibility for visually impaired users, despite some built-in accessibility features for other [...]

]]> By: http://m-accessibility.blogspot.com/2008/08/navtouch-making-touch-screens.html http://niquimerret.com/?p=95&cpage=1#comment-23990 http://m-accessibility.blogspot.com/2008/08/navtouch-making-touch-screens.html Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:06:03 +0000 http://niquimerret.com/?p=95#comment-23990 [...] Although pointing or selecting may be impossible, performing a gesture is not. We present an approach similar to NavTap (NavTouch) that uses the user’s capacity to perform a directional gesture and through it navigate in the alphabet (similarly to the keypad based approach). Once again, the user is not forced to memorize or guess any location in the screen as the interaction is limited to directional strokes. Special actions are linked to the screen corners as those are easily identified. After performing a gesture, if the user keeps pressing the screen, the navigation will continue automatically in last direction. The bottom right corner of the screen erases the last character entered and the bottom left corner of the screen enters a space or other special characters. In contrast to keypad, where the user has to find the right key to press, with these gestures that extra cognitive load does not exist. [...] [...] Although pointing or selecting may be impossible, performing a gesture is not. We present an approach similar to NavTap (NavTouch) that uses the user’s capacity to perform a directional gesture and through it navigate in the alphabet (similarly to the keypad based approach). Once again, the user is not forced to memorize or guess any location in the screen as the interaction is limited to directional strokes.

Special actions are linked to the screen corners as those are easily identified. After performing a gesture, if the user keeps pressing the screen, the navigation will continue automatically in last direction. The bottom right corner of the screen erases the last character entered and the bottom left corner of the screen enters a space or other special characters. In contrast to keypad, where the user has to find the right key to press, with these gestures that extra cognitive load does not exist. [...]

]]> By: Ollie K http://niquimerret.com/?p=95&cpage=1#comment-14411 Ollie K Fri, 07 Mar 2008 08:42:51 +0000 http://niquimerret.com/?p=95#comment-14411 Hello, Well with the release of the SDK, I was wondering if there was going to be a centeral place where we could band about some ideas as to how we want to access the IPhone, which, may I add on a personal note I want because its cool. Yes, I am blind and exceedingly vain, perish the thought. I could simply pose with it, lay it next to my coffee in starmucks, accidentally drop it when the sweet scent of perfume passes me by, but I'd look like a bit of a fool not being able to take the ladies number now wouldn't I? If we get together, bang on about it for long enough, something will happen. The power of the loudmouth is in all of us, "I want does not get" is a very coyned phrase, nay, I say, "I want does get" if enough people want it. So, my suggestion is, set up a centeral exchange for developers to look to see what is wanted by the fassion contious face feelers, lets think our way out of the problem rather than moan. O Hello,

Well with the release of the SDK, I was wondering if there was going to be a centeral place where we could band about some ideas as to how we want to access the IPhone, which, may I add on a personal note I want because its cool. Yes, I am blind and exceedingly vain, perish the thought. I could simply pose with it, lay it next to my coffee in starmucks, accidentally drop it when the sweet scent of perfume passes me by, but I’d look like a bit of a fool not being able to take the ladies number now wouldn’t I? If we get together, bang on about it for long enough, something will happen. The power of the loudmouth is in all of us, “I want does not get” is a very coyned phrase, nay, I say, “I want does get” if enough people want it.

So, my suggestion is, set up a centeral exchange for developers to look to see what is wanted by the fassion contious face feelers, lets think our way out of the problem rather than moan.

O

]]> By: James Taylor http://niquimerret.com/?p=95&cpage=1#comment-13670 James Taylor Thu, 21 Feb 2008 17:46:01 +0000 http://niquimerret.com/?p=95#comment-13670 Another option for improving accessibility on the iPhone... http://jtlog.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/iphone-accessibility/ I don't know how open t0 3rd party updates the iPhone is but it might be possible to do this on existing models. Would be fun to try, except I don't have an iPhone! Keep meaning to get in touch with iPhone-clone makers to see if they'd be interested in trying out the idea as well. Another option for improving accessibility on the iPhone…

http://jtlog.wordpress.com/2007/09/24/iphone-accessibility/

I don’t know how open t0 3rd party updates the iPhone is but it might be possible to do this on existing models. Would be fun to try, except I don’t have an iPhone! Keep meaning to get in touch with iPhone-clone makers to see if they’d be interested in trying out the idea as well.

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