Toward accessible mobile application design: developing mobile application accessibility guidelines for people with visual impairment

Abstract

While the use of Smartphones has improved the life of people with disabilities, several mobile content and applications remain inaccessible to people with visual impairment. Toward the overarching goal of accessible mobile application design, this two-phased study attempts to develop mobile application accessibility guidelines for people with visual impairment. First, we investigated how people with visual impairment use mobile phones. Four participants with visual impairment performed specified tasks. Their usage patterns and follow-up interviews were analyzed. Serious accessibility problems were found in both typing and VoiceOver functions. Second, we evaluated and developed systematic guidelines and standards of designing accessible mobile applications through a heuristic walkthrough method. Four experts with extensive experiences and knowledge about mobile application development/design used the VoiceOver function with iPhone for 5 days, and then walked through thought-provoking tasks. In conclusion, we propose a set of 10 heuristics for developing accessible mobile applications and suggest a critical need for internationally-agreed guidelines and standards to improve the current mobile environment for people with disabilities.