Google Android Perfects Zoom
Google has perfected zoom for the web browser application on the Android. When a user “pinch zooms” the web browser, the text is formatted in such a way that no “left – right” scrolling is required. This keeps the article in context. This is a major improvement over the Apple Zoom feature. I would like to see Apple use this method of zooming for their iPhone and iPad apps. I would also like to see:
- One method of navigation for the “three finger zoom” and the “pinch zoom” gestures. Actually, it would be nice if I could navigate with one finger for the “three finger zoom”.
- Zoom to work for all applications.
- Zoom to have a “window magnifier”.
Apple needs to keep up with Google and take the best of what Android has to offer.
iPad Accessibility – First Look
I have been looking at the iPad accessibility for a week or so and have some comments.
- It seems the Voiceover and “three finger Zoom” are bait buggy. Voiceover sometimes reads the icons from the home screen when in an app. The “three finger Zoom” sometimes freezes the device. Both problems require a restore of the device.
- There is so much multi-touch real estate that I often tap something I do not want to tap, and off I go to somewhere I do not want to go.
- Safari surfing is the best app. I find minimal zooming is needed and it is really a nice experience.
- The iPhone apps at 2x are easier to use than the iPad apps. This is because the keyboard is easier for visually impaired users.
- The iPad performs well in bright light. Better than I thought it would.
- There is no text-to-speech for the iBooks app.
- Watching video is fantastic, I can get close and see things I never could on a TV or at a theater.
I would like to see the following
- The “three finger Zoom” to navigate like the “pinch Zoom” interface.
- The buttons on the mail tool bar to be bigger.
- Slightly larger fonts on the iBook app.
- Larger fonts on the iPad lists
- The keyboard on the iPad to work just like the iPhone. When the keys are touched, they are magnified and show above the key. I like the iPhone colors on the keyboard better. The key characters are bold and easier to read.
- Text-to-speech for the iBook app.
- Flash video support in Safari, (so I can use the iPad for all of my web browsing needs).
Overall, the iPad is a great device for low vision users, (At least for me).
Video Closed Captioning Requirements
YouTube and Google both support automated closed captioning tools to add (cc) to video. Though this is a great move forward, there are some drawbacks to these tools.
- The (cc) text appears in the video. This can be a problem if the video provider does not want to display the (cc) in the video stream itself.
- The (cc) text is not easily editable.
- The (cc) text is not displayed at the word level concurrently with the spoken word.
- The accuracy appears to be less than 75% to transcriptions
Video closed captioning requirements include:
- Provides a video player and text display box that are separate.
- Displays text at the word level.
- Allows the video or audio provider an easy way to update the text while the video is being streamed.
Hopefully, DigitalChalk can provide these features this year.
Learning Accessibility Moves to WordPress
I have decided to move the learningaccessibility.com blog site to WordPress. I think this will help with usability. Thanks to Josh Quigley for his advice about plugins and SEO. I would appreciate any input or comments on the new site.
Kindle e-book reader for the Mac
Amazon recently released the Kindle e-book reader application for Mac OS X. Though this application is almost identical to the iPhone app, it does have some differences.
- The Mac screen real estate makes it much easier to use for visually impaired people. The screen size allows the user to use larger fonts and not have to zoom in and lose context.
- The mouse interaction to turn pages is not quite right. This function is too sensitive, especially with a magic mouse. It is easier to use the keyboard enter key to go to the next page.
- There is no speech-to-text in the Mac app. This is perhaps the largest disappointment of all.
- There does not appear to be any way to add notes or bookmarks.
- There does not appear to be any way to see the book index.
All in all, this is a great starting point for this application. I hope the missing items are added in the near future.
iPad Accessibility an Unknown
Like everything Apple these days, the iPad appears to be well designed and “sexy”. Besides having an expensive 3G data plan and a minimal e-book selection, there was no mention of the accessibility features of the product by Steve Jobs. Many questions remain to be answered by Apple.
- Will the iPad have text-to-speach support? This is especially needed for any e-book reader application. The Kindle has this feature and it makes the Kindle a very valuable resource to the visually impaired.
- When will the iPad support Flash video? Flash video support is needed for DigitalChalk and other video streaming e-learning applications.
- Are there any keyboard shortcuts for navigation? This would make the iPad easier to use for low vision users.
- Is there plans for a “screen reader” applicaiton for the iPad? Mac OS X Snow Leopard has this feature and it is very competitive with the Windows only JAWS screen reader.
- Does the iPad OS support a magnifier? Again, this is available on Mac OS X and it would help make the iPad accessible to low vision users.
- How does the iPad perform in bright light situations? The Kindle handles bright light very well. Contrast for daytime usage is important for mobile devices.
- What support is available in the iPad SDK for accessibility? Can applications be written with accessibility in mind?
My first response is that the iPad is expensive, content challenged and not accessible. Perhaps time will change my assessment.
Nuance Dragon iPhone Application is Great!
The Dragon Dictation iPhone application from Nuance Communications is an outstanding tool for anyone wanting to dictate e-mail or text messages on the iPhone. Recording with Dragon Dictation is easy. Launch the app, tap the record button, and start talking clearly and naturally. You do not need to talk like a robot. To add punctuation, you say “question mark,” “period,”or “new paragraph.” You can start and stop with a tap, make changes and drop in text as needed.
I agree with Nuance that the application is 4 to 5 times faster than using the iPhone keyboard. I spent a half hour dictating and only had 4 errors. These were acronyms and abbreviations. Fixing errors is easy within the app. The dictated messages can be sent via e-mail or SMS from within the app. The user can copy dictated text to the clipboard as well.
You need a Wi-Fi or 3G connection for the application to work. The recording is sent to Nuance for dictation. This may be a privacy issue for some folks. If that bothers you, don’t use the application for sensitive communications. Nuance uses the server to calibrate dictation accuracy.
You can optionally upload the names from your address book to enhance accuracy.
You can dictate about 30 seconds of speech at a time.. And the app won’t translate as accurately in a noisy environment
The app does lack an autosave feature. You will lose your work if you exit the app to take a call before saving to your clipboard. All in all, the app is an outstanding find for low vision users.
Accessify.com: A Valuable Resource
Accessify.com is an excellent source of accessibility news and tools. Though some of the tools’ function can be found in newer versions of Dreamweaver, others are new and very useful.
- Accessible Table Builder – Create an accessible table using
scope,headerandidattributes using a wizard to guide you through the process. - Quick Form Builder. A complete re-write of the old Accessible Form Builder tool.
- Easy YouTube caption creator. Takes the pain out of creating closed caption files for YouTube videos.
- Quick Page Accessibility Test. Here’s a handy little tool that uses a bookmarklet/favelet to give a quick analysis of any web page, highlighting definite issues, warning about possible issues and also highlighting areas that could benefit from some ARIA enhancements.
- ARIA Slider Generator – Use this tool to create a fully accessible, ARIA-compliant slider with your own settings,
- Skip Navigation Builder – Create skip navigation links that appear only when tabbed to but are hidden for mouse users; creates all the HTML, CSS and JavaScript required with customisation options.
- Pop-up Window Generator – Create pop-up windows that are accessible and search engine-friendly.
- Form Element Generator – Lets you easily build individual form elements that are accessible (requires JavaScript to work).
- Favelets – Little pieces of JavaScript that can be saved as favourites in Internet Explorer, Mozilla and Opera. You may find these useful for checking features of a page (for example, what links are present, images missing alt attributes etc.
This site provides code generators that give templates for accessible web pages. We at DigitalChalk recommend using these tools and supporting this site. Accessible web sites are not just for disabled individuals, they provide good design for everyone.Access
ATIA Forum to Focus on Accessibility Business Case
]The 2010 ATIA Leadership Forum on Accessibility will be held January 28-29, 2010 at the Caribe Royale Hotel & Convention Center, Orlando, Florida.
At the Forum, you will find:
- The business case for providing accessible solutions to customer/constituents and employees
- Case studies from today’s leading corporations, government agencies, and educational institutions on successful accessibility integration strategies
- Targeted educational sessions for organization-wide solutions
- Access to 125+ assistive technology exhibitors
- Networking with IT and AT company accessibility executives and your peers.
I think this will be very interesting to see how accessibility is justified at the business case level. I would present the topic from a web technology point of view.
- Simplified software development and productivity through the use of plain text and less dynamic scripts.
- Improved Web Search Engine Optimization and Marketing (SEO and SEM) through plain text
- Enhanced website usability via accessibility fratures.
- Improved traffic from being inclusive to disabled users.
Accessibility makes good busines sence. I am looking forward to next year’s ATIA Leadership Forum
iPhone Trick
I was having a lot of trouble using my iPhone. I could not get close to the phone while on a call. The phone display would be shut off by the sensor. This is a useful feature to keep the touch screen from acidently being pressed while holding the phone close to the head. I had to get close to see the address book or mail applications and every time I did I would be able to read the screen. I had to beat the sensor to get a peak.
I found a work around. When the earbuds are plugged in, the screen sensor will not shut off the display. So if I neeed an address while on a call, I plug in my ear phones. I would rather have a preference setting to turn the sensor on or off. Maybe in iPhone 3.0.