iPhone 3.0 Accessibility

iPhone Mail screen

Apple has not yet released any iPhone 3.0 accessibility information.  I love my iPhone, but I have some recommendations for improving the UI for low vision users.

1. In the Mail app, why not allow users to zoom the header of the e-mail message.  If a user needs to zoom the body, wouldn’t they need to zoom the header information?
2. In the settings, why not allow the user to set the font size for all applications?  Why only allow font size settings for just some of the applications?
3. Add text to speech.  It would be nice to have a screen reader.
4. The youTube application could use closed captioning.
5. The iPhone screen shuts off when close to your ear, (or face), when talking on the phone.  This makes it hard for low vision users to use other applications while talking on the phone.  I could plug in the ear phones to stop the screen from shutting off, but wouldn’t it be nice to have a setting to leave the screen on when using the phone?
6. The Notes application could use some navigation help for low vision users.
7. The Maps application could use a finger gesture magnifier, (like the one used to place the cursor in Mail).
8. Maps could use voice navigation.  You ask what for?  Blind people don’t drive!  (I have – it’s fun!)  Well I navigate for other drivers a lot.
9. I find the Blackberry text typing easier than with the iPhone.  The Blackberry has a superior user defined dictionary for text replacement.
10. There should be some application standards for button placement.  For example, I find the Calendar buttons to close together at the top of the screen.  I have trouble touching the “<” previous month button and the Calendars button. They are too close together.  In other applications, the buttons are too small.
11. Some of the application providers have selected low contrast UI elements.  Standards are needed for this as well.
12. It would be great if the App Store would designate applications as having met an “Accessibility” standard.   Apple could help WIA write this standard.

Tags: accessibility, Product Review