4 Tips to Get the Most Out of iOS 8’s Accessibility Features

This is the fourth in a series of posts about new iOS 8 features that app developers and apps can take advantage of. While there has been a lot of talk about some of these, our goal is to take an in-depth look at the big impact that some of these new features in iOS 8 will have. Here we’ll take a look at iOS 8’s accessibility features. For the first post, which covers iOS 8’s new App Exensions, go here.

While Accessibility options are not new in iOS, a lot of apps could do a much better job of making full use of what Accessibility can offer. Many Accessibility features can and are being used by the average user every day, so these features shouldn’t be dismissed as edge cases that affect a minority of users. To help you improve your app, here are four creative ways to take advantage of iOS8’s Accessibility features to provide a better user experience:

1. The Guided Access features could be used in a children’s game, a museum tour or a kiosk. Guarded by TouchID to exit, any of these types of apps could benefit from features that were originally made to enhance accessibility.

2. With the new and improved Speak screen, you should be paying more attention to how you label our non-text elements in your code. Speak should be able to read out UI elements, such as buttons, to a user that needs to know what that button is for.

3. Along with Inverted Colors, users can now set the screen to Grayscale. This is definitely a benefit to those who truly need it, but it also helps users who are trying to save battery power. This use case is featured in many posts regarding iOS battery tips, so you can expect that a lot of users are aware of it. A user can even create a three-click short cut to switch to Greyscale as soon as they need it, so it could be something they use frequently.

With more and more people using this feature, you should reexamine your app design to consider how your colors look in these modes. Are your reds too similar and look like they merge when in Grayscale? What happens to your branding? Are things hard to see when in black and white?

4. Are the new iPhone screens too big for your hands? You’re in luck. You can turn on the ability to double tap the home button to bring an app halfway down the screen to make it easier to reach.

While this is a welcomed comfort for your tired thumb, many apps haven’t designed with this feature in mind, which can create an awkward user experience if your users are always needing to get to an object at the top of their screen or if the most important information ends up below the fold once the app shifts down.

Conclusion
For more ways to use Accessibility in your apps, look around at some of your favorite apps or your competition and see how they’re using these features. While these tips cover some of the major use cases, there are undoubtedly many more out there. At the end of the day, we should be conscious of varying needs and be designing for everyone. And if you need a partner to help your app make the most of iOS8, we’re here to help.

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Filed under: Product Engineering | Topics: Accessibility, iOS, IOS 8, ios developer, ios development