Design Mobile Apps for the Blind?
Without evening reading past Techcrunch’s recent headline about “two new Android apps to help the blind navigate around town,” a question pops into my head: exactly how does a blind person use a touchscreen-based smartphone if it doesn’t have a keyboard, and even if it does, what about the limitations. Excuse the pun, but I don’t see how such apps can be of any value — or at least that was my gut reaction. Some of you are probably thinking the same thing, but reflect on it for a moment and you might feel differently.
Techcrunch points out one blind iPhone user, Austin Seraphin, who wrote on his own blog, Behind the Curtain, back in June 2010 about how the phone changed his life in just the first 24 hours of using it. That is amazing. He goes on to explain how he uses the iPhone, and the key of course is the VoiceOver feature. Android phones, I’m assuming, have a similar feature.
So if you’re a mobile apps developers, whether you pick Apple iOS, Google Android, or some other Mobile OS with VoiceOver-like features, wouldn’t it be gratifying to build life-changing apps? Don’t ignore this market. While it might not be large now, the more well-designed mobile apps there are for the sight-impaired market, the larger that market will grow. (There might even be government grants to develop such apps.) While there’s no way a touchscreen smartphone can produce Braille content, combining audio and touch interactions might actually be a more valuable experience for the sight-impaired, and such apps could have a profoundly positive effect on someone’s life.
Of course, you’ll have to throw some of your mobile apps design principles out the proverbial window and approach design from a literally different perspective. That is, without sight. Trying closing your eyes and think about how you would want a mobile app to interact with you if you couldn’t see. If you had to tap, double-tap or swipe the screen based on audio cues, could you navigate through an app without looking? How can you improve the screen flow? Is it possible for a blind person to use your app on their own, or would they need a sighted person to changing settings for them? Can you incorporate touch-based interactions with voice without making it overly complicated?
For those of you looking for a challenge, the sight-impaired mobile market could be a great starting point and rewarding besides.
Have you designed or used mobile apps intended for the sight-impaired? What was your experience?
Links: Techcrunch, Behind the Curtain.