Blind Tech Reviews
Technology is commonly associated with convenience. But those who need it the most — such as the visually-impaired and the differently-abled — are oftentimes left out as in the real world. This shouldn't happen, but certain design decisions by product teams hinder them from using some mobile apps. Testing for accessibility should then be a requirement before a tech product launches, as we advocate in this StuffUsersDo.com collaboration with ATRIEV.
Accessibility as usability
Accessibility testing is concerned with surfacing pain points and challenges experienced by people with disabilities or disadvantages, such as the visually impaired. In this video series, ATRIEV volunteers evaluated the mobile apps of the ride-hailing app Grab, the food delivery service Foodpanda, and the errand service HonestBee. As they demonstrated, these apps share common pitfalls, such as cluttered layout and unlabeled buttons, that make them unusable by the blind. Learn more about usability testing.
Paving the Way to Universal Design
PageJump recently collaborated with ATRIEV IT Center for the Blind to explore how technology enables the visually-impaired to do daily tasks like booking a ride, ordering takeouts, and shopping for groceries.
About ATRIEV
ATRIEV is a nonprofit organization that has opened paths for the visually impaired to access higher education and mainstream employment through assistive technology. With our Blind Tech Reviews series, we’ve produced videos that aim to promote wider application of universal design and accessibility principles for mobile apps.