Second day of @a11yTO! And again, lots of talks with a ton of practical information. So here's a thread with some of my highlights. And very proud that @spotifydesign was one of the sponsors! #a11yTOconf
You may also find interesting...
iOS and Xcode provide a wide variety of tools and options to deal with color contrast ratios. From system colors, that automatically support Increase Contrast, to high contrast color and asset variants, and even a built-in contrast calculator.
Today and tomorrow I'll be learning at @a11yTO. There haven't been any talks about iOS specifically. But I thought I'd share in a thread some of today's learnings that I think still apply when developing accessible apps for iOS. #a11yTOconf @a11yMel on continuous accessibility for quality at scale and reducing risks. Measure progress, but focus on people. When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure. Accessibility is good for business but great for users. @annaecook talked about annotating designs for accessibility. Loved that she thinks of it as a communication and learning tool that can help divide the gap between design and development. I'd give it a go and see if it works for your team. Ann Mayer talked about writing accessible content. Technically compliant doesn't mean accessible. It is about being clear. The use of plain language principles, for example, is something that benefits everyone. @DavidOfYork has shown how deceptive patterns harm people with anxiety and panic disorders. If you spot any of these in your app, call them out and raise awareness. We all suffer eventually from anxiety, accessibility is for everyone. Michaela Peterhansl's practical guide for accessibility: Bring a11y to your daily work; you are not the only one responsible; ask questions; and find the people you can team-up with. "Don't forget: You can't do it alone", "Change is slow". @DDame on how to get stakeholders to invest in accessibility through storytelling and data: I may have a disability, but my money doesn't. Do we want to exclude users? Offer them a bad experience? No. We will all be disabled one day. Niki Ramesh gave useful tips to help you engage with a great a11y champions network. "Accessibility is not one person's job". Start informal/small, scale over time. Find representation across teams. Community, education, and recognition. @ShellELittle talked about hiring accessible designers but touched on some points that apply to anyone working on accessibility. It can't be done by one person or you risk burnout. Jennifer Payne on the importance of user research for building accessible products. Listen to users with disabilities. "Unless we consciously include, we unconsciously exclude". @svinkle showed how important it is to shift accessibility to the left (early in the process) so you get more voices involved through ideation, prototyping, and design. And remember to prioritize progress over perfection.
@BeMyEyes, founded by @hjwiberg, enables people who are blind and low vision to identify objects by pairing them with volunteers from around the world using their camera. Winner of an Apple Design Award 2021 for Social Impact.
