iOS Dev UK: Your App Sounds Great

Dave Addey, Agant Ltd, @daveaddey

This was one of the barcamp slots in the evening. Dave went through the presentation he gave previously at NSConference on VoiceOver, Apple's device support for blind and partially sighted users.

• RNIB have an accessible app of the month
  • they’re really interested in helping people
• 2m blind or partially sighted people in the UK
  • equivalent to population of Birmingham, or lefties, or gingers!
• How it works:
  • label - description
  • hint - results of interaction
  • traits - only need if making a custom control
• triple tap with voiceover enabled to turn screen curtain on — blacks out the screen so you can test it without cheating
• use UIAccessibilityPostNotification(UIAccessibilityNotification, ...) to post sounds on events rather than touches
• iOS knows quite a lot of UK place names, but not all (and especially not Welsh names)
• can set your own usability tags, but uses normal spelling, not phonetic characters
  • can use say "word" on a Mac to test
• can define accessibility containers to group stuff
• it’s not just about making it accessible for a blind user or a partially sighted user, it’s also about making it usable for a sighted and non-sighted person using the app at the same time
• At the bottom of accessibility options there’s a triple click home option — you can make this toggle VoiceOver
• Maps do not have accessibility other than the pins
• If stuff is still being selected by VoiceOver, then you might need to set them to be disabled