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Technical Communication UK Conference 2013© 2013 IBM Corporation
Managing accessible
mobile content
Dr. Adrian R. Warman
Information Architect
IBM United Kingdom Ltd.

Important Disclaimer
● ANY VIEWS OR OPINIONS EXPRESSED IN THIS PRESENTATION ARE THOSE OF THE
AUTHOR, AND DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL POSITIONS, STRATEGIES OR
OPINIONS OF INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES (IBM) CORPORATION.
● THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESENTATION IS PROVIDED FOR
INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY.
● WHILE EFFORTS WERE MADE TO VERIFY THE COMPLETENESS AND ACCURACY OF THE
INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS PRESENTATION, IT IS PROVIDED “AS IS”, WITHOUT
WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
● IN ADDITION, THIS INFORMATION IS BASED ON IBM’S CURRENT PRODUCT PLANS AND
STRATEGY, WHICH ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY IBM WITHOUT NOTICE.
● IBM SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF THE USE OF, OR
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EFFECT OF:
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OR THEIR SUPPLIERS AND/OR LICENSORS); OR
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GOVERNING THE USE OF IBM SOFTWARE.

Agenda
● Introduction
● What do we mean by accessibility?
● “Incoming!” - trends and opportunities.
● Implications for organizations...
● … and writers.
● Reducing accessibility problems (in your content).
● Managing the implications.
● Q&A
We are scratching
the surface ...

Introduction
● Who am I?
– Dr. Adrian R. Warman
– Information Architect
● Where do I work?
– IBM United Kingdom Limited
– Hursley Park, Winchester
● Email:
Adrian.Warman@uk.ibm.com
● Tel:
+44-196-281-9176
● Social
– Google+:
Adrian Warman
– Twitter:
@warmana
– LinkedIn:
Adrian Warman

What do we mean by accessibility?
● A dry but general definition:
“The extent to which a person with disabilities has the same
experience as anyone else when using hardware, software,
content, services, meetings and processes to achieve an
outcome. The disabilities include, but are not limited to, blindness
and low vision, deafness and hearing loss, learning disabilities,
cognitive limitations, limited movement, speech disabilities,
photosensitivity and combinations of these.”
● In other words…
Making it easier for everyone to fit in, participate, and contribute,
irrespective of any disabilities.

Some practical experiments...
● To get a better understanding, let’s try a few things.

Preparation for the experiments
● Divide into pairs.
– But not with your neighbor(s).
– The person sitting in front or behind would be ideal.
● The cleverest one should close their eyes…
;-)

Experiment One
● We just did it.
● How do you evaluate something you can’t see, touch, or hear
(cleverness)?
● Especially when that evaluation affects the actions you take next.
● Were you self-deprecating? Generous?
● Did you yield to age or authority?
● Were you “Politically Correct”?

Experiment Two

Experiment Two - the proof

Experiment Three

What have these experiments told us?

How do we know when something is accessible?
● Formal guidance and measures
● W3C: Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
– Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0
● Recommendations for making Web content more
accessible.
– Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA)
– Increasing the accessibility of web pages, in particular dynamic
content and user interface components developed with Ajax,
HTML, JavaScript and related technologies.
● Following these guidelines will also often make your Web content
more usable to users in general.

Time for a sharp turn...

The “hot, new” trend...

Implications of Mobile
● Consumer and organizational demand for 'mobile enablement' is
inexorable.
● But simply making content creation and delivery processes
'mobile friendly' is:
– At best, insufficient.
– At worst, information sabotage.
● Why?
– Mobile is not a technology.
– Mobile is a mindset.
● It requires creation and delivery process adjustment.
● Just like accessibility.
Personal
Opinion
Alert!

So how accessible are mobile devices?
● Mobile devices have multiple platforms and form factors:
– Android, iOS, Windows, Blackberry
– Differing capabilities for accessibility
● Currently, iOS and Android are probably best at accessibility, with
iOS slightly ahead because of:
– Capabilities
– Gesture support
– Built-in screen reader
– Wireless Bluetooth keyboard support
– Field navigation
– Some support for WAI-ARIA
– Support for those with limited mobility

Simple things to consider:
Part 1: Fonts

Part 1b: Fonts – the results

Part 1c: Fonts – the analysis
● Issues
– Not all platforms have a large font mode
– Large font setting works only with some default apps
– Font size is not available to programmers
– Cost prohibitive and inconsistent to have each team implement
large font profiles
● Workaround / Solution:
– Use of built-in Zoom feature
– Use of high contrast

Part 2: Contrast

Part 2b: Contrast – the analysis
● Issues:
– Not all platforms have a high contrast setting
– Might have reverse video mode - reverses everything: good
and bad contrast
– Good (true) contrast must be provided by developer
user color / contrast profiles
● Solution:
– Require teams to meet recommended contrast
– Use in conjunction with reverse video to provide two high
contrast modes

Part 3: Keyboards

Part 3: Keyboards – the analysis
● Most mobile devices have no physical keyboard
– Paired Bluetooth keyboard navigation doesn’t match ARIA
convention
– Paired Bluetooth keyboard interface doesn’t provide adaptive
keyboard
● Sticky keys, repeat control, etc.
specialized keyboard handling
● Workarounds / Solutions:
– Achieve accessibility using paired Bluetooth keyboard
– Follow platform keyboard conventions
– Document platform limitations

Part 4: Simple content fixes
● Think carefully about sensory / descriptive words (adverbs,
adjectives) and phrases.
– “Red button”
– “double-click”
– “Bold text”
– “... the diagram above.”
● They might suggest you are about to be inaccessible.
● Test, test, test
– Screenreader
– A colleague who has their eyes closed
– .. or who performs the task with their non-dominant hand.

Now leverage those considerations,
for the mobile mindset!
● If you are changing text, consider whether you could replace with
a picture, a video, or even better, an audio accompaniment.
● In other words...
– Could you supplement all content with audio?
– Could you simplify navigation to allow single-handed
operation?
… in the dark, with your eyes closed?
● Mobile users expect a more immersive, multimedia experience.
● Use those multimedia aspects to meet and exceed accessibility
requirements.

But what about the organizational aspects?
● Accessibility makes good business sense.
– Increases market share
– Avoids market inhibitors
● Increasing need to meet national and international obligations.
● Just one example:
– European Accessibility Requirements for Public Procurement
of Products and Services in the ICT Domain (European
Commission Standardization Mandate M 376, Phase 2)
– Potentially affects procurement, market entry.
– A work-in-progress, currently. No legal advice
offered or implied!

In summary, what are the expectations
for managing mobile accessibility?
● At a simple level, consider the accessibility aspects of the mobile
expectations you want to meet:
– “Stand up” v. “Sit down” tasks.
– “Tell me about...”
– “How do I ...”
– “What is the exact meaning of error message 12345?”
● At a more complex level, understand that the twin imperatives of
mobile and accessibility will affect the creation and delivery of
your products and services.
– The rapid changes brought about by mobile increase the
speed and risk of compliance failure.

Q&A

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TCUK 2013 Presentation Adrian Warman

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TCUK 2013 Presentation Adrian Warman