Mobile app accessibility considers how people with different needs use an application. It affects reading, navigation, entering information and understanding what happened after an action.
Address it during design rather than waiting until every screen is finished. Clear layouts and understandable instructions can make an app easier to use for a wider range of customers and staff.
Keep text readable
Use clear language, useful headings and labels that describe the action. “Confirm booking” tells a user more than “Submit”. Avoid long blocks of instructions where a short explanation beside the relevant field would work.
Check how screens behave when a person increases their device’s text size. Important content and controls should not disappear or become impossible to reach.
Give controls clear meaning
Icons need understandable labels where their purpose is not obvious. Do not rely on colour alone to show an error, selection or status; include text or another clear indicator.
Consider people using assistive technology. Controls, reading order and status messages need deliberate implementation, followed by testing on the intended platforms.
Make forms easier to complete
Explain required information before an error occurs and keep error messages specific. If an email address is invalid, identify that field and explain what needs changing.
Where appropriate, preserve information already entered when a user corrects a mistake. Requiring someone to retype an entire form adds unnecessary difficulty and increases the chance they will abandon it.
Include accessibility in testing
Check navigation, text settings, contrast and the ability to complete core tasks with relevant accessibility features. Involve people with different needs where possible rather than relying solely on a visual review.
Agree a suitable accessibility target for the project and record unresolved issues. Digital Solutions can discuss accessibility requirements during app planning so they inform the design, development and acceptance process.