Creating Accessible iOS Apps: An Action Plan

Please be aware this is on a Thursday instead of a Tuesday.

UPDATE April 18, 2023
In person attendance signup is closed. Please attend online. Thank you.

Important note
Online attendance is open to everyone. We need to collect names for in-person attendees, so please answer the question when RSVPing. ***If you do not submit your name, you won't be able to get into the building.*** Thank you!

Accessibility is a broad topic. And when creating iOS apps, you can feel intimidated by the broad range of features, tools, APIs, and documentation that Apple offers. The first problem we find in the industry is still awareness. But if you are just starting to build apps for the platform, the logical first question should be: where do I start with accessibility?

Dani proposes an action plan which consists of three high-level points:

1. Start with VoiceOver (iOS built-in screen reader).
2. Be aware of some key good practices.
3. Keep Dynamic Type (technology that allows the user to change the font size for the whole system, or individual apps) in mind.

We'll start with an overview of how to create amazing VoiceOver experiences. Most of iOS' assistive technologies like VoiceOver, Switch Control, Voice Control, or Full Keyboard Access, rely on the same underlying technology.

This means, that creating an app that works great for VoiceOver, very likely translates into good support for all the other mentioned assistive technologies too. It doesn't mean that you don't have to pay attention to them, but it is a great place to start!

Some other aspects of creating accessible apps are not directly related to the platform or technology used but by following some good practices such as providing good color contrast ratios, conveying information in multiple modes, or offering large enough touch target sizes. And Dynamic Type is one of Dani's favorite iOS features. But supporting it comes with some specific design and development considerations to keep in mind. So, Dani will take a look into some of those too!

Users spent the majority of their time on smartphones by using native apps. So, it is very important that we pay the attention it deserves to create accessible mobile apps. This talk will provide you with the knowledge you need to have a great foundation to do that in the iOS platform independently of you being an engineer, product manager, designer, etc.

There will be time for your questions.

This event will be online and in-person.

Presenter bio
Daniel "Dani" Devesa Derksen-Staats has his dream job as an iOS engineer on Spotify's amazing Accessibility team. He has previously loved working at Skyscanner and the BBC, where he learned a ton about how to make iOS apps more accessible. Sometimes he lets Xcode have a break and spreads the love for accessibility at conferences.

Author of the “Developing Accessible iOS Apps” book, he keeps himself busy by writing a daily tweet about accessibility and iOS with the hashtag #365DaysIOSAccessibility. Follow him on Twitter at @dadederk.

Accessibility
The presentation will have captions [CC]. Please let us know about accessibility requirements two weeks before the event. [April 6, 2023]

Livestream
Provided by Internet Society Accessibility SIG.

YouTube link

Accreditation
All A11yNYC meetups are pre-approved for IAAP Continuing Accessibility Education Credits (CAEC).

Sponsors
Thanks to Asana, Evinced, Equal Entry, Fable, and Google for sponsoring.