View source for Mobile Accessibility Challenges

What challenges do companies face with mobile accessibility and what mobile accessibility information is not available?

== Challenges ==
* Libraries are large and takes a lot of bandwidth
* Custom widgets are challenge
* Different interaction paradigm (no longer keyboard focused)
** Touch area (size)
* Testing is complex - many combinations and variations
** Baseline needs to be defined and whether or not this is sufficient
** Consider browsers, OS version, AT and combinations of AT usage
* Keyboard interfaces are built into iOS, Android (dPad), and Windows Phone (starting with 8.1) / Windows 8
** Developers are forgetting that they are there
** Even if it is keyboard accessible, touch vs. mouse cause usability problems
** Also speech control is not really available
* Developers need requirements and guidelines to code apps to
* Actual devices are required for testing as virtual device emulators (DeviceAnywhere, etc.) do not support gestures or Bluetooth keyboards
* iOS Read all from current location or from top read things differently than touch and explore
* Many developers are unfamiliar with Accessibility coding requirements
* 3rd party development tools that allow "one code" for multiple native apps often do not support accessibility constructs for the supported OS's
* Companies feel WCAG 2.0 is only for web and are not on board with Mobile APP Accessibility as just as important
* Development for separate platform, and identification of what the features of the different mobile platform are, so people can make good choices
* Feature Conflict
* The browsers may want to implement things ahead. When do you remove a feature that has been put into the OS?
* The 3rd party suppliers say that there are no standards for mobile, so they feel that WCAG doesn't apply to mobile devices, and therefore they don't have to do it.
* Lack of call from disability groups for mobile apps to be made accessible. That lack of call from the market, makes vendors think there is no need.
* Lack of data on the use of mobile devices for people with disabilities
* Zoom functions usually lead to views with blurred edges (of text)
* What do you support – make sure people with disabilities can develop, enable themselves
* Color contrast not well supported across platforms
* Cannot increase font size to 200% on iOS and Android (or only for those elements within apps that support dynamic text)
* No conventions exist where and how to set the visible frame when changing between views/screens in apps
* Platform zoom defaults when changing views often not optimal ('zoom out' on Android requiring new zoom in, 'leave at same position' at Windows Phone with often sub-optimal results such as 'sea of black' views)
* Built-in zoom functions on mobile platforms often lack intelligent re-framing (such as resetting the position of the visible frame to include focused element) - currently only available in iOS 7.1 with VoiceOver on

== Customisation Options ==
* Zoom customisation 
** Lack of customisation options regarding the handling of zoom (zoom state, frame position) when calling up apps or screens/ views within apps or refocusing via swipe gestures or keyboard
** Lack of customisation options for follow-focus when using screenreader and zoom simultaneously
*Text customisation
** Existing text size customisation options such miss crucial elements on system views (app icon legends) and in apps 
** Bold text option currently only available on iOS 7
* Contrast customisation
** User selectable high contrast colour schemes currently only available on Windows 8 touch devices
** Available contrast settings such as inverted views on iOS and some Android skis such as Touchwiz (Samsung) ) cannot compensate poor text contrast
** Inverted views not intelligent as they include elements that should usually not be inverted (images) - should be customisable to restrict inversion to text
* Virtual keyboard customisation
** No option to exclude keyboard from zoom on iOS ? Windows Phone 8, Windows 8
** No option to include keyboard in zoom on Android
** No independent settings for increasing text size, weight or contrast of keys in virtual keyboards (sorely needed on some Android skins)
* Screen readers
** Turning the screenreader on / off dependent on situated need is cumbersome on Android (no two-way shortcut as on iOS)

== Missing Information ==
* Conflicting information: developing for the different platforms/devices have different guidelines.  There are no standards across all platforms.
** For example, touch size differs in their recommendations.  MIT did a touch study
* Problems getting a Bluetooth keyboard to work
* Blind users do not have information on how to set up the phone to get it to work
** Needs to be guidance on how to set up the AT and other keyboards etc.
* Information difficult to find
** Very few examples
* Not a lot of examples of sites and applications that are accessible
* ARIA is mature on the desktop but not on mobile
** Landmarks are not specified
** Some ARIA not supported at all (e.g. grid)
* Mobile gestures and the changes when AT is enabled
** Different from keyboard and Bluetooth keyboard support is an issue
** Keyboard events do not exist; may be due to touch interface
** Need to have different widgets for different contexts
** Key is to have items in sequential order; apps are easier than responsive/mobile websites
* Developers do not see standards for mobile therefore they don't think it applies
** Websites vs. mobile apps

== Mobile Accessibility Challenges Discussions Elsewhere ==

* [http://www-03.ibm.com/able/news/csun_mobile_panels.html CSUN 2013 Mobile Accessibility Challenges Panels] Source: IBM

* [http://www.w3.org/WAI/RD/2012/mobile/note/ED-mobile  Research Report on Mobile Web Accessibility] Source: W3C

* [https://www.facebook.com/groups/346444658786770/ Facebook Mobile Discussion]

* [http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Android-Accessibility-Interest-Group-2534153 Android Accessibility Interest Group] Source: LinkedIn