DIY Sun Science

Category
Education

Description of App

The DIY Sun Science app, funded by NASA, allows families and educators to investigate and learn about the Sun at home, at school, or anywhere you go! This app is the second in a series (including DIY Nano) that provides over a dozen free, easy to use, hands-on activities. Plus, view live images of the Sun from NASA’s SDO satellite, videos of the Sun, and much more! Each activity includes material lists, step-by-step instructions, and detailed explanations. The activity materials are widely available and inexpensive—you probably have many of them in your own home.

Version

1.0

Free or Paid

Free

Apple Watch Support

Not Known

Device(s) App Was Tested On

iPhone

Accessibility Comments

It is possible to access some of the content in this app, but poor button labelling and a confusing interface aren’t going to make it easy. You will also need to accept that some of the content isn’t accessible - I’ve found several pages already where VoiceOver finds nothing in the main content area of the screen.

VoiceOver Performance

VoiceOver reads most page elements.

Button Labeling

Few buttons are clearly labeled.

Usability

There are some accessibility issues with this app, but it can still be used if you are willing to tolerate these issues and learn how to work around them.

App Store Link

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/diy-sun-science/id836712493?mt=8&uo=4&at=11l4LS

Developer's Website

http://www.lawrencehallofscience.org/do_science_now/diy_sun_science/tech_support

Developer's Twitter Username

@berkeleyscience

Options

Comments

By Chris Keller on Monday, July 21, 2014 - 15:30

Hello! I am one of the developers that worked on this app, DIY Sun Science. After version 1.0 came out, we worked on improving the accessibility and VoiceOver controls with the app. We collaborated with a web accessibility group here at UC Berkeley to help us improve the accessibility of the app, and version 1.2 should perform much better. I would be delighted if other users reviewed our app and provided feedback on our work. Thank you!