Hi everyone,
I am an indie developer and recently updated my game Couch x Crawler after realizing I had overlooked screen reader accessibility when a reddit user asked me about it. I also found this site through reddit and was told to post here.
The game is a premium idle RPG where your character continues adventuring even when the app is closed. Think Tamagotchi X DnD.
Recent accessibility work includes:
ā¢ VoiceOver support
ā¢ Improved labels and navigation
ā¢ Voice Control-friendly controls
ā¢ Reduced Motion support
I know accessibility is much bigger than a single update, and I still have a lot to learn. I also still need to spend more time testing features like Switch Control support.
I wanted to post here because I would genuinely appreciate feedback from VoiceOver users about usability, navigation, and areas that still need improvement.
App Store link:
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/couch-x-crawler/id6758249866
If anyone would like to test the app but the $4.99 price is a barrier, Iād be happy to provide a few promo codes for accessibility feedback.
Thank you for any feedback you are willing to share.
Comments
Count me in!
Hi there,
Purchased and downloaded. I'm only on the main screen but most things look promising. There is one thing I saw though. There is an image labeled as Couch X Crawler, but that doesn't tell me what the image is.
Do you have any other means of communication that might be easier for us to use?
Thanks!
Hey Gar
Thanks for the feedback. That's very helpful. That is the text behind the logo that sits at the top of the main screen. I can remove that. It seems like it might not be needed. Well remove or make the metadata more meaningful and have it say "game logo" or something similar. Also thanks for the support! as far as communication I'm on Instagram as TristansPlanet. I don't quite feel comfortable sharing my cell on here. But if you can find me there I'm on signal and whatsapp too
Alternative Contact Methods & Additional Feedback
Hi,
I would strongly consider creating, at the very least, a dedicated email address for people to use, as there aren't a lot of blind people on Instagram.
I also have more feedback.
Firstly, props to you for using voiceover hints, that's not something a lot of developers know about/use, in my experience.
Secondly, character creation, the only minor issue I had was that when selecting my class, the different classes were selectable but were not properly labeled as buttons to indicate that they could be.
On the main screen, it seems like a lot of information is repeated twice. There is a button element immediately after which lists my character's name, plus all of their stats. The start expedition button is next, and then my character's stats are repeated again. This time however they are individual elements.
What I call the care buttons could use a little more clarity. The action is understandable. What is not immediately clear is how each button impacts each stat. It can be reasoned out with the feed button easily enough, but when you reach the play button there are two stats listed. I think it would be better if in this case, you changed things so that the buttons would read like this.
Feed, plus comfort
Play, plus mood, minus stamina.
Rest, plus stamina.
I will note that you do have voiceover hints which help here as well, that tell you if you don't have enough stamina or that the button has this impact on this stat, but it's also worth keeping in mind that this is not a setting that everyone uses, so communicating this information more clearly from the start is something to consider.
I have more feedback I will share later but hopefully this is enough to get you started for your next update!
To my new friend Gar
First of all...wow. Thank you so much for all of this. This feedback is so valuable to me. These are all things I'd never be able to discover by myself.
Also - woof - am I dumb. Absolutely feel free to email me at TristanNohrer@gmail.com For whatever reason I didn't even think about email as a method of communication
Also please don't stop. I'm loving this feedback!
Code
Hey, I would love to help, but funds are a barrier to me. So excited!
Email for Code - @unboundDara
HI @unboundDara - I would be more than happy to give you a code. Email me at TristanNohrer@gmail.com
Intriguing!
Thank you for looking into making your game more accessible! I'm curious, though, did you at one point post this to a cozy games reddit? If so, I think I might have seen you there, meant to ask about accessibility and completely forgotten, so I'm glad someone else picked up the ball!
To Faerie
Well looks like my reddit profile was just revealed hahaha. Yep, that was me.
More feedback
Hi there,
I'm hoping this will still be helpful, as vague as it is, because I don't even know what's going on in order to provide clear feedback on it. Whenever I complete a run, the loot screen seems to list traits like chronically online which I already have, even though I didn't use them for that run. The screen could definitely be streamlined, as it seems to treat an item I gather, and the number of that item, as separate elements, when that really isn't necessary and just slows down the ability of a user to navigate the screen.