Hi,
I am the developer of the app Speech Central. It is the first app ever to deliver the interactive web on the go. As users mostly interact with the app by listening to the voice and using audio remote control buttons on the headphones, the app should be able to help people with eyesight disabilities to use the web more efficiently.
I have also tried to implement Apple's guidelines for accessibility in the visual parts of the app. However I would appreciate the feedback from the users of this site about possible problems in accessibility in those parts of the app. I am fully committed to fix all reported issues. If you wish to take a detailed test, please send me a message so that I can send you a promo code so that you can get in-app purchase for free (otherwise there is a limit in the number of the articles that could be added in one day).
I would also appreciate when this feedback cycle completes if some user could share his experience and submit the app to the app directory on this site.
You can get the app from the App Store on this link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/speech-central-web-text-to/id1127349155?mt=8
Comments
Prmo code.
I would be intersted in testing this app out How can i send you my email addrss so i can get a Promo code?
RE: Promo code
I'll send it to you. In general to message me (or someone else here) you click on my user name link and then on the 'Contact' tab.
Feedback for the App.
What kind of feedback do you want for the App? I like testing Apps for accessibility?
RE: Feedback for the App.
I would appreciate any feedback regarding the accessibility of the app. As said, the app is most of the time used with headphones and physical buttons on them only, so in that part I can't perceive possible problems. However you have to go through the main interface to start this mode (and also for some actions like moving items, deleting items, searching items etc) and I am interested to know if there are some problems when someone uses VoiceOver to navigate it.
Also when you get familiar with app it would be great if you can share your experience regarding this app and its accessibility with other users of the site by submitting it to this link: https://www.applevis.com/node/add/ios-app-directory
I have a question.
Hello.
I am unable to try this app at the moment, (I don't have any headphones with the right controls,) so this question may already be answered but here goes; why would I want to use this app when I can use safari or the news app for articles?
What features does this app have that safari or the news app do not?
Thank you for answering my questions,
Brad.
RE: I have a question.
Brad,
thanks for your question. I am not in the best position to fully answer it because I am not an expert for accessibility and disability and I don't have someone near who experienced it so that would put me in a better position to give the proper answer. One of the reasons for posting in this forum is exactly to get feedback from people that have such a problems and to try to help them and further improve the app in that regard.
But first to address your remark regarding the headphones - the stock headphones that come with the iPhone are enough, so all iPhone users should have it (not sure if you have iPad though). Also they are not required for the app to work, just it is the easiest and quickest ways to interact with the app, and as it includes physical button, I guess it makes it much better control for people with eyesight disability than anything else.
Considering Safari - if you want to listen only to the text, you will have to switch every time to Reading View or VoiceOver will read everything which could be pretty impractical. And for the pages with headlines there is no Reading View which makes it very hard on some sites. Also you need constantly to hold your device in the hand and input commands which works properly only in the sitting position for almost any periods of time except for the shortest ones. If you use headphones with Speech Central, you can use it in any position like standing/walking or lying in the bed. Safari will take much more battery because with Speech Central you can keep the screen off and still do everything. Also it will take much more data consumption as it downloads everything while Speech Central in most cases downloads just the text and one image.
And probably I forgot something. The best thing is to try the app after all.
Please Relable one of the buttons.
When you are reading your headlines and you click on a source. The bottom all the way at the bottom should be labeled add two articles not next.
RE: Please Relable one of the buttons.
Diego,
thanks for the feedback. I am very open to feedback and improving things, however this particular case is by design.
During the audio reproduction next and previous buttons are standard buttons and as such they can't be relabeled out of the app. Which means on the lock screen they have to be called like that, if you have some physical device that have those buttons (headphones, Bluetooth), they again have to be called like that. Also of note, 'Add to Articles' is just the default command for the next button when reading the headlines, there are dozen of other functionalities that can be assigned to it.
So one possible design would be to rely on the completely software buttons in the app and to change their icons and labels as user change the settings. While it would make things more discoverable inside the app, it would also make things fairly confusing when one would like to use commands outside of the app, so I believe that the unified approach is the best thing.