The inaccessibility of ted app

By kaveinthran, 20 November, 2019

Forum
Accessibility Advocacy

hi,
I am using the latest ted app, and for months now, there seems to be a new interface which is totally inaccessible for iOS voiceover users

I will never brought this issue if it's a failing company in total. But, this app had been very accessible in the pass and they even wrote a blog bakc then about their commitment to accessibility. Check here,
https://blog.ted.com/how-were-making-the-ted-ios-app-more-accessible-for-all/

Here are some issues that I found, do comment if there're other issues or successfull hacks to get around the issues.
1. There's no way, at least from my exploration to play a talk, this is the most basic function of the app
2. There's no way to browse according to playlist
3. You can't browse talks chronologically, or with any other sorrting which you can in the pass

4. full of unlabelled buttons and controls

5. recurring sign in issues and annoying button on top that confuses us to sign in everytime
6. the player, if you can successfully get there, is totaly inaccessible

I've tweeted and mentioned @tedtalks several times about this and even try to contact them with zero response. It's so embarrassing and disappointing to watch this being done by an organization which spreads big ideas. Let's reach out to them and let them know.

Options

Comments

By Emily Chia on Monday, December 9, 2019 - 16:31

I experienced the same bugs with the app so I just watch Ted talks on YouTube it doesn’t solve anything but it is a option if you can’t watch what your wanting and I find it easier to watch the content by just watching it on YouTube and it is just easier in my opinion but that is just for myself

Hi, Yes, I've had all the problems you listed above and feel exactly as you do. I'm mad that they bleated on how much they care about accessibility and VoiceOver users, and now it's obvious that was just a ploy to get us on board. When I wrote to them about it they suggested I use Youtube and forget about the app. Well, I had a list of favourite talks saved in that app and for years I started my day with an inspiring Ted talk. For now I have sadly deleted the app. One way they could help some of us, and others, would be to allow us to link our accounts to the Ted skill on the Echo, so at least we could still access our favourite talks in an organized and uncomplicated way. Of course I have emailed and tweeted them my thoughts, and written an app review, it is sad to see them not sticking to their own moral code of values.

By KE7ZUM on Monday, December 9, 2019 - 16:31

I use the podcasts, and my mom uses ted on youtube. In fact my students don't even use the app, so my thinking is the app will one day go bye bye. Sad but it is what it is. We are all using youtube and tedX on podcasts.

Hi, When selecting Ted talks on YouTube or via podcast, are the talks organized into categories, the way they are in the Ted app? If not, that is something I suspect others besides me would miss about the Ted app. I also loved how talks could be downloaded for off-line listening, without having to pay a subscription fee as with YouTube. I always like to have a stash of good off-line listening stored on my phone, in case of very lengthy internet outages that can occur here in earthquake prone areas. I also miss the Ted Recommends widget that gave me a list of the newest talks every week. If the app is on its way out, it would be nice if we were informed, but sadly most companies aren't that transparent.