Hi all,
I'm the developer of GridSpace, a diagramless crossword app that launched on the App Store recently, and I’m hoping for feedback from VoiceOver users in this community. Thomas from the AppleVis Editorial Team gave me approval to post here. Thanks for having me.
What is a diagramless crossword? It’s a variant where you receive the clues but not the grid layout. You have to deduce where the black squares go as you solve. The New York Times has published them for decades, but almost nothing on the App Store is dedicated to the format.
I think it actually suits VoiceOver users well. In a regular crossword, sighted solvers see the black-square pattern instantly, but VoiceOver users have to piece it together in their head one square at a time before they can start solving. Diagramless has nothing to translate. The grid starts empty and you deduce the layout step-by-step, which mirrors how VoiceOver presents information.
To my knowledge, GridSpace is the first VoiceOver-accessible diagramless crossword app on iOS. I took care to implement VoiceOver support and tested it thoroughly on device:
- Custom rotor actions for quick navigation, toggling black cells, placing clue numbers, and crossing out solved clues
- A "Read entire grid" action for orientation
- Direction changes and hint results are announced
Dynamic Type, Dark Interface, and Reduce Motion are also supported.
I'm a sighted developer, so there are almost certainly aspects of the day-to-day VoiceOver experience I haven't fully understood. If you try the app and find anything awkward, broken, or missing, I'd genuinely welcome the feedback.
The app is free to try (no sign-up required), with optional hint packs available as in-app purchases (5 free hints are provided to start). Happy to send promo codes for the hint packs if that helps anyone evaluate the full experience.
If you try it and like it, an AppleVis directory submission on my behalf would be much appreciated.
App Store link: https://apps.apple.com/ca/app/gridspace-crosswords/id6772653161
Thanks very much,
Donna (GridSpace dev)