Learn How To Visualise iOS Apps.

In this guide, I'm going to explain how you can visualise the layout of iOS apps using voiceOver, or VO for short. even though you may be totally blind. This can be done quite easily, even without using a ScreenDots protector, or relying on a bluetooth keyboard for navigation purposes.

I understand that everyone is different, so if you do find these accessories essential, then by all means continue to use them. However, if you master the below techniques, I believe you'll be able to use your iDevice as efficiently as your sighted peers.

I am totally blind myself, and have had an iPhone since 2009. So I thought I'd share what I've found works best for me, in the hope that you might find it useful too.

What I'm about to teach you is also applicable on the iPad, but their may be slight differences, due to most apps having a split screen layout.

Everything will work the same on an iPod touch.

I'm going to assume that you are fairly proficient at navigating iOS by flicking and double tapping, so I will be as concise as I can.

You'll have probably noticed by now that each time you flick, VO plays sounds as well as reading what the VO cursor has moved to. These aren't just for decoration, they give you important information about where you are on the screen.

A good place to start practicing is by playing with the keypad tab of the phone app, since I presume most of you can visualise what a telephone keypad looks like.

Once you have opened the keypad, place your finger on the top left of the screen, just below the status bar. You should here blank phone number. Flick right through the keypad and listen to the sounds that VO makes, and ignore the de dunk sound that it made before it said "1" for the time being.

When it reads the numbers 1, 2 and 3, you should hear a click before it says each number. This indicates that the VO cursor has moved. Visually this is represented as a black box around the item that VO spoke. Flicking again will take you to the number 4. As well as hearing the regular click, you'll hear that de dunk sound again. What this means is that the item VO just read is on the next line down, but in this case, it won't be directly below the previous one, which was 3. On a Phone's keypad, you'll know that 4 is directly below 1, and the same applies here. This should give you an idea about how the VO cursor moves. If you start on the 1 and flick right, it will move as far to the right as it can, before wrapping down to the left again and make that sound to let you know. It will then move along that line until it gets to 6 and so on. If you keep flicking, you'll eventually find yourself on the Voicemail button, which is at the bottom right hand corner of the screen.

The cursor moves like this no matter which app you have loaded.

I really hope that made sense. :- )

When you understand those concepts, try to explore the keypad by moving your finger around on the screen.

Start by touching the blank number field and move your finger down to the 1, which was the first item VO moved to when you was flicking. Then, slide your finger around the keypad methodically. Notice that you also get a feel for the size of items you come across, as well as their position.

Once you've mastered the layout of the phone app, try your hand at looking at the layouts of other apps.

In apps such as Contacts or your Twitter client, not all content is displayed in the vertical list as there isn't enough room. To get at the rest of the info, you have to scroll the list. You do this by flicking up from the bottom with 3 fingers. Flicking down from the top does the reverse.

The reason why they're the wrong way round is because these lists behave like an actual scroll, or one of those blackboards on rollers where you'd grab the bottom and push up to see the next lot of content, or push down from the top to go back. When VO's turned off, these lists actually behave like wheels. When flicked, they have momentum, so they'll gradually slow to a stop, rather than stopping abruptly.

With VO on, Flicking through a list scrolls it for you, so you might want to use a bit of both methods to quickly go to where you want to get to.

As far as activating an item under your finger goes, there are two ways to accomplish this. you can either use the standard double tap, or you can use what Apple calls Split Tap.

I think split tapping is far more useful when you're familiar with an app's layout as you don't have to take your finger off the screen to activate something, which could possibly cause you to become disorientated.

To do a split tap, find an item you'd like to use with 1 finger, then while keeping that finger there, tap the screen anywhere with another finger once. You should hear the usual activate sound, and your action will have been carried out.

More often than not, if you leave your exploring finger on the screen, the focus will jump to where your finger is, as opposed to jumping to the top left, as is that usually happens when you double tap.

Think of it like using a mouse. Your finger you use to explore with is the mouse, and the one you use to activate things is similar to the left mouse button. A mouse doesn't move itself to the top left a window when you click it, neither does your finger.

No method of navigating iOS is better than the other. There are times when flicking may be better than exploring - it's all down to user preference.

At the time of writing, the only areas where you might want to use the flick and double tap exclusively is in the various stores. At the far left and right of the screen, you'll come across items that scroll the screen ridiculously fast, and you'll be on #100 in the chart before you know it, and it's a bit of a pain to get back to #1.

I hope you found this of some help. I appreciate that visualising where things are on a totally flat peace of glass with no tactile markings seems totally impossible, but it can be done with patience.