Tag: inclusivity

Make Web Pages Easier on the Eyes
Accessibility and inclusion go hand in hand. The goal of universal design is to make products that are better for everyone. It’s a simple, very sensible concept, and when executed properly it’s also a beautiful user experience. Bells and whistles are not required to achieve this feat, more often, the basics of a vision friendly interface light the way. Keep it clear and simple!

On Global Accessibility Awareness Day, it feels particularly appropriate to report, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), globally 2.2 billion people have a near or distance vision impairment. The number is considerable and begs us to ask the question, why are so many web pages designed to make reading difficult? Who decided it was a good idea to cram all kinds of extra stuff onto a page which distracts us from the content we came to read and ruins the reading experience? It defies sensibility and makes you wonder, why not make it easier to see content published for the purpose of being read and appreciated. Doesn’t the writer’s work, and our attention span of the reader, deserve better treatment?

Screenshot of Show Reader
option in iOS AA menu.
Image credit: Apple

What Readers Can Do

When a busy, cluttered page is encountered, make it easier to read by turning on the Reader view in your browser, which can magically remove ads and pop-ups, leaving the text you wish to read without distraction. In Safari on iOS, tap the AA button to the left of the address field, select Show Reader. On a Mac, at the left side of the address bar click the icon that resembles lines on a page. In Microsoft Edge, Firefox, and Vivaldi, a similar icon launches Reader Mode from the right side of the address bar. It’s a bit more complicated in a Google browser. Contact Google, Apple, or Microsoft for Accessibility Support by Phone.

What Web Designers Can Do

The acronym KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) is a design principle which states that most systems are best when kept uncomplicated. Here are a few ways to simplify for the eye.
- Highly contrasted text and backgrounds are the easiest to read. Go black on white, with an option to reverse to white on black. Pale font colors are not good and darkish backgrounds aren’t good either.
- Don’t put text on top of darker toned Don’t use decorative, script or serif fonts, clean sans serif font styles are easier to read.
- Moving text is hard to read and moving images are hard to see, so keep it still and your content won’t disappear in front of our eyes.
- Text size matters, be generous with the points and the weight.
- Clean layouts are appreciated by all, cluttered, chaotic pages are not. Keep it as linear as possible with no more than two columns.
- No pop-ups.
- Don’t place ads or create distractions in the middle of an article.
- Don’t interrupt an article in progress to promote other articles.
Understand inclusion. Don’t assume visually impaired people are not on your website — we are everywhere.
May 20, 2022
Review: Google Maps Detailed Voice Guidance

On World Sight Day, October 10, 2019, Google announced an important update for people with vision loss. The news was reported by CNBC, CNET, Engadget and The Verge, among many others. We learned Google Maps is rolling out a new feature that provides detailed voice guidance for walking directions. They emphasize that it’s built for, and by people with impaired vision. They also acknowledge it can be good for anyone getting around an unfamiliar place.

On the Google Blog

Wakana Sugiyama, a Business Analyst at Google participated in the development of this project as an advisor and tester. She writes on the Google Blog, “As a legally blind woman living in Tokyo, I know that getting around unfamiliar environments can be a challenge. I can easily commute from my front door to my desk at work; it’s a trip I take regularly and know well. But going some place new and unfamiliar can be an intimidating experience without sight to guide you.” If you have a visual impairment that prevents you from seeing signs or other elements of identification, you know the feeling Wakana describes.

The added audible cues Wakana touts sound like a dream come true. She says, “With this feature, I can navigate the streets of Tokyo with more comfort and confidence. As I take my journey, Google Maps proactively lets me know that I’m on the correct route, the distance until my next turn and the direction I’m walking in. As I approach large intersections, I get a heads-up to cross with added caution. And if I accidentally leave my route, I’ll get a spoken notification that I’m being re-routed.”

Setting the App

The video of Wakana finding her way through the streets of Tokyo helps me to imagine myself getting to unfamiliar destinations with a new sense of ease. The Google Maps iOS app is now open on my phone, but it is not completely clear how to turn on the new setting. A call to Google accessibility support through the Be My Eyes (BME) app will provide the answer.

Ashley from Google answers the call and walks me through the required settings. In the Menu, at the upper left, go to Settings, then Navigation, at the bottom of the Navigation options list turn on Detailed Voice Guidance. This is my first encounter with Google through BME and it is quick, pleasant and productive. All set and ready to go!

At the top of the Google Maps app, right past the search bar, I tap Voice Search and ask for, “Walking directions to P.F. Chang’s.” It’s a familiar destination for testing purposes, 0.6 miles, or 12 minutes, away. On the bottom left corner of the app I tap the button labeled “Steps” to review the step by step directions for reference. At the top of these directions there is an alert that says: “Use Caution – Walking directions may not always reflect real-world conditions.”

Navigation with Detailed Voice Guidance

I tap the big blue button labeled “Start” and the voice navigation begins with, “Turn left on Renaissance Square and proceed for 250 feet and turn left onto MainStreet.” I make a left on Main and continue walking 0.3 miles to South Broadway. On route to South Broadway the voice guidance announces erratic fluctuations in distance ahead, 800, then 350, then 600 feet, all in a matter of 10 footsteps. Twice while walking on Main St. the voice said to “Make a right turn”, but it was long before the turn was available.

At the intersection of Main & South Broadway I make a right turn as instructed and continue in the correct direction. The voice tells me to make a right turn on two different streets along the way, but I don’t because it would have taken me in the wrong direction entirely. I proceed to the left turn that will lead around a bend and onto Westchester Avenue, just minutes from P.F. Chang’s, ignoring the conflicting map chatter until it says, “Proceed for 0.1 miles” which means Google is now in agreement with my route. The voice guidance is not always in sync with the directions listed step by step on the app. Good thing I’m going to a familiar place.

Upon arrival at the entrance to P.F. Chang’s, unmistakable with its signature giant horse statues stationed in front, the voice guidance becomes unusually quiet. I continue walking past the entrance to see how the navigation reacts. At the corner the voice says, “Make a right turn and proceed for 200 feet,” which takes me into a parking garage. Inside the garage Google announces, “Your destination is on the right.” But that’s not right.

The return trip did not go much better. Voice guidance seemed to fall far behind my actual location. Twice the voice said to make a turn that I actually took minutes earlier. I was already back in my office sitting at the computer when I heard, “Your destination is on the right.” And that was wrong.

Conclusion

Not one to give up easily, I take two more strolls with Google Maps detailed voice guidance. Both were simpler routes and the voice guidance a little better, however still not good. Perhaps my expectations would not be as high had I not seen the Google video showing Wakana getting so smoothly to her destination in Tokyo, using this feature. Why, I wonder, is it not working that well for me?

Before I finish writing this article I call Google support, again through BME. I want to find out if I am doing something wrong, or if others are reporting similar issues. It is again Ashley answering the call and she remembers our chat a few days before. She has not received other calls on the new Google Maps feature, but promises to look into it and also to test the detailed voice guidance herself.

You too should give it a try and tell us how it goes.

October 29, 2019
Aira Adds A Free Tier

The free tier of service described in this post ended in August 2020, for updated article on Aira services, go to Aira is Remote Visual Assistance.

Independence is a prideful thing, asking for help is not always easy. Getting help, when you need it, is also a challenge. It can be a recurring conundrum for people with vision loss. In a move, that might nicely serve this need, Aira recently announced the addition of a new free tier of service. All calls to Aira agents under 5 minutes are free. Aira is a service that connects people with low vision or blindness to specially trained agents in the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. You’re not bothering them, they want you to call, it’s what they do. They offer another pair of eyes, when you need them.

The announcement came to me in a text message as I was preparing dinner a few weeks ago. It said, “Big Aira news: short calls with Aira agents are now free, every day. Great for quick 5 minute tasks around the house, try it now!” So I did. It just so happened, I was wondering if my oven temperature was set correctly, one of those tasks only a better eye than mine can determine. The agent answered immediately and greeted me by name. She asked that I move the phone camera slightly to the left, and then right, before confirming the settings were accurate. I’ve also called upon Aira for help in the supermarket to read product packaging and Use or Sell By dates. When I couldn’t find an address in an unfamiliar location, a quick call to an agent helped me get right to the door.

Screenshot of Aira app home page.

The App

Access to Aira’s free services requires an app. Create an account and sign in as a Guest. The app will tell you what Aira Access Location are in your vicinity. In Access Locations, which include Bank of America, Walgreens, AT&T, select airports (read Aira At The Airport) and transit systems, like all of Boston’s MBTA railroad, subway and bus stops, the service is paid for by the location and you enjoy guest access for free. If you already have an Aira account, you’re good to go, just make sure you have the latest version of the app.

Optional Upgrade To A Monthly Plan

For calls that require more than 5 minutes you can upgrade to a monthly plan, starting at $29 for 30 minutes, to $199 for 300 minutes. There are no contracts and plans can be increased as needed. Service can be upgraded in the app or with a free call to an agent. Paying members, called ‘Explorers,’ still get the first 5 minutes of every call free.

You may find great value in a plan that enables you to take a guided stroll through a museum, rediscover your neighborhood restaurants and shops, or get help navigating an airport that is not yet a free access location. The possibilities are endless.

Smart Glasses

The Aira service is not limited to smartphone users, it can also be accessed by Explorers using smart glasses. This is an option some smartphone users may also prefer, as it allows relatively hands free access. For more information on Aira with smart glasses speak to an agent or call 800-835-1934.

Tell Aira Where You Want Guest Access

To sponsor more free service and expand inclusivity, Aira needs to build their Guest Access Network. The most significant impact comes from businesses with many locations. If you know of a someone with interest in making Aira’s services available to their customers, send that information to: [email protected].

Website: Aira.io

Phone: 800-835-1934

September 6, 2019