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HomeiOS DevelopmentAccessibility in SpeakerClock 1.3.1 | Cocoanetics

Accessibility in SpeakerClock 1.3.1 | Cocoanetics


Now you can totally function SpeakerClock with no or low imaginative and prescient. We gave SpeakerClock the complete Accessibility remedy. On this article I describe among the issues I realized including accessibility options to SpeakerClock, now that it’s totally written in SwiftUI.

SpeakerClock’s UI is split into 3 sections, the presets on the prime, the LED timer as huge as potential within the middle and the part “visitors mild” on the backside.

The principle interplay gesture is to horizontally swipe over the LED digits to vary the timer. This type of gesture isn’t potential when VoiceOver is energetic as a result of there you’ll be able to pan over the display screen to rapidly get to the recent spots of interactive components.

I solved this by having individually adjustable sub-elements for the minutes and seconds whereas the timer isn’t operating. This manner you’ll be able to swipe vertically to regulate the minutes and seconds individually.

There are three varieties of ordinary gestures for Voice-Over which I made full use of:

  1. double-tap with single finger to pick a component
  2. double-tap with two fingers to carry out a “magic faucet”
  3. draw a Z with two fingers to “escape”

I used #1 for the single-tap perform of the preset and talking part buttons. #2 substitutes for the lengthy press. The rationale is that you must consciously faucet with two fingers as an alternative of 1 to change the presets, as to stop you from by chance altering them.

Within the common move of issues, VoiceOver mainly feedback on the centered ingredient and after a brief pause additionally reads out the accessibility trace that tells the person what interactions are potential. I additionally used VoiceOver’s announcement notifications to provide audio suggestions on some interactions.

The cherry on prime is that sure timer values get crimson out aloud. Within the yellow and inexperienced phases you get a voice immediate each minute. The part transitions get introduced as effectively. Within the crimson part there may be an announcement very 15 seconds, with the ultimate 10 seconds being accompanied by beeps.

That felt like an affordable quantity of voice suggestions for starters. I would add some configuration choices at a later level.

On this video I’m demonstrating all that we mentioned.

Conclusion

I might say my implementation is 95% excellent. There are some edge instances nonetheless – which I can not do a lot about – the place VoiceOver will insist of talking one thing that it wouldn’t have to. Sadly there is no such thing as a strategy to inform Accessibility to “shut it” for sure instances when there’s something extra essential occurring.

It value me numerous experimenting and the higher a part of a day to get to this stage. I’m anxious to listen to from precise customers of SpeakerClock, particularly those that are visually impaired and might need use for a timer. And a few common customers additionally requested about acoustic suggestions. What kind of configuration choices associated to sounds would possibly make sense?



Additionally revealed on Medium.


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