Unlocking inclusivity navigating the world of mobile app accessibility

In a country of over 1.2 billion mobile phone users and over 600 million smart phone users, it is little wonder that mobile apps have emerged as the preferred platform for information, business, interaction, governance, education, and recreation. In 2022 alone, Indian users downloaded over 28 billion apps on their phones, accounting for 5 percent of the global downloads and placing India in the second position globally. We use apps for almost all our daily transactions, from paying bills, banking, and social interaction to meeting our daily living needs. So, what do people look for when they decide to download and start using an app, other than the obvious purpose that it serves? How is the user experience for different users, such as older persons or persons with disabilities? Persons with disabilities need user-friendly technologies in their daily life, just like everyone else – in fact the need is much more intense for the former since technology has the power to eliminate access barriers and limitations. The mobile phone with assistive technologies has been a dream come true for many persons with disabilities who were previously unable to communicate and access mainstream products and services. Technologies, such as speech-to-text and text-to-speech, dictation, captioning and audio descriptions, ergonomic keyboards, modified hardware, etc., have empowered persons with disabilities to be independent. However, they continue to be a neglected user group as many developers of apps and other technologies do not take their needs into account, despite the fact that they form a huge percentage of the Indian population. Consequently, a large number of mobile apps, both public as well as private, are inaccessible and cannot be used effectively by these groups.

When asked about their concerns around using mobile apps, users with disabilities have expressed that they face a dilemma whenever they need to download an app, because they are unsure about whether the app is accessible and usable. Often, just not having a clean and simple interface makes the app difficult to use for persons with disabilities and older persons.

There is also serious concern regarding compliance with data security standards and whether personal information is secure. For users with visual impairments, a significant challenge is that app design tends to be very visual oriented. The sole use of color to differentiate, lack of headings, or image descriptions are only a couple of common issues that make it very difficult for persons with visual impairments to navigate apps. In addition to inaccessibility, there are also usability issues. The lack of user interface research renders the user experience to be very frustrating and ineffective. For instance, a task which would ordinarily take only two steps, could require a person using an assistive technology to go through 4–5 steps or use work arounds to complete. Sometimes, even the simple task of resetting one’s password requires the punching in of the old and new passwords at least five times at different stages of the journey, such as during the login, transaction, and OTP stage, which is difficult for many people.

Financial apps are, again, a source of concern for persons with disabilities in India, with the apps of many financial institutions being cluttered and difficult to use. Persons with disabilities and older persons are also vulnerable to fraud and traps. For instance, merely availing of a personal loan is worrying because of the potential of data security lapses. Several users feel that the user interface in apps facilitating pre-approved loans is so complicated that a person using assistive technology is not able to complete the journey. On the other hand, the apps of some private banking institutions, such as NBFCs have simple user interfaces, where users can get loans through a series of clicks. An additional challenge with financial apps is that institutions get access to all the personal data of the user. Due to the complex user journeys, there could be conditions that users with disabilities cannot easily access, which in effect remain hidden. This could potentially cause harm as people remain unaware of or unknowingly consent to conditions that they might not have agreed with, had they been able to access the information easily.

Another major problem faced by customers with disabilities is the lack of access to timely customer service to resolve issues. Many apps do not display an option to reach customer service in a prominent place on their pages. People with disabilities have felt that even where they locate the information and are able to call customer service, they do not get a resolution to their problems unless they make persistent calls and even then, the resolution is only in the form of a workaround and not an accessibility fix. In cases where the customer is successful in helping to bring about any change in the app, this disappears when a new version of the app is updated and the app reverts to its original inaccessible version. Accessibility improvements do not get carried on to new versions and updates. In fact, a user with a disability mentioned that getting a resolution to problems is more effective when one mentions issues over social media, rather than through customer service. The IRCTC app is a good example of an app, which has good customer service and resolution time both through the app as well as through the call center and where the accessibility is not broken when the app is updated. Another example of a very accessible and user friendly app is the Google Pay app, which has a clean and simple user interface. The onboarding is easy and can be completely carried out by a person with disability independently. In fact, users have also mentioned that they use this app to make payments to vendors whose own websites/apps are inaccessible. The American Express app is also a great example of an extremely accessible and user-friendly app. The size of the controls are big and the option to contact customer service is given on each page of the application, with very quick resolution turn-around time.

For persons using screen readers, the use of captcha also poses a significant barrier. If they are non-standard, persons with disabilities cannot understand and enter them. In this context, a good case is that of The Union Bank of India, which ensures that all captcha used by them is logical captcha and hence discernible to the user. The bank has an extensive resource for providing accessible services to persons with disabilities (available at https://www.unionbankofindia.co.in/english/accessible-banking.aspx).

Hence, despite the rich variety of features and services offered by mobile apps in India, these are not available for all users. If accessibility is considered at all, it is unfortunately left too late in the development cycle to make the app completely accessible. Accessibility needs to be brought in from the initial stage and considered throughout the lifecycle. It is far easier and costs less to include accessibility from the beginning than try to fix issues after the fact. There should be a system in place to support and maintain the accessibility of the app across its updates and releases and specific budgetary allocations should be set aside for this. Users with disabilities should be involved in testing the app and giving inputs. There should be a separate help desk or focal point to assist persons with disabilities. Making mobile apps accessible does not require compliance with any complex standard. Following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the international accessibility standard for the web, will help organisations design accessible mobile apps. Supporting platform accessibility settings, giving proper labels and role information for UI elements, such as images, buttons, etc., color contrast, audio-video descriptions and captions, keeping app interface and gestures simple, ensuring that the on-screen and hardware keyboard are accessible, giving enough time for users to perform actions are some good practices that will help to ensure that mobile apps are accessible.

There are several important reasons to make mobile apps accessible. Firstly, accessibility is a human right, recognised by the UN Convention on the Rights of persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) to which India is a signatory. It is the right thing to do to ensure that mobile apps are inclusive and equally accessible to everyone, irrespective of how they navigate. In a country like India, where mobile phones and mobile apps are the main platforms used by people for many day-to-day activities, it is even more important to make sure nobody is excluded or left behind. Secondly, it is a legal requirement. Under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 (RPD Act), it is mandatory for all technology products, services, and content in India to comply with accessibility standards. This is mandatory for both the public as well as the private sector. IS-17802 regarding requirements for accessibility for ICT products and services is the standard notified by the government under the RPD rules. And finally, it is good business practice. By ensuring mobile apps are accessible, organisations can ensure that their apps reach the widest number of users. Accessibility has been also proven to improve usability for all users, not just persons with disabilities, and improved usability in turn, positively impacts attraction of new users and retention of the existing user base.

Truly, mobile apps accessibility plays a powerful role in ensuring that no one is left behind in our journey of digital transformation and helping India to achieve its full socio-economic potential.

Dr Nirmita Narasimhan is program director, Saksham, and TV Ramachandran is President, Broadband India Forum. Views are personal.