Utgör nyhetsapplikationer i mobilen ett tillgänglighetsproblem för äldre?

: en studie om hur WCAG 2.1 tillämpas

Abstract

With our study we want to understand how older users with visual impairment experience the accessibility of mobile applications. The study examines how accessibility in news applications is adapted to older users with impaired vision. The study includes three news applications: Aftonbladet, Expressen and Svenska Dagbladet. This work intends to explore if accessibility guidelines WCAG 2.1 are adapted for mobile applications.

To get answers to the question:  How adapted are the WCAG 2.1 accessibility guidelines for the mobile based on the context of news applications and older people with visual impairment?  a literature search was performed on previous research on accessibility in mobile applications, a questionnaire survey, an observation study with interview questions with four participants from the questionnaire survey, and an in-depth observation study with subsequent interview questions with the same participant. The survey and observational studies were conducted with participants with impaired vision in the age 65-75.

We compared our results with WCAG 2.1 and scientific publications in the field of accessibility in mobile applications. Participants discovered 20 accessibility issues with the news application, of which four were not included in the WCAG 2.1. Three of the four problems discovered with the news applications were also found by the scientific publications. This strengthens our results and we can establish that WCAG 2.1 needs additional accessibility guidelines. Of the four problems discovered during the observation studies, there was one problem;  The size of the images is too small and difficult to see that was not found in any of the scientific studies examined. Since the scientific publications that were investigated did not cover this problem, more studies and user tests are needed to strengthen this point. The result shows that the news applications Aftonbladet, Expressen and Svenska Dagbladet need to be more accessible to older users with impaired vision.