Abstract
This chapter draws on the concept of Universal Design and Audiovisual Translation Studies to discuss accessibility of visual content in mobile apps with a view to arguing for a more active role of audiovisual translators as advisors to app design. Drawing on the results of a study tapping user experience with a healthcare management app, we show that not only does mobile phone assistive technology fail to solve accessibility problems, but also many app features do not comply with accessibility guidelines suggested by international consortia and mobile technology companies. To the challenges brought by sensory disability, more particularly, visual-impairment, there is the added barrier of socioeconomic background, education and digital literacy. Our study suggests that for an app to be fully accessible to visually impaired users, its design could benefit from the expertise of an audiovisual translator collaborating with app developers from its pre-production stage.
Keywords
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.
Buying options
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Learn about institutional subscriptionsNotes
- 1.
Retrieved from http://universaldesign.ie/What-is-Universal-Design/.
- 2.
- 3.
We used the World Health Organization’s definition for blindness and low vision: ‘low vision’ is defined as visual acuity of less than 6/18 but equal to or better than 3/60, or a corresponding visual field loss to less than 20°, in the better eye with the best possible correction. ‘Blindness’ is defined as visual acuity of less than 3/60, or a corresponding visual field loss to less than 10°, in the better eye with the best possible correction. ‘Visual impairment’ includes both low vision and blindness. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/blindness/Vision2020_report.pdf.
- 4.
In order to reach the widest coverage within the spectrum of visually impaired subjects, it is recommended to adopt congenital blindness as default target audience for accessibility actions. This is because, once the needs of these subjects are met by accessibility tools, the needs of other subjects will also be met.
References
Accessibility Scanner. (2019). Retrieved from https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.accessibility.auditor&hl=en.
Android Accessibility Overview. (2019). Retrieved from https://support.google.com/accessibility/android/answer/6006564?hl=en.
Baños Piñero, R., & Díaz Cintas, J. (2015). Audiovisual Translation in a Global Context Mapping an Ever-Changing Landscape. New York, NY: Palgrave Macmillan.
Brazil. (2014). Modelo de acessibilidade em governo eletrônico [Brazilian Model for Accessibility in Electronic Governance]. Retrieved from http://emag.governoeletronico.gov.br.
Chaume, F. (2018). An Overview of Audiovisual Translation: Four Methodological Turns in a Mature Discipline. Journal of Audiovisual Translation, 1(1), 40–63.
Deckert, M. (2017). Audiovisual Translation - Research and Use. New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Diabetes Pal. (2018). Retrieved from http://myhealthapps.net/app/details/289/diabetes-pal.
Díaz Cíntas, J., & Remael, A. (2007). Audiovisual Translation: Subtitling. London and New York, NY: Routledge.
Fernández-Costales, A. (2018). On the Reception of Mobile Content; New Challenges in Audiovisual Translation Research. In E. Di Giovanni & Y. Gambier (Eds.), Reception Studies and Audiovisual Translation (pp. 298–319). Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Gambier, Y. (2006). Multimodality and Audiovisual Translation. In Audiovisual Translation Scenarios (pp. 1–8). Copenhagen: Proceedings of the Marie Curie Euroconferences MuTra. Retrieved from http://www.euroconferences.info/proceedings/2006_Proceedings/2006_proceedings.html.
Glic Diabetes. (2017). Retrieved from http://gliconline.net/.
Glucose Buddy. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.glucosebuddy.com.
iPhone. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.apple.com/br/accessibility/iphone/.
Jiménez-Crespo, M. A. (2016). Mobile Apps and Translation Crowdsourcing: The Next Frontier in the Evolution of Translation. Tradumàtica: Tecnologies De La Traducció, 75–84. Retrieved from https://revistes.uab.cat/tradumatica/article/view/n14-jimenez.
Mangiron, C., & Zhang, X. (2016). Game Accessibility for the Blind: Current Overview and the Potential Application of Audio Description as the Way Forward. In A. Matamala & P. Orero (Eds.), Researching Audio Description (pp. 75–95). London: Palgrave Macmillan.
Matamala, A. (2017). Mapping Audiovisual Translation Investigations: Research Approaches and the Role of Technology. In M. Deckert (Ed.), Audiovisual Translation - Research and Use (pp. 11–28). New York, NY: Peter Lang.
Match. (2019). Checklist for Evaluating the Usability of Applications for Mobile Touchscreen Phones. Retrieved from http://match.inf.ufsc.br:90/index_en.html.
Mayer, F. A. (2017). From Stigma to Empowerment – A Journey to Reframe Disability. In S. Halder & L. Assaf (Eds.), Inclusion, Disability and Culture. Inclusive Learning and Educational Equity (Vol. 3). Springer.
MyGlicemia: diabetes tracker app (SMBG). (2018). Retrieved from https://apps.apple.com/ke/app/myglycemia-diabetes-tracker-app-smbg/id668352667.
mySugr GMBH. (2018). User’s Manual, v. 3.48_iOS, p. 21.
National Eye Institute. (2019). Retrieved from https://nei.nih.gov/health/diabetic
Nielsen, J. (1994). Usability Inspection Methods. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
Pérez-González, L. (2014). Audiovisual Translation: Theories, Methods and Issues. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315762975.
Pérez-González, L. (Ed.). (2018). The Routledge Handbook of Audiovisual Translation. London: Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315717166.
Romero-Fresco, P. (2013). Accessible Filmmaking: Joining the Dots between Audiovisual Translation, Accessibility and Filmmaking. The Journal of Specialised Translation, 20, 201–223. Retrieved from https://www.jostrans.org/issue20/art_romero.pdf.
Salazar, L. H. A., Lacerda, T., Nunes, J. V., & Gresse Von Wangenheim, C. (2013). Systematic Literature Review on Usability Heuristics for Mobile Phones. International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction, 5(2), 50–61.
Saldanha, G., & O’Brien, S. (2013). Research Methodologies in Translation Studies. Abingdon: Routledge.
Suojanen, T., Tuominen, T., & Koskinen, K. (2015). User-Centered Translation. London: Routledge.
The United Nations. (2006). Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Treaty Series, 2515, 3.
The W3C World Wide Web Consortium. (2018). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0. Retrieved from http://www.w3.org/TR/200X/REC-WCAG20-20081211/, latest version at http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20/.
Acknowledgements
Research funded by the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPQ) under grant No. 310630/2017-7, the Foundation for the Coordination and Improvement of Higher Education Personnel (CAPES) (Post doctoral grant No. 88882.316058/2019-1) and the State Funding Agency of Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG) under grant APQ-01.461-14. The authors also wish to express their gratitude to the Federal University of Minas Gerais for the award of funding to undergraduate students in the project team within the scope of the Program PIPA (Pro Inclusion and Pro Accessibility) at the Centre for Accessibility and Inclusion (NAI).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2020 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Pagano, A.S., Mayer, F.A., Gonçalves, L.N.F. (2020). Accessibility of Visual Content in Mobile Apps: Insights from Visually Impaired Users. In: Bogucki, Ł., Deckert, M. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Audiovisual Translation and Media Accessibility. Palgrave Studies in Translating and Interpreting. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42105-2_23
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-42105-2_23
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-42104-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-42105-2
eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)