Shifting Responsibility: A Story of Empowering Developers to Make Android Apps More Accessible
Abstract
Introduction: Accessibility in interactive systems aims to enable people with difficulties and/or disabilities to access technological resources and perform their tasks in the same way as other users. With the widespread use of mobile devices, creating accessible applications has become essential. Several sets of guidelines and tools are available for accessibility testing. However, developers still face barriers when considering accessibility during mobile application development. Objective: In this work, we investigate the current state of accessibility testing in Android apps and share our experiences with the tools and techniques currently available for creating accessible apps. Results: Our analysis revealed several limitations, including a restricted focus on a small subset of accessibility issues, a lack of integration of local testing into the development environment, and inadequate assignment of responsibilities to developers. We advocate adopting practices already familiar to these professionals, such as integrating accessibility testing into the development workflow and providing adequate documentation and training. These practices can empower developers in creating accessible apps.
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