The Accessible iPhone App Developer

BigNames

Recently I wrote about the first accessible iPhone app. BigNames, a large print, high contrast contacts directory app, is due for a review upon its upcoming update release, when it will be available for the Touch.

I asked the developer, Jason Moore,  to share a little about himself and developing accessible apps fro the iPhone.  Jason has graciously accepted my request and I have his answers for us here.

The Interview

Tell us a bit about yourself and your apps.

I’m an interface designer, tinkerer and entrepreneur based in Toronto, Canada. BigNames is my first iPhone application, and is designed to make it easy to browse and call people in your address book.

What prompted you do become an iPhone app developer?

Three reasons: First, I loved how the iPhone was essentially a blank slate. It comes with some excellent interface elements (e.g. wonderfully realistic scrolling views) but you can also break new ground and write your own components. Second, I was impressed that the App Store allowed developers to distribute applications globally and be compensated for their efforts. And third, I was coveting the iPhone and becoming a developer seemed like a good excuse to pick one up.

How did you become interested in developing BigNames and accessibility?

I was chatting with a friend who had an iPhone and he mentioned that he was actually thinking of recommending his Dad get an iPhone, simply because it was so much easier to use than other mobile phones. I also remembered reading about a mobile phone that intentionally had no features beyond dialing. These two ideas merged, and I envisioned an app that made dialing incredibly easy. BigNames was the result.

How was the process for developing BigNames? What are the biggest
challenges for developing accessible apps?

Testing is challenging with an application that uses data on people’s phones. Some might have only a few names in their contact book and some might have hundreds (or more).

Also, no matter how many beta testers you have, you still you don’t know how people are going to use your application in the real-world. For example: In BigNames, the screen will orient to however you happen to be holding the it – which is how most people expect iPhone apps to work. However, one person emailed me to ask if the view rotation could be disabled. From what I understand, they had their iPhone laying in a horizontal position in their car, and occasionally while braking or accelerating, the BigNames view would flip upside down!

How could Apple make it easier to enable accessibility in apps?

Apple seems to understand that improved accessibility makes their products better for everyone. (Even someone with perfect vision might not be seeing clearly when their phone rings in the middle of the night.) The problem is that often accessibility enhancements need to be added at a low-level — at the OS level. Application developers are in control of their application, but the interconnection between applications is the job of the iPhone OS. So, something like cut+paste is something we had to wait for Apple to build.

I think some general magnification tools would be useful — similar to the loupe that appears when you hold down a finger in the text box to move the cursor. (Or how the control-key and two fingers moving vertically on the trackpad zooms a macbook screen.) Not only would it be useful for people with reduced vision, but it would help developers zoom in to make their interface pixel-perfect.

What are your plans for future versions of BigNames? Other apps?

I’m intrigued with the idea of visual tools that assist with memory. A calendar is one way to view time, but I’m experimenting with other interfaces to recurring events such as dentist appointments and credit card bills. The visual capabilities of the iPhone could be used to organize and display this information in more meaningful ways.

As for BigNames, I’m adding features in each release. I just submitted a new version to the App Store that allows people to favorite a name by adding a star, so that it appears at the top of the list. Also, I’ve had several iPod Touch owners ask to be able to use BigNames to simply view phone numbers, so they will be able to run the new version as well.

Wrap Up

Tags: accessibility, bignames, high contrast, interface designer, iphone, iPhone app, iphone apps, iPod, ipod touch, itunes, jason moore, phones, Touch

This entry was posted on March 27, 2009 at 9:00 am and is filed under large print. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.