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ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ iPlayer passes screen reader MOT test
- 11 May 07, 01:02 PM
In order to make sure that the iPlayer, which is the media player for the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½â€™s catch-up service, is ready for visually impaired users at the time of its release, the corporation has been busy checking compatibility with screen readers.
The technical assessment of the iPlayer was done in collaboration with Blazie, a company specialising in assistive technology testing. I managed to get my hands on their report to see how the iPlayer faired.
The screen readers put through their paces were Jaws (versions 7 and 8), Window Eyes 6.0 and Hal 7.01. All aspects of using the iPlayer, from download and installation through to watching a programme on the console was extensively examined with each screen reader. The report showed that none of the tasks caused any major problems for the screen readers.
Blazie did suggest that some modifications be made. For example, when searching for programs to download, users will be able to narrow the search by using filters, such as only selecting programs shown on ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½1. Whilst this function is adjacent to results on the screen, Blazie found that with the screen readers the filters were too far from the search results for convenience. As we speak, the ÃÛÑ¿´«Ã½ is already taking steps to resolve this issue.
Speaking on behalf of Blazie, Terry Clarke said, “The iPlayer was very good with respect to accessibility. It is obvious that the developers have thought long and hard about how the site and application could be used by users of a screen reader.â€
The iPlayer, with its new accessibility look, will be rolled out for testing by over 150 volunteers with a stakehold in accessibility within the next few weeks. We'll soon see what robust user testing brings. I can't wait to test it myself!
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