Developing Apps for Visually Impaired People: Lessons Learned from Practice

Innovation is a challenge because it must meet the characteristics of an entire population. This includes visual impairment, which is the focus of this paper. Considering the interaction capabilities offered by mobile devices, especially smartphones, we asked ourselves this question: what kinds of interaction make it easier for visually impaired people to use mobile apps? To answer this question, we first researched into these persons' smartphone usage habits. Then we developed a prototype for an electronic calendar that provides interaction via voice commands, keyboard and touch. An electronic calendar is a very useful tool especially in business, since it can be used for managing people, resources and events, having a positive impact on productivity. This prototype was analyzed with potential users and we collected their initial impressions about the benefits of using various forms of interaction. The lessons learned with this work are presented and categorized using some of the best-known usability heuristics.