TwitterHere’s a really interesting piece on Forbes about the iPad being hailed as a great e-reader for the blind.
Ask any PC-loving computer nerd why Apple products have become the de facto choice of the masses, and you’ll likely hear something like, “People buy Apple products because they’re pretty.” That may be true for many, but one group of consumers who care little for Apple’s prodigious aesthetics are the blind.
They care more about how Apple products actually work. And while the iPad may be Apple’s most controversial launch in recent memory, the blind community is unanimous in its support.
This resonates with what I wrote recently in a piece about adaptive accessibility. Apple really do take accessible, functional design seriously – not just as an afterthought, or a secondary consideration. Accessible functionality is built right in to the very core of their design of software and software interaction. The very fact that Apple invested time and energy in making Voiceover a core element of OS X at an early stage, has allowed the technology to improve and proliferate, so that it can be seamlessly integrated into cutting-edge devices like the iPhone and, now, the iPad.
I would even go so far as to say that this kind of attention to accessibility for all is what makes Apple’s mobile products so successful as market-leaders: the benefits of accessible design are experienced and appreciated by all; accessible design enhances everyone’s experience.
First, consider what an e-reader represents to the blind community. The concept of an affordable, portable device that allows the visually impaired to consume media easily and without special consideration is an exciting proposition, but one never fully realized.
The iPhone and the iPad are both adaptive devices. Most people will never use the accessible features they provide; probably never even know that they exist. But the ability for users to adapt their use of the device to meet their own specific needs is what is so empowering. These aren’t specialist, assistive devices: they are desirable, cutting-edge consumer products. They make disabled people feel included; perhaps even makes them no longer disabled. This is a really fantastic thing.
Computer nerds, tech columnists and the general public may not know where the iPad fits into the existing media consumption landscape–but the blind and visually impaired see it as the only e-reader worth owning. Call it further proof that Apple is more than just a pretty face.
And I don’t think it’s just blind users who are going to benefit from these kinds of advances in consumer technology – touch interfaces might be a huge win for people who have been constrained by having to use a mouse and keyboard. Gestures can be a much quicker and more intuitive way to navigate within a digital space – why do you think the scroll-wheel became so popular?
Jun 29, 2010 @ 07:18:36
excellent article Phil, will post links to this in various places….be in touch soon too….