Our present can be dreadful in many aspects, but there’s something that gives me slight hope in humanity: there are increasingly more accessibility options in the digital world.
Companies are becoming more aware that part of their potential audience has functional diversity and cannot enjoy their products, or at least not in the same way as other users.
Whether for moral reasons, corporate social responsibility, or simply economic motives (or a combination of all), technology companies are progressively integrating more accessibility features. This week, Google has launched new accessibility features for Maps, Search, and Assistant, as well as a new app called Magnifier that helps users read texts in different places.
Google Maps has received the most accessibility features. First of all, the app has added screen reader support for the “Look Around” feature, which allows visually impaired users to identify places such as ATMs and public transportation stations around them using their phone’s camera.
For people using wheelchairs, Google Maps will also allow finding shopping routes adapted for them, as well as more information about wheelchair accessibility in places like public restrooms and parking lots (only in Maps for Android Auto). Additionally, Google is working to publicly identify businesses owned by individuals with functional diversity on Search and Maps.
Google has also launched a new app called Magnifier, developed in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People and the National Federation of the Blind, which helps users read texts such as menus and street signs. Users can adjust the contrast or brightness of an image, zoom in, or freeze it to facilitate reading. The app is available for Pixel 5 and higher models.
Additionally, Google has expanded the ability to create Action Blocks for Assistant Routines, which are shortcuts to everyday actions such as calling a person or adjusting the room temperature. Furthermore, the company has updated its app Guided Frames, which assists users with visual impairments in taking selfies using audio guides, high-contrast animations, and haptic feedback.
There is still a long way to go, of course, but these are significant steps that show the increasing interest of companies in providing a better experience for users with functional diversity.
