Mobile application accessibility
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Make your mobile apps accessible so everyone can use them easily, including people with disabilities. Focusing on accessibility from the beginning creates digital experiences that more people can use. This approach helps you follow web standards and reach a wide audience.
Quick tips
1. Learn the fundamentals
You need to follow the same core steps for accessibility regardless of your content’s format. This fundamentals guide gives you the basics to get started.
2. Interaction design
Ensure all website content and controls are accessible to all users with clear keyboard focus indicators, accessible menus, properly labeled form fields, and hover and focus events for interactive content. Go to the Websites and web applications guide to learn more.
3. Consider smaller screens
Design for smaller screens to accommodate magnification and device orientation changes.
4. Touch targets and touch screen gestures
Use standard tap and swipe gestures and ensure ample space and target size to support navigation.
Consider smaller screens
A notable feature of mobile devices is their screens are much smaller than most desktop and laptop displays. While this means we can carry infinite information with us while going about our day, smaller screen size places very practical limits on how much information is displayed at once.
Here are some quick tips for designing for smaller screens.
- Minimize how much information is displayed on each page. Consider collapsible content sections and menus as part of your responsive design.
- Be aware that many people will magnify or zoom on content, or change the orientation of their device. Create a responsive design that provides the space and flexibility to do so.
- Place fields and other form elements below, instead of next to, their labels.
Touch targets and touch screen gestures
Touch screens can create room for error. Be sure that interactive elements are at least 9mm high and 9mm wide, and provide ample space around interactive elements to help avoid user error.
In the world of mobile devices, clicks become taps. These gestures range in simplicity from a single tap or swipe to multi-point touch or pinching. With the use of assistive technology, many of these gestures can be overridden.
The following tips can help support touch screen gestures for users.
- When possible, stick to standard tap and swipe gestures. Provide explicit instructions when deviating from those patterns.
- Tapping gestures are often more accessible than swiping gestures. When possible, avoid drag-and-drop interactions, and opt for tapping to select elements and then select categories or actions.
- Activate elements and perform actions on touchend (the touch screen equivalent of “mouse up”).
Get help from the
Center for User Experience (CUE)
We partner with you to create accessible, usable and inclusive digital spaces through free evaluations and consultations.