Heuristic method of evaluating accessibility of mobile in selected applications for air quality monitoring

Abstract

At present, advances in technology, the use of smartphones and access to the Internet pose significant challenges in the area of accessibility of mobile applications. This study identified the lack of clear policies and methods for assessing accessibility in apps as a significant challenge for web accessibility experts. On the other hand, the heuristic evaluation concept proposed by Nielsen and Molich is an inspection method based on the evaluation of an interactive system. To reduce accessibility barriers, in this research we propose a heuristic method based on Brajnik’s Barrier Walkthrough. The method helps to propose some improvements to evaluate accessibility in mobile applications between a heuristic method and the Web Content Accessibility Guide 2.1. As a case study, we applied this evaluation to users with low vision who use mobile applications under the Android operating system that helps users monitor the air we breathe. The results of this research can help future works about the development of accessible mobile applications.