The reviews are in for Google's newly-launched app Accessibility Scanner, and according to its page on the Google Play store, it's been doing great.
Russell Collins gave the app a rating of five out of five stars, profusely thanking Google for the app in his review. He describes how the app makes discovering accessibility shortcomings in an application more concrete and thus, lowers "the barrier for entry" to discussions on accessibility.
Ted Drake also gave the app a rating of five for solving two of the most difficult tasks in app-making, color contrast and target size. The screen shot feature is also something he likes about the app, which easily captures and outlines accessibility problems on an app's user interface (UI), making it easier to address the problem and compiled for a "product team."
Most of the high-rating reviews come from developers who found that the app performed as expected and made their development easier.
Currently, about 165 people have rated the app, of which 130 users gave it a rating of five out of five stars, 22 users giving it a four out of five stars, five users giving it three out of five stars, three users giving it a two out of five stars and five users giving it one out of five stars, bringing the average to 4.6 out of five stars.
It is important to note, however, that the app is geared toward developers to aid them in producing accessible apps for physically disabled users. For the more "regular" user or users who do not develop apps, they can also use the Accessibility Scanner, but only in scanning apps and determining which of the app's features need to be enhanced for physically disabled users.
The Accessibility scanner "suggests improvements," but does not perform those improvements. The purpose of the scan is for users to send it to developers and help them realize that their app needs to be updated for their physically disabled users; unless, of course, the user can actually perform the update on their own.
Google's plans to make "technology accessible for everyone" and the app's description listing the detail that regular users can also use it to check apps and make "changes" themselves may have confused some.
A user complained that the Accessibility Scanner only reported a result but did not tell them how to "fix it." Another went as far as calling the app unusable because "there was is nothing in this app."
Perhaps Google has to redefine the limitations of the Accessibility Scanner or build upon the current tech it's offering to actually let users perform the upgrades on their own.
Photo: Carlos Luna | Flickr
