The Legend of the Typical Screen Reader User

The Legendof the

Typical Screen Reader User

Jared Smithhttp://webaim.org

Thursday, November 12, 2009

http://webaim.org

http://webaim.org

Screen reader users prefer...


http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurveyand

http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey2


http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey/


Disclaimers

• The sample was not controlled

• Respondents are likely to be more technical

• Safe to consider the sample representative of connected, tech-savvy screen reader users?


Survey #1January 2009

1121 Respondents

Survey #2October 2009

665 Respondents


There is NO typical screen reader user


Prevalence of Disability

Yes90%

No10%


Screen Reader Proficiency

Advanced52.5%

Intermediate42.8%

Beginner4.7%


Those with disabilities were 6X more likely to report themselves as “Advanced” screen

reader users


Internet Proficiency

Advanced64.9%

Intermediate33.6%

Beginner1.5%


Primary Screen Reader

0%

25%

50%

75%

66.4%

10.4% 8.9% 4.9% 2.9% 2.6%JAWS Window Eyes VoiceOver SA or SAToGo NVDA Zoomtext


Screen Readers Commonly Used

0%

25%

50%

75%

75.2%

23.5%14.6%

22.3% 25.6%

7.5%JAWS Window Eyes VoiceOver SA or SAToGo NVDA Zoomtext


Screen Readers Commonly Used

0%

25%

50%

75%

74%

23%

6% 8%

75%

24%15%

26%

JAWS Window Eyes VoiceOver NVDA

January 2009October 2009


Screen Reader Updated in the Previous Year?

Yes83.6%

No16.4%


Screen Reader Updates

• Increased from 75% to 84% in 10 months

•6% using a screen reader > 3 years old


How did you learn to use your primary screen reader?

0%

25%

50%

75%

100%

72.9%

32.9% 24.2% 10.5%Self-Taught Informally Training Other


Browser Usage

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

32%26.2%

12.7%18.8%

8.3%

IE8 IE7 IE6 Firefox 3+ Safari


Up over 400% in 10 months!

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

12%

50%

January 2009 October 2009

Mobile screen reader usage


Do you see free or low-cost screen readers (such as NVDA or VoiceOver) as currently being viable alternatives to

commercial screen readers?

Yes47.8%

No19.7%

I Don’t Know32%


Javascript Disabled?

Yes10.4%

No74.9%

I Don’t Know15%


Problematic Items1.CAPTCHA2.Inaccessible Flash content3.Links or buttons that do not make sense4.Images with missing or improper alt text5.Complex or difficult forms6.Lack of keyboard accessibility7.Unexpected content changes8.Missing or improper headings9.Too many links or navigation items10.Complex data tables


Progress over the previous year

More Accessible46.3%

Less Accessible33.3%

No Change20%


Which of the following do you think has a bigger impact on

improvements to web accessibility?

Better (more accessible) web sites68.6%

Better assistive technology31.4%


Use of ARIA Landmarks

Unaware of landmarks42.1%

Use landmarks when present20.5%

Sometimes use landmarks32%

Not supported5%


Social Media Usage

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

47.7%42%

13.4% 9%

38.2%

51.3%

Blogs Facebook LinkedIn MySpace Twitter YouTube


Social Media Accessibility

Blogs Facebook LinkedIn MySpace Twitter YouTube

Accessible

Inaccessible


General Social Media Accessibility

Very Accessible

Somewhat Accessible

Somewhat Inaccessible

Very Inaccessible

I Don’t Know


Likelihood of Flash Accessibility

Very Likely

Somewhat Likely

Somewhat Unlikely

Very Unlikely

I Don’t Know


Headings

76% always or often navigate by headings

50.8% use headings as the primary method of finding information in a page


Other Notables

• Text-only versions are not commonly accessed. Screen reader-only content is accessed only slightly more often.

• Majority have difficulty with pop-up windows.

• Prefer “Skip to main content” or “Skip to content” over “Skip navigation”.


What suggestions do you have for developers/manufacturers

of screen readers?


“Focus on web standards (e.g., ARIA)”


“Be more open. Listen to your customers.”


“Lower your prices or I’ll switch to Screen Reader X

(as soon as it’s fully useful).”


“Spend more time fixing bugs than implementing new

features I’ll never/rarely use.”


“Support/fix Flash accessibility.”


“Remove JAWS demo mode restrictions on

evaluation and testing.”


“Keep up the good work. I can’t imagine life without

these wonderful technologies!”


There is NO typical screen reader user

... but we can learn much about typical behavior


The survey results pages have much, MUCH more

http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurveyand

http://webaim.org/projects/screenreadersurvey2




Thank You!

Jared Smithhttp://webaim.org

twitter: @jared_w_smithAHG hashtag is #ahg09


http://webaim.org

http://webaim.org

The Legend of the Typical Screen Reader User

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