Mobile software aids for people with low vision

The usage of smartphones is increasingly widespread, and the usefulness of mobile applications as low-vision aids is evident but not thoroughly examined. In this study, we surveyed people with low vision to assess the usability of common, preloaded mobile applications, to evaluate the usage of typical assistive technologies of smartphones, and to measure the usefulness, and usability of recent software advancements that can be used as visual aids. We invited 134 low-vision individuals to participate, and 45 of them met the eligibility criteria and completed an in-person survey. The eligibility criteria were as follows: aged 18 years or older and mentally competent, visual acuity worse than 0.4 logMAR with best-corrected glasses in the better-seeing eye, ownership of a smartphone and familiarity with visual assistive technologies. All testing scenarios were carried out using the participants' smartphones, either with Android or iOS operating systems. Participants reported the usefulness and ease of use for common visual display enhancements (i.e., text size, bold text, increased contrast, inverted colors, and dark mode), audio feedback capabilities, four primary preloaded apps (Dialer, Clock, Calculator, and Calendar), and four usage scenarios that serve as low-vision aids (magnify with camera, hard-copy text-to-speech, voice typing, and voice commands). Participants also indicated whether they could use the apps or execute the scenarios independently. The Dialer and Clock apps, text enhancements, camera magnification, and voice typing were rated as highly useful, while the Calendar application received lower ratings. Most of the selected apps or services were rated as easy to use, with lower ratings recorded for the Calendar and Select to Speak ones. Considering the positive results across all options, this collection of apps and services proved useful for all age groups, regardless of gender, technological familiarity, or education. The feedback received in this study can help towards improving the everyday lives of low-vision people as well as informing the design of apps and assistive features, guiding future research and development to enhance visual accessibility on mobile computing devices.