Accessibility Tour of Libby, Version 1.81 on iOS
Channel: NNELS Canada
Date: 24/12/2019

Full transcript below.
Provides a tour of the Libby app, highlighting accessibility features. For a detailed assessment of the app, read full or summarized version of our report here: https://www.accessiblepublishing.ca/reading-app-reports/
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Transcript:

This video was made with sighted assistance. It has been produced with the generous support of the Government of Canada.
The Libby app strives to provide access to Audiobooks and eBooks from local libraries, but lacks accessibility in crucial areas. Before we dive into some suggested improvements, let's take a quick look at why they're important.
To get the most out of a Smart-phone, those who are blind turn on voice feedback.
Voiceover on
Then, they can swipe quickly to different controls on the screen, and hear any text that appears.
Play Books, RbDigital, Press-Reader, Libby
In order to navigate a screen effectively, it is important that all buttons be labeled. Controls need to be swipable, and screens must be clear of hidden text.
We will now explore four accessibility challenges with Libby version 1.8.1 on IOS. We will explore focus issues with popup menus, show a number of unlabeled buttons and the difficulties this results in, demonstrate Voiceover speaking invisible text, and highlight the challenges faced when attempting to actually read books.
When a menu or feature is activated, the previous screen is slid over to form an inactive background. This is a common practice throughout the app, but presents a major challenge for VoiceOver users. Instead of being positioned on the new controls, the user is left stranded on the previous screen.
A prime example of this is the Menu button. When activated, it expands with options such as Add a Library and Learn Libby.
However, instead of being able to swipe to these options, we can only navigate the original screen.
The only way to access the menu field is to tap on the top-right of the screen, then swipe through its controls.
This is problematic, because blind users will not know where the menu is, or even that they have to tap it.
Furthermore, when swiping through a screen where a popup is displayed, its options mingle with the existing content.
This makes it almost impossible to tell which controls are part of the popup.
Unfortunately, back-field interference is another serious concern.
Occasionally, Voiceover will mistakenly read text and controls that are no longer visible. We refer to this phenomenon as back-field interference. It occurs when new controls are painted over existing ones, without first clearing the screen of its old content.
Here, we'll demonstrate one area where back-field interference is prevalent. It's important to note, though, that this issue does crop up randomly and persistently throughout the entire app.
When we no longer need the menu, we click Hide.
However, the menu controls are still exposed to VoiceOver.
Being prompted to interact with controls that do not exist represents a level of frustration rarely experienced elsewhere. Please insure that each screen of your user interface is free and clear of old controls and text.
The audio player is not usable due to many compounding accessibility issues.
When we press the open button from the Bookshelf, the screen that comes up is littered with countless controls. Their labels make no sense to a VoiceOver user, and most controls don't seem to correspond to actual functions.
In addition to being unlabeled, many important controls - such as the Play button - are skipped when using VoiceOver's swipe gesture.
These issues represent an insurmountable barrier to access for non-visual readers. Unless important buttons are labeled, meaningless controls are removed, the screen can be logically navigated with the swipe gesture, and icons are enlarged so they can be easily found by touch, blind readers will be unable to listen to audiobooks with Libby.
Sadly, reading eBooks is equally difficult.
No buttons are labeled, and continued use of the feature introduces serious back-field interference.
The process of accessing the list of chapters is far too complex, and unlabeled buttons combine with focus challenges to render it unusable. If a user does manage to select a new chapter, VoiceOver usually reads the wrong page.
Finally, it isn't possible to scroll the book using VoiceOver's three-finger gesture. VoiceOver doesn't even recognize the button at the far-right of the screen, so VoiceOver users have no idea how to turn pages.
It takes a lot of time and hard work to produce an app of this caliber, and we appreciate your willingness to explore increasing its accessibility. The modifications requested here can be made without impacting the visual look and feel of the interface, but will be greatly appreciated by those reading your content with speech.
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The National Network for Equitable Library Service (NNELS) is a Canadian digital public library of books in accessible formats for people who need them. Learn more at http://nnels.ca.