Practitioner Views on Mobile App Accessibility: Practices and Challenges

TL;DR

The paper addresses how mobile app accessibility is practiced across iOS and Android by interviewing 110 developers from 43 countries in a global mixed-methods study. It shows that while accessibility is widely regarded as important, familiarity with universal guidelines is limited and practice often lags, with testing typically occurring in mid-to-late development stages. The authors provide a cross-platform, experience-aware analysis of implemented features, testing approaches, and barriers, revealing platform-specific constraints and an association between guideline familiarity and broader accessibility adoption. They also introduce a multi-level barrier taxonomy and discuss implications for educators, tool vendors, and organizations to foster earlier, more comprehensive inclusive design and reduce accessibility debt.

Abstract

As mobile applications (apps) become ubiquitous in everyday life, it is crucial for developers to prioritize accessibility for users with diverse abilities. While previous research has identified widespread accessibility issues and raised awareness of developer challenges, there remains a lack of cross-platform, globally representative insights into how practitioners approach accessibility in practice. This paper presents findings from a mixed-methods survey of 110 mobile app developers across 43 countries, examining how platform ecosystems (iOS vs. Android) and developer experience shape accessibility practices. Results show that while developers recognize the importance of accessibility, they often rely on platform-specific guidelines and typically perform compliance testing late in the development process. Developers primarily implement text-focused features while struggling with API limitations and organizational constraints. Through systematic cross-platform comparison, we identify novel platform-specific barriers and demonstrate how accessibility practices differ across developer experience levels. Our findings offer new insights into the challenges of achieving accessibility in practice and provide actionable steps for various stakeholders to promote more consistent and inclusive app development.