Accessible App Design - the power of honest feedback.

As app developers and educators, we all strive to make our apps accessible. We watch design videos, carefully select fonts and colors, and include accessibility features.

However, after a decade of doing this, I recently had the opportunity to work with an amazing group of students with a range of additional needs to help them develop an app for their own learning.

Through this experience, I learned far more than any video or book had ever taught me.

The app’s purpose was to create a practical tool that students could use to take orders in a coffee shop–style classroom setting. As they were learning barista skills, we wanted them to experience the full process - from taking orders to making drinks and serving customers. That’s where the app came in.

We quickly coded a first version in week one. It worked, but it wasn’t perfect and we discovered that almost immediately. Within ten minutes of class starting, we realised the buttons weren’t big enough.

By the next class, we saw that the order cart wasn’t clear enough, and the small red circle showing the number of items was easy to miss.

We also noticed that some of our language wasn’t as clear as we’d assumed. For instance, using “regular tea” to mean “non-herbal tea” wasn’t obvious to everyone.

Later, students tried to edit their orders but couldn’t change quantities. We added a swipe-to-delete feature, which seemed fine until we realised that swiping left or right like deleting an email wasn’t intuitive for everyone. So we replaced it with a simple trash icon. Toggle switches also proved to be a big improvement.

The process, from a Keynote prototype to a functioning accessible app, has taken several weeks will continue to evolve. In the next steps we hope to test it with cohorts from neighboring schools who are undertaking similar barista course training.

Most importantly, I’ve learned the value of testing with real users and the power of honest feedback. This has been a truly collaborative process and the most meaningful app design experience I’ve had to date.