Mobile Applications Accessibility: An Evaluation of the Local Portuguese Press

Abstract

The local press has always played a central role in the Portuguese society. Recently, new innovative technological projects to develop mobile applications and focus on local journalism in Portugal have emerged. These initiatives allow the development of better and more appealing services for local users. However, due to the important social role of the local press, this also brings along some responsibilities. Our main research goal is to study the accessibility issues in local journalism in Portugal. To this end, we first describe the current situation of local journalism in Portugal and some accessibility issues raised by the appearance of mobile applications. We then develop a simple checklist that allows the assessment of whether these applications have prevented social exclusion and facilitated the access of local information to a wide range of users, including disabled citizens. This tool provides the regional news publisher with information to improve its democratization of access to local information in Portugal. Using the cognitive walkthrough method, we illustrate the proposed framework by presenting case studies of five mobile applications in Portuguese local and regional press. This study concludes that despite the great potential that mobile applications showcase, several accessibility issues have not been properly addressed.

Accessibility Evaluation of Interactive Learning Mobile Applications for Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

“…In a different context, an accessibility assessment was conducted on five mobile applications of local Portuguese press using guidelines derived from the project's indicators checklist [20]. This assessment revealed several issues related to presenting search tools, accessibility symbol visibility, color contrast, flashing-screen, identifiable language, and numerous other issues.…”

“…A checklist based on a literature study was developed to analyze three mobile apps designed for elderly users [19]. Another research study proposed a set of indicators prior performing a cognitive walkthrough evaluation toward five mobile applications in Portuguese local and regional press [20]. Generally, those studies doi: primarily involved assessing mobile apps against specific guidelines.…”

"Towards Inclusive Digital Democracy: A Conceptual Framework for Digital Citizen Participation"

“…Mobile applications showed great potential for local journalism as well as challenges in the example of local news sites in Portugal. Accessibility remains an issue not easily resolved (Santos Gonçalves et al, 2021). Therefore, evaluating platform design and including a pluralistic set of voices into the design process seems highly relevant if digital participation processes claim to be democratic and representative.…”

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“…The research [19] argues that there are accessibility issues in mobile applications. It presents a checklist to assess whether applications have prevented social exclusion and facilitated access to information for many users, including citizens with disabilities.…”