iOS Accessibility Review: Bridging Text and Audio with Apple’s Spoken Content

Spoken Content is a built-in feature on Apple devices designed to provide auditory assistance for users who prefer to hear what they read or write (Apple, n.d.-a). This review evaluates Spoken Content's functionality, usability, and effectiveness and offers a perspective on the tool's perceived benefits and disadvantages.

Device Description

Spoken Content, available on macOS and iOS/iPadOS devices, is an accessibility feature primarily designed to help individuals with cognitive and visual impairments. It leverages Apple's VoiceOver to speak aloud digital text on the screen. Users can select either the text they wish to have spoken aloud or indicate a screen to be read in its entirety (Apple, n.d.-a, Apple, n.d.-b, Apple, n.d.-c).

Spoken Content offers various features, including speaking announcements, selections, items under the pointer, and providing typing feedback. Typing feedback reads out individual characters or words as the user types, which may benefit users with visual impairments or those learning a new language. Users can customise voice settings, including language, voice, and speaking rate, and adjust highlighting options to highlight text by word, sentence, or both. Pronunciation customisation (not available on MacOS) is also supported to improve the accuracy of spoken text for specific terms (Apple, n.d.-a; Apple Support, 2023a; Apple Support, 2023b).

The primary target users for Spoken Content are individuals with cognitive disabilities and visual impairments (Apple, n.d.-a). The feature also serves as a learning aid for non-native speakers or individuals learning a new language. This feature can benefit many age groups, from young children to older adults.

Usability and User Experience

Setting up and activating Spoken Content was straightforward, following the instructions in the Apple user guide and YouTube videos. On Mac and mobile devices, users navigate to System Settings (or Settings on iOS/iPadOS), select Accessibility, and choose Spoken Content under the Vision heading (Apple, n.d.-b; Apple Support, 2023b). The feature was readily located and activated without extensive scrolling.

The user experience varied between devices. On the Mac, the feature was more intuitive and straightforward, particularly with the keyboard shortcut (Option + Escape), clearly described in the Apple user guides, which facilitated the use of the feature by allowing users to initiate spoken content quickly (Apple, n.d.-b). On mobile devices, the swipe gestures for Speak Screen were less intuitive and required multiple attempts to activate. The Speech Controller on mobile devices provided a more manageable way to control the spoken content but was not enabled by default, leading to initial difficulties in pausing or stopping the speech. Using Siri to activate the feature was intuitive, although hindered by spoken timing issues, making it less effective than anticipated.

Benefits and Disadvantages

The key benefit of the Spoken Content feature is its ability to convert digital text into spoken words, supporting diverse learning styles and aiding users with visual impairments. The feature also benefits non-native speakers and language learners by providing auditory reinforcement of written text. Highlighting options and customisable voice settings further enhance the user experience, making it adaptable to individual needs. The integration with Siri provides hands-free control, making it easier to use for individuals with motor impairments.

However, several disadvantages and limitations were noted. The text-to-speech engine sounds artificial, with unnatural intonation, pauses, and pronunciation errors, which could mislead language learners. Furthermore, the functionality of Spoken Content on mobile devices appeared limited in some instances to specific programmes or documentation types. Lastly, the feature's highlighting capability did not work in PDF files, limiting its utility in academic and professional settings.

Additional Comments

One notable limitation is that the highlighting feature did not work in PDF files. Given the prevalence of PDFs, especially in academic settings, improving this functionality would significantly enhance the feature's utility. Another recommendation is to have the speech controller turned on by default on touch devices like iPhones and iPads. This would allow users to quickly pause or stop the speech, preventing potential embarrassment or inconvenience in public settings. Additionally, incorporating intuitive gestures, such as tapping anywhere on the screen to stop Speak Screen, would align with intuitive user behaviour and improve usability. Finally, integrating more advanced AI voices could improve the overall user experience by providing more natural pausing, pronunciation, and intonation, making reading comprehension more pleasant and effective.

References

Apple. (n.d.-a). Accessibility. https://www.apple.com/uk/accessibility/#footnote-10 ?

Apple. (n.d.-b). Have your Mac speak text that's on the screen. https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/mac-help/mh27448/mac

Apple. (n.d.-c). Hear iPad speak the screen, selected text, and typing feedback. https://support.apple.com/en-gb/guide/ipad/ipad9a247097/ipados ??

Apple Support. (2023a, May 3). How to have your iPhone or iPad read text to you | Apple Support [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sV4cM34X7oo ?

Apple Support. (2023b, May 19). How to set up Speak Selection on Mac | Apple Support [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yiZzm24uSsE