This link has been bookmarked by 16 people . It was first bookmarked on 31 Jan 2009, by Christy Tucker.
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19 Jun 09
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30 Apr 09
Frederik Van ZandeIn December 2008 through January 2009, WebAIM conducted a survey of preferences of screen reader users. We received 1121 valid responses to the screen reader survey, which was conducted Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009. The response was amazing. Below are the initial quantitative results and a few observations on the survey results. More in-depth analysis and documentation on the free-form responses will be available in the future.
accessibility screen reader webdesign screenReaders research best practice
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05 Apr 09
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26 Feb 09
Robert HoltResults of a survey of screen reader users - current as of January 2009
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17 Feb 09
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11 Feb 09
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06 Feb 09
Joe WheatonScreen reader user survey. Could be used in grants, including documentation for the fellowship.
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05 Feb 09
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04 Feb 09
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03 Feb 09
Jade AndersonSome interesting results: Flash is difficult for screen readers to access while frames are easy.
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02 Feb 09
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We received 1121 valid responses to the screen reader survey, which was conducted Dec. 2008 - Jan. 2009.
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Some questions were of a technical nature and we understand that many participants may not have been very technically savvy. Responses may also be based upon user experiences with web content that is generally inaccessible. We cannot help but wonder if responses may have been different if screen reader interactions with web content were typically very positive.
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33 respondents (2.9%) reported being both deaf and blind.
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Please rate your computer proficiency
Response % of Respondents Expert 22% Advanced 44% Intermediate 27% Beginner 8% -
Please rate your screen reader proficiency
Response % of Respondents Expert 17% Advanced 41% Intermediate 32% Beginner 9% -
Screen Reader Usage
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Of the 1121 respondents, 74% use JAWS, 23% use Window-Eyes, 8% use NVDA, and 6% use VoiceOver. While several other screen readers were reported, these were the most prominently reported. Individual versions of screen readers are not yet computed, but generally the majority of users are using the most up-to-date version of their screen reader.
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How soon do you update your screen reader after a new version is released?
Upgrade Window % of Respondents Immediately 41% First 6 months 25% 6-12 months 9% 1-2 years 9% 2-3 years 4% 3+ years 6% No response 6% -
How customized are your screen reader settings? (e.g., changed verbosity, installed scripts, etc.)
Response % of Respondents A lot 29% Somewhat 40% Slightly 21% Not at all 7% No response 4% -
a lot or some customization was reported by only 27.6% of respondents with no disability versus 71.4% for those that reported blindness.
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78% of respondents reported using a screen reader on a desktop computer, 54% use a screen reader on a laptop, and 12% use a screen reader on a mobile phone.
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No respondents who use screen readers for evaluation reported using a screen reader on a mobile device.
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Which web browser(s) do you currently use with a screen reader?
Browser % of Respondents IE6 33% IE7 68% IE8 2% Firefox 39% Safari 6% -
Respondents with no disability were nearly twice as likely to list Firefox as blind respondents - 66% to 37%.
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The percentage of Safari users is over double that of the overall population - this may be due in part to the fact that some in the Mac community actively solicited survey participation and encouraged respondents to indicate their Safari use, perhaps partially due to feeling snubbed because we didn't list them with IE and Firefox as direct choices.
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When first accessing a new, unfamiliar home page, I'm most likely to...
Response % of Respondents Read through the home page 46% Navigate through or listen to the links on the page 35% Use the Search to find what I'm looking for 13% Look for a site map or site index 3% No Response 2% -
Interestingly, the more proficient screen reader users are more likely to read through the home page and use links less often than less proficient screen reader users. This may be due to faster reading speeds for more experienced users. The home page strategies used were very similar regardless of proficiency, disability, or amount of screen reader use.
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I use "skip to content" or "skip navigation" links...
Response % of Respondents Whenever they're available 22% Often 16% Sometimes 28% Seldom 19% Never 10% No Response 4% -
Skip to content 22% Skip to main content 28% -
I use Access keys...
Response % of Respondents Whenever they're available 22% Often 16% Sometimes 28% Seldom 19% Never 10% -
I navigate by headings...
Response % of Respondents Whenever they're available 52% Often 24% -
76% always or often navigating by headings when they are available.
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I use site search functionality...
Response % of Respondents Whenever it's available 26% Often 25% Sometimes 31% -
Find the word "Search" 18% Jump to the first text/edit field on the page 25% -
Jump to the first form element in a page 36% -
Proficient screen reader users were more than twice as likely to jump directly to the form or text/edit field than less proficient users. Less proficient users were nearly three times more likely to use more manual methods (reading, tabbing, or finding) than more proficient users.
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a majority of respondents seldom or never use site maps. There was no marked difference in the use of site maps across screen reader proficiency or disability. In general, it appears that site maps may be beneficial, but are not commonly accessed by screen reader users.
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Text-only versions are always used by many and never used by many. As such, it is very difficult to interpret the value they have for screen reader users. More proficient screen reader users were much less likely to use text-only versions than less proficient users. This may suggest that proficient users employ sufficient techniques to render the main version acceptable to them. Or, it may suggest that proficient users do not gain value in using text-only versions, which are often less than optimal.
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If content is identified as being "for screen reader users", how often do you use it?
Response % of Respondents Whenever it's available 38% Often 15% Sometimes 25% Seldom 13% -
A closer analysis, however, reveals that pop-up windows are reported as very difficult twice as often by less proficient screen reader users than with higher proficiency. Alternatively, more proficient users were three times more likely to indicate that pop-up windows are not at all difficult. This shows that less proficient screen reader users (which represent 41% of respondents) have more difficult experiences with pop-up windows.
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Firefox users were much more likely to give a favorable response, perhaps a reflection of Firefox support for ARIA, etc. Evaluators and those without disabilities were nearly twice as likely to indicate that these applications are not very or not at all accessible than those that always use screen readers or have disabilities. This may suggest that these applications are actually more accessible than evaluators believe them to be, or alternatively, that screen reader users with disabilities are less knowledgeable about the true inaccessibility of these technologies.
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66% of evaluators preferred that the image be ignored, compared to only 28% of those that always user a screen reader. Similarly, 65% of those with no disability preferred that the image be ignored, compared to 29% of those with disabilities.
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If a web page contains a photo of the White House, I prefer that the image be identified as...
Response % of Respondents Photo of the White House 80% -
69.4% of evaluators found them difficult compared to only 42.6% of those that always use a screen reader. Those with higher screen reader proficiency naturally found these links easier.
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71.5% of screen reader users reported that Flash is difficult
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While the majority (58%) of users reported that frames are easy, those that are blind were 3 1/2 times more likely to indicate that they are easy than those with no disability. Similarly, those that always use a screen reader reported frames as easy nearly 3 times more often than evaluators. This perhaps suggests a misconception among those that do not have disabilities that frames are very inaccessible when in fact those with disabilities find them easy.
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01 Feb 09
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31 Jan 09
Christy TuckerResults of a survey of screen reader users. Screen reader users are not uniform in their responses; proficiency levels and preferences vary widely. Clear heading structure is recommended, as this was a very common navigation technique. Because of the diversity of responses, it may be best to provide options so people can access content in the way that works for them.
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