I rarely feel anxious or stressed when it comes to technology. I'm not
bragging and perhaps I shouldn't admit such things as I know there are
people who feel stressed every time their computer boots up. Again, I'm
not boasting and I don't think I'm particularly brilliant. I just enjoy
learning and using technology and it rarely stresses me out. I'm always
excited about the prospect of learning a new app and even embracing a
new operating system. However, there are a few exceptions and one of
them is when certain apps update on my iPhone. Just when I feel that
I've learned the commands and gestures of a new app and the location of
its various buttons and controls, just when the app and I have begun to
bond it updates and everything can potentially change. The buttons could
be moved, the prompts could be different or accessibility could be
totally broken.
Lately, I've become a bit of a TV junkie. I'm not what they call a
linear viewer, which is a person who watches a show when it actually
airs. However, I enjoy using apps to watch many programs on demand and
Hulu is one of my go-to apps. I admit that when I see a Hulu update my
confidence level begins to lessen and I have to fight a bout of what
could be called app accessibility anxiety, a phrase I borrowed and
rebranded from one of my Twitter contacts, whose handle I have sadly
forgotten. Last night was one of those times when I saw that an update
from Hulu was available and I hoped that the app would work after the
update.
I took a breath, double-tapped the "update all" button to update my apps
and, later, opened Hulu.
I was, to say the least, surprised and delighted at what I discovered.
The app not only worked but accessibility was improved. Hulu now has
three tabs on the bottom of the screen, one for browsing shows, another
for discovering new shows and another for my watchlist. These items were
all available with the previous versions but getting to them, while it
was certainly doable, was a bit awkward, although I became used to the
interface. Now, accessing these items is much easier. The watchlist tab
is particularly nice, with buttons for my shows and separate buttons to
play or resume the next episode for that particular show.
Of course, there is always room for improvement. I'd like to see a
separate search tab, as getting to the search edit box on the top left
of the screen can be a bit tricky. Also, it would be nice to have the
two-finger scrub activate the back button.
These things aside, Hulu has done a lot to make the app more usable with
VoiceOver. I am just so pleased to see this change and I would like to
publicly thank them for their efforts.
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Feel free to visit my Web site
http://www.davidgoldfield.info
David Goldfield,
Assistive Technology Specialist
