As part of our efforts to enhance accessibility, we have improved screen reader support
As announced at the note 7th Anniversary Business Presentation held on Wednesday, April 7, note is currently working on enhancing accessibility. As the first step, we have made improvements for cases where note is used with a screen reader.
What is a screen reader?
A screen reader is software that reads aloud the content displayed on the screen and input from the keyboard for users with visual impairments when they use a computer. It is standard on many computer and smartphone operating systems, including Windows, Mac, iOS, and Android.
Screen readers read the HTML written when a web page is created. For a screen reader to accurately interpret the content displayed on the screen, it is important to use appropriate HTML elements in an order that conveys the content effectively.
Five improvements regarding screen readers
In this round of improvements, we have corrected and added information that screen readers can interpret so that screen-reader users can better understand the screen content, increasing the number of areas where they can understand functions and perform operations. Specifically, we have made the following five improvements.
1. Search operations are now possible from the header
Previously, the screen reader keyboard focus did not land on the creator candidates or the "Search All" section that appears when you type something into the search box. We have improved this so that these are recognized as buttons, allowing users to perform search operations such as searching everything or filtering creator articles from the search box even when using a screen reader.
2. Some icons are now read aloud in Japanese
Previously, buttons displayed only as icons were either not read aloud at all, read in English, or described in a way that represented the visual appearance of the icon, making them difficult to understand. Now, some areas where icons are placed, such as the search icon, notification icon, and menu, are read aloud in Japanese.
3. Table of contents heading level change + keyboard operation enabled
Previously, the article title was an h1, but the table of contents heading level was an h4, which was not appropriate for the document structure. Also, it was not possible to set keyboard focus to each item in the table of contents, making it impossible to operate with a keyboard. We have corrected the heading level to h2 and enabled keyboard focus for each item, allowing for correct operation when using a screen reader.
4. Checkboxes are now operable on the account settings page
For each setting item on the account settings page, screen readers were unable to detect the existence of checkboxes, making them inoperable. We have improved this point, and now the state of the checkboxes for each item can be recognized by screen readers, and they can be toggled on/off.
5. Changed headings within the body from h3 to h2
Previously, the article title was an h1, but headings within the body were h3, causing the heading level to skip from 1 to 3. By changing these body headings from h3 to h2, the document structure is now easier to understand when using a screen reader. This change will only apply to newly created content, but we plan to automatically update existing articles as well.
On improving note's accessibility
This improvement is just the first step.
Currently, there are many aspects of note, including reading and writing, that are not accessible. For cases requiring accessibility in different ways, such as color vision characteristics, low vision, or upper limb disabilities, we will continue to make small, frequent improvements in our own note-like way and will announce them each time.
In addition to establishing an "Accessibility Improvement Team" within note, we are also receiving cooperation from external accessibility experts. We are working with Rikiya Ihara, who has published books on web accessibility and is active as a member of the Web Accessibility Infrastructure Committee WG1, to hold study sessions on accessibility within the company.
We have also started interviews with people who use screen readers. We would like to ask them frankly about how these improvements have changed their user experience and use that feedback for future improvements.
If you have any feedback regarding accessibility, such as "I would like it to be more like this" or "It would be helpful if I could do this," please submit it to our Improvement Suggestion Box.
To create an environment where everyone can enjoy creating regardless of their environment or physical and mental conditions, we will work on improving accessibility one step at a time, while referring to your voices.
For improvements and requests regarding features, click here
. For other inquiries, click here
▼ We are also looking for people to provide feedback on improving accessibility