Apple puts a big emphasis on the accessibility of its products, ranging from iPhone and Apple Watch to AirPods and more. In a new interview, Sarah Herrlinger, Apple’s global head of accessibility, offers more details about Apple’s focus on accessibility.
Speaking to the Evening Standard, Herrlinger explained that Apple’s central goal is to level the playing field and give everyone the ability to be productive members of society.
When it comes to developing new accessibility features, Herrlinger said that one of key resources for Apple is emails from customers. Hearing a user articulate why an accessibility feature would be useful for them is often the “aha moment” for Apple, Herrlinger said.
One of Apple’s biggest accessibility advancements is VoiceOver, which is a screen reader technology that helps visually impaired users know what’s on their iPhone’s screen. VoiceOver has been successful because of its deep implementation throughout iOS, Herrlinger explained:
Herrlinger also elaborated on the AirPods’ Live Listen feature. This allows your iPhone to act as a directional microphone, with audio being played back live to a pair of AirPods. Herrlinger said that this is one of many examples of an accessibility feature having a broader use case than originally intended:
Herrlinger’s full interview is definitely worth a read and can be found on the Evening Standard website.
