Good visual contrast between the keys and the body of the phone.

Key tops should be convex or flat with a raised edge.

Keys should be as large as possible without reducing the distance between the keys to less than half the key width.

Ideally the keys should be internally illuminated, but the internal illumination should not reduce the legibility of the numbers in daylight.

The visual markings on the keys should be high contrast, clear, and as large as is possible on the key top.

Keys should be raised above the body of the phone (preferably by 5 mm).

The pressure to activate a key should be between 0.5 and 1 Newton.

There should be auditory and tactual feedback of key activation.

Function keys should be tactually discernable from the numeric keys.

There should be a tactual indication on the '5' key or on a QWERTY keyboard on the 'F' and 'J' keys.

A voice mode selection that announces all key presses.

One-touch buttons are provided for ease of calling telephone numbers stored in the memory.

Provide rotational or linear-stop controls.

For keys that do not have any physical travel, audio or tactile feedback should be provided so the user knows when the key has been activated (e.g. a toggle swtich or a push-in/pop-out switch).

There is the ability to switch on or off any buttons on the side of the telephone.

Where timed responses are required allow the user to adjust them or set the amount of time allocated to the task.

The display should have good contrast and use a clear typeface.

Text should not be scrolling or flashing while it has to be read.

There should be minimal visual flicker or image flashing.

Minimise glare on the display and control surfaces.

Provide adequate back lighting.

There is the ability to alter the length of activation time for the back lighting.

The user should be able to increase the font size.

Text should be in upper and lower case and not all in capitals.

Use Arabic and not Roman numerals.

On colour displays, red/green and blue/yellow combinations should not be used.

Provide colours with different hues and intensity so that coloured objects can be distinguished on a black and white screen.

On flip-type telephones a good front screen should be provided.

The SIM card should be easy to insert in the correct orientation.

The phone should be easy to hold by someone with a weak grip.

There should not be parts which can easily come off.

The phone should be able to lie on a table and be operated one-handed (non-slip material on the underside of the phone would help to hold the phone in place if it is used while lying on a table).

Any external antenna should be robust and not require extending by the user.

There should be consistent design of the user interface adhering to the relevant standards whenever possible.

There should be an audio and visual indication when the phone is switched on or off.

The user should be able to return to the previous state or return to the default status at any stage in the process.

Error messages should be comprehensible to the non-technical user.

All labels and instructions should be in short and simple phrases or sentences. Avoid the use of abbreviations where possible.

Basic functions should be usable without having to use the visual display.

It should be possible to use the phone one-handed.

Possible speech recognition dialling for telephone numbers not already listed in the address book.

There is the option to associate a photograph with a telephone number in the address book.

The user should be able to set the volume of the ringing tone.

The ringing/alerting tone should include low as well as high frequencies.

The user must be able to increase the volume of the audio signal (preferably to at least 90 dB SPL).

Provide text versions of audio prompts that are synchronised with the audio so that the timing is the same.

There should be audio cutoff when an external listening device is connected.

An industry standard connector for headphones or personal listening devices should be provided (e.g. a standard 9mm miniature plug-in jack).

There is the ability to install assistive technology (e.g. screenreader) directly onto the phone.

The battery should be easy to install or replace.

Provide both an audio and visual indication of battery status.

The telephone should emit a 'beep' or tactile response when the charger is connected correctly.

It should not be possible to connect the charger incorrectly.

The charger should not be tricky to use or difficult to handle (i.e. small awkward parts can be difficult to assemble for someone with reduced manual dexterity).

An infra-red or wireless port could permit connection of computers and assistive devices. For instance, a visually impaired user could get synthetic speech through their own assistive device; an alternative mechanism is to incorporate speech output of SMS (short message service) as a network facility (this does not tell the user about signal or battery strength which is a function of their terminal).

Provide connection to a hands-free device. 

Reduce interference to external hearing technologies (including hearing aids, cochlear implants and assistive listening devices) to the lowest possible level.

Provide a means for effective wireless coupling to hearing aids.

Provide tactile indication on any plug or insert.

Provide a bevel around the slot or connection point.

Use simple clear concise language.

Have a table of contents and a good index.

Be task orientated.

Provide alternate formats (e.g. audio tape, large print).

Provide alternate modes of delivery (e.g. fax, relay service, TTY, Internet posting).

Use a typeface with good legibility.

Information contained in pictures should also be explained in the text.

Provide information on what to do if the phone does not work correctly, or the user is unable to understand the instructions (e.g. a telephone help number).

1.5, 1.6, 2.0, access, acer, asus, dell, google, garmin, huawei, lenovo, lg, nexus, sony, sony ericsson, accessibility, apps4android, section 255, section 508, android, at&t, bell, bell canada, blind, canada, cupcake, donut, eclaire, google, htc, ideal group, low-vision, moment, motorola, phone, phones, rogers, samsung, screenreader, screenreader, smartphones, smartphone, smartphones, smartphone, sprint, talkback, kickback, soundback, talk back, kick back, sound back, text to speech, library, tts library, eyes free shell, talking dialer, talking compass, t-mobile, tmobile, telus, verizon, nextel, vision impaired, visually impaired

Copyright © 2008-2010 by IDEAL Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 This website was last updated on

Good visual contrast between the keys and the body of the phone.

Key tops should be convex or flat with a raised edge.

Keys should be as large as possible without reducing the distance between the keys to less than half the key width.

Ideally the keys should be internally illuminated, but the internal illumination should not reduce the legibility of the numbers in daylight.

The visual markings on the keys should be high contrast, clear, and as large as is possible on the key top.

Keys should be raised above the body of the phone (preferably by 5 mm).

The pressure to activate a key should be between 0.5 and 1 Newton.

There should be auditory and tactual feedback of key activation.

Function keys should be tactually discernable from the numeric keys.

There should be a tactual indication on the '5' key or on a QWERTY keyboard on the 'F' and 'J' keys.

A voice mode selection that announces all key presses.

One-touch buttons are provided for ease of calling telephone numbers stored in the memory.

Provide rotational or linear-stop controls.

For keys that do not have any physical travel, audio or tactile feedback should be provided so the user knows when the key has been activated (e.g. a toggle swtich or a push-in/pop-out switch).

There is the ability to switch on or off any buttons on the side of the telephone.

Where timed responses are required allow the user to adjust them or set the amount of time allocated to the task.

The display should have good contrast and use a clear typeface.

Text should not be scrolling or flashing while it has to be read.

There should be minimal visual flicker or image flashing.

Minimise glare on the display and control surfaces.

Provide adequate back lighting.

There is the ability to alter the length of activation time for the back lighting.

The user should be able to increase the font size.

Text should be in upper and lower case and not all in capitals.

Use Arabic and not Roman numerals.

On colour displays, red/green and blue/yellow combinations should not be used.

Provide colours with different hues and intensity so that coloured objects can be distinguished on a black and white screen.

On flip-type telephones a good front screen should be provided.

The SIM card should be easy to insert in the correct orientation.

The phone should be easy to hold by someone with a weak grip.

There should not be parts which can easily come off.

The phone should be able to lie on a table and be operated one-handed (non-slip material on the underside of the phone would help to hold the phone in place if it is used while lying on a table).

Any external antenna should be robust and not require extending by the user.

There should be consistent design of the user interface adhering to the relevant standards whenever possible.

There should be an audio and visual indication when the phone is switched on or off.

The user should be able to return to the previous state or return to the default status at any stage in the process.

Error messages should be comprehensible to the non-technical user.

All labels and instructions should be in short and simple phrases or sentences. Avoid the use of abbreviations where possible.

Basic functions should be usable without having to use the visual display.

It should be possible to use the phone one-handed.

Possible speech recognition dialling for telephone numbers not already listed in the address book.

There is the option to associate a photograph with a telephone number in the address book.

The user should be able to set the volume of the ringing tone.

The ringing/alerting tone should include low as well as high frequencies.

The user must be able to increase the volume of the audio signal (preferably to at least 90 dB SPL).

Provide text versions of audio prompts that are synchronised with the audio so that the timing is the same.

There should be audio cutoff when an external listening device is connected.

An industry standard connector for headphones or personal listening devices should be provided (e.g. a standard 9mm miniature plug-in jack).

There is the ability to install assistive technology (e.g. screenreader) directly onto the phone.

The battery should be easy to install or replace.

Provide both an audio and visual indication of battery status.

The telephone should emit a 'beep' or tactile response when the charger is connected correctly.

It should not be possible to connect the charger incorrectly.

The charger should not be tricky to use or difficult to handle (i.e. small awkward parts can be difficult to assemble for someone with reduced manual dexterity).

An infra-red or wireless port could permit connection of computers and assistive devices. For instance, a visually impaired user could get synthetic speech through their own assistive device; an alternative mechanism is to incorporate speech output of SMS (short message service) as a network facility (this does not tell the user about signal or battery strength which is a function of their terminal).

Provide connection to a hands-free device. 

Reduce interference to external hearing technologies (including hearing aids, cochlear implants and assistive listening devices) to the lowest possible level.

Provide a means for effective wireless coupling to hearing aids.

Provide tactile indication on any plug or insert.

Provide a bevel around the slot or connection point.

Use simple clear concise language.

Have a table of contents and a good index.

Be task orientated.

Provide alternate formats (e.g. audio tape, large print).

Provide alternate modes of delivery (e.g. fax, relay service, TTY, Internet posting).

Use a typeface with good legibility.

Information contained in pictures should also be explained in the text.

Provide information on what to do if the phone does not work correctly, or the user is unable to understand the instructions (e.g. a telephone help number).

1.5, 1.6, 2.0, access, acer, asus, dell, google, garmin, huawei, lenovo, lg, nexus, sony, sony ericsson, accessibility, apps4android, section 255, section 508, android, at&t, bell, bell canada, blind, canada, cupcake, donut, eclaire, google, htc, ideal group, low-vision, moment, motorola, phone, phones, rogers, samsung, screenreader, screenreader, smartphones, smartphone, smartphones, smartphone, sprint, talkback, kickback, soundback, talk back, kick back, sound back, text to speech, library, tts library, eyes free shell, talking dialer, talking compass, t-mobile, tmobile, telus, verizon, nextel, vision impaired, visually impaired

Copyright © 2008-2010 by Apps4Android, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

An IDEAL Group Company

 This website was last updated on