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Results and findings
This section asked respondents about the software used on their devices including magnification and screen reader software.
The most popular software reported was setting the system to larger text or increasing the text size which was reported by 39.5% of . Similar technologies such as ZoomText (21.0%) and Zoom / magnifier (21.8%) were also popular.
Siri was used by 35.3% of respondents and Google Assistant by a further 19.9%. This supports the data about voice-activated hardware and suggests this is a preferred mode of accessing mobile devices and information held in a digital format.
Screen readers used by respondents include iOS Voiceover, the most popular at 19.3%, followed by JAWS at 11.4%, Speak screen (iPhone) at 10.9% and Windows narrator at 9.6%. Talkback Screen Reader, NVDA Screen Reader and Mac Voiceover were used by approximately 6-7% each respectively.
Important findings include the lower rate of use of JAWS than was hypothesised. Larger text size was mentioned by a large proportion of respondents however many apps don’t currently support this.
Those who selected “Other” cited a range of digital magnifiers and screen readers as well as some specific apps.
| Software | % | Count | Sample Size |
|---|---|---|---|
| Larger text/increase text size | 39.5% | 452 | 1145 |
| Siri | 35.3% | 404 | 1145 |
| Zoom/magnifier | 21.8% | 297 | 1145 |
| ZoomText | 21.0% | 250 | 1145 |
| Google Assistant | 19.9% | 228 | 1145 |
| iOS Voiceover Screen Reader | 19.3% | 221 | 1145 |
| Seeing AI | 17.2% | 197 | 1145 |
| Dark Mode | 14.5% | 166 | 1145 |
| High Contrast (Windows) | 11.8% | 135 | 1145 |
| JAWS Screen Reader | 11.4% | 131 | 1145 |
| Speak screen or selection (iPhone) | 10.9% | 125 | 1145 |
| Windows Narrator screen reader | 9.6% | 110 | 1145 |
| NVDA Screen Reader | 7.9% | 90 | 1145 |
| Be My Eyes | 7.3% | 84 | 1145 |
| Talkback Screen Reader | 6.7% | 77 | 1145 |
| Mac Voiceover Screen Reader | 6.5% | 74 | 1145 |
| Smart Invert (iPhone) | 4.6% | 53 | 1145 |
| Voice dream reader | 3.8% | 43 | 1145 |
| Aira | 3.7% | 42 | 1145 |
| Braille Screen Input | 2.4% | 28 | 1145 |
| Dragon Naturally Speaking | 2.4% | 28 | 1145 |
| Synapptic software (Android) | 0.9% | 10 | 1145 |
| Dolphin SuperNova | 0.5% | 6 | 1145 |
| Other | 4.5% | 51 | 1145 |
Note: the above questions allowed multiple answer selection.
The top assistive technologies selected by respondents who identified as blind were voice related including Siri at 50.5% followed by iOS Voiceover Screen Reader at 42.8%, Seeing AI 33.2%, JAWS 32.3%, Google Assistant 24.6%, NVDA Screen Reader 18.2% and Windows Narrator Screen Reader 16.3%.
| Software | % (Blind) | Count (Blind) |
|---|---|---|
| Siri | 50.5% | 158 |
| iOS Voiceover Screen Reader | 42.8% | 134 |
| Seeing AI | 33.2% | 104 |
| JAWS Screen Reader | 24.6% | 101 |
| Google Assistant | 18.2% | 77 |
| NVDA Screen Reader | 16.3% | 57 |
| Windows Narrator screen reader | 14.7% | 51 |
Note: the above questions allowed multiple answer selection.
The top assistive technologies selected by who identified as having low vision focused on screen enhancements such as magnification and contrast. 46.4% used larger text, 30.2% used a zoom / magnifier, 22.9% used Dark Mode and 17.8% used High Contrast (Windows).
| Software | % (Low Vision) | Count (Low Vision) |
|---|---|---|
| Larger text/increase text size | 46.4% | 412 |
| Siri | 30.2% | 268 |
| ZoomText | 29.1% | 258 |
| Google Assistant | 24.6% | 218 |
| Dark Mode | 22.9% | 203 |
| High Contrast (Windows) | 17.8% | 158 |
| iOS Voiceover Screenreader | 16.1% | 143 |
Note: the above questions allowed multiple answer selection.