[Irl-dean] Accessibility thoughts on the iPhone

[Paul Walsh, Segala]

-----Original Message-----
From: irl-dean-admin at list.eeng.dcu.ie
[mailto:irl-dean-admin at list.eeng.dcu.ie] On Behalf Of Joshue O Connor
Sent: 23 January 2007 12:09
To: irl-dean at list.eeng.dcu.ie
Subject: Re: [Irl-dean] Accessibility thoughts on the iPhone

>  if Apple have great success with this
> design, then other manufacturers will follow suit.  Before we know it you
> won't be  able to buy a standard phone with a keypad.

Good point Tim. You are probably right as Apple are leading the design
vanguard. Though I have been using Apple Macs for years as a designer I
am really not into this whole Apple Inc, branded lifestyle thing , even
aside from  accessibility concerns.

[PW] It's a very good point. Through my chairmanship of BIMA [1] I have an
executive that manages networking events, of which, dinners with guest
speakers from decent brands is one of them. The last one was entitled
creativity versus usability. It was the most lively debate I've witnessed to
date. Normally they are laid back and informal with a decent Q and A
session. This evening was different however, the speaker was Dermot
O'Mahony, Head of Online Customer Market, O2 (a colleague and now friend of
mine). The attendees were split between artists (literally, not just
creative directors) and usability consultants. The iPod was brought up by
Dermot as a good example of a device that was beautiful to look at and easy
to use for most people. However, it wasn't accessible to a great number of
people. 

So, I too believe that we need to target the likes of Apple to see if we can
influence them to better understand the requirements of everyone who stands
to benefit from such devices. This is a good example of usability vs
accessibility in my humble opinion. Regarding mobile specifically, I'm
responsible for the relationship between the W3C and the GSMA through the
mobile web initiative and Segala is the first testing specialist worldwide
to become a member of the GSMA. So, if anyone (or this group as a whole)
wants to get in touch, I can open the dialog. That's not to say they will
listen to me (smile). I'm sure others on the list will have even better
contacts. I'll propose some ideas when I can find the time, soon I hope.

BTW, I'll get around to replying to the thread regarding email as it's one
I've got an opinion on. In fact, it's being debated presently by the W3C
Advisory Committee and there's talk about creating an initiative
specifically for it. 

Regarding my negativity comment about this list. I'm only too aware of the
necessity to take the good with the bad and I'd consider myself adult enough
to realise that it's not always going to be positive. I was simply raising a
concern within my team who, indecently, heard the same comment from other
members in the past. So, yes we need to be honest and to the point,
especially if it means debating furiously (smile) about things we are
passionate about. But let's continue to be positive by proposing solutions
to what we think are problems. 

Cheers
Paul