Archiv štítku: webexpo

WebExpo 2023: 5+1 Questions for Jana Kuklová, CEO of Kikiriki Games

Jana Kuklová will be one of the speakers at WebExpo 2023. Her talk is titled The Brave Brain: An inclusive mobile game you can play without sight or hearing and will be about the development of a multiplayer mobile game using inclusive design methods that seek to include all players.

I used this opportunity and asked her a few questions about this topic.

Firstly, let me briefly introduce Jana. Jana Kuklová is the CEO and co-founder of the barrier-free game studio Kikiriki Games, which she founded together with her husband to improve the accessibility of mobile games for the blind community. In addition to her executive duties, she also works as a game designer at the studio and emphasises that games should be for all players, regardless of their limitations.

Jana Kuklová, Miloš Kukla: How to create a mobile audio game

Radek: Jana, what motivated you to found Kikiriki Games, and what challenges have you faced while developing accessible mobile games for the blind community?

Jana: I founded Kikiriki Games together with my husband Miloš. We wanted to improve the offering of blind friendly mobile games available on the market. Currently, 99.98% of all mobile games are inaccessible for the blind people. Some may ask why we’re focusing on the accessibility of mobile games when there are more serious problems in the world that need to be solved. But it’s always frustrated me that there are dozens to hundreds of new games coming out every day, but I can’t play any of them. It’s also important to remember that a blind person has very limited options for independent leisure. And we wanted to create entertainment that would be barrier-free and where a blind person could have as much fun as their sighted peers and friends.

Radek: What are some of the key design considerations that you take into account when developing an accessible mobile game?

Jana: From the beginning, we have strived to make our games enjoyable for visually impaired and sighted players alike. Our first game, To the Dragon Cave, was based on the principle of an audio game. It’s an audio shooter in which the player relies solely on their hearing. It’s quite an unconventional game and that’s why, for example, it was nominated for the Pocket Gamer Awards in the Most Innovative Mobile Game category.

However, we gradually realised that if we wanted to appeal to the average sighted gamer looking for a quick break in a mobile game, we couldn’t make the game harder for them by removing all visual input from the game. Approximately 80% of all sensory information is received by sight. So, when these inputs are missing, the game becomes very difficult for the sighted player. That’s why we decided to abandon the concept of audio-only interaction in our game. Our desire is to create a game that is equally accessible and fair for both sighted and visually impaired players.

We are now working on a quiz game, Brave Brain, and we aim to give the player the same playing field and the same amount of entertainment whether they play the game by watching it or listening to it.

Radek: How do you approach testing and feedback when developing an accessible mobile game?

Jana: During development, we test the game with our testers to see how easy it is for them to understand. It is important for us to be present in person during testing so that we can observe how the player reacts to the game. This allows us to see where the player is confused, when they are enjoying the game, or which areas are too difficult for them. The best testers for us are people who say they are not gamers. They always apologize to us for not understanding the game, but that’s exactly the type of tester we like the most. We strive to make our game easy to understand and accessible for everyone.

Radek: Do you work with a specific group of testers with disabilities, and how do you incorporate their feedback into the game’s design?

Jana: Yes, our testers are both visually impaired and sighted. But accessibility testing is key for us. Naturally, I am always the first accessibility tester. Whenever Miloš wants to introduce me to a new development milestone. He has to add accessibility to the game so that I can play it. And he often hears from me right away which elements are inaccessible to my screenreader or which ones seem chaotic to me when controlling the game. Of course, this is just the beginning. The game must be tested by more visually impaired testers so that we can come across different scenarios of how the player perceives and controls the game. After each testing phase, we take away a list of very beneficial observations and comments which we try to incorporate into the actual accessibility implementation as much as possible.

Radek: What advice would you give to developers interested in creating accessible mobile apps and games?

Jana: I would definitely recommend developers to consider users who have some limitations. I think that if developers start with this first step and think about different groups of users and try to put themselves in their shoes, because restrictions can happen to anyone at any time, and maybe even just for a limited time, then the next steps will not be as difficult anymore. It saddens me when I come across an app that could be easily accessible but the developer just forgot about users with disabilities. In the last few months, I have come across so many mobile games that could be accessible due to their gameplay, but the developers didn’t realize that visually impaired players would also like to play their games.

Radek: Why should WebExpo participants join your talk?

Jana: In my talk, I don’t want to focus just on the development of our game. I would also like to focus on how the blind people use the phone and the fact that technical accessibility does not necessarily mean that the app is going to be easily usable for the blind. I would also like to demonstrate the different ways in which mobile games can be made accessible to blind users, as well as what a game should have in order to be equally accessible and fair for sighted and visually impaired players alike.

Jana, thank you very much for the interview and I am looking forward to your talk at WebExpo 2023!


For those who would like to join Jana and other amazing speakers, there is a coupon code “poslepu“ for 20 % off the ticket price.

Buy the Ticket & Enjoy WebExpo 2023

WebExpo 2023, April 19 – 21 (YouTube)

WebExpo 2022: Baking Accessibility Testing into Your Workflow

Are you going to WebExpo 2022 and do you want to learn more about accessibility testing? Then the workshop called Baking Accessibility Testing into Your Workflow, which you can attend on Friday, June 10, betweet 4 to 6 PM in the Marble Hall, is a must-have for you 🙂

What is the workshop about?

Making sure your accessibility infrastructure remains functional with every redesign can be tedious. Although accessibility testing cannot be fully automated, it can still save you plenty of development time that can be spent on actual productivity.

You will learn how to get the most out of the parts that can be tested automatically, which free tools to use, and how to use them in the most efficient way. Last but not least, you will find out how not to fall into the trap of trying to use automated testing for the wrong tasks.

During the workshop, we will discuss the following:

  • Users and assistive technology they use to browse your website.
  • Progress over Perfection approach and its benefits to accessibility.
  • The basic approaches to accessibility testing (hiring an external company to do an accessibility audit, user testing, manual in-house testing and automated testing), and the pros and cons of each.
  • The how to’s, and how not to’s of automated accessibility testing, including proven tools that can do the heavy lifting for you.
  • The possible pitfalls of user testing and manual in-house testing, and what tools and knowledge the internal and external testers need in order for it to actually yield valuable results.
  • How to easily test that there are no significant barriers in five key areas of accessibility – content structure, keyboard navigation, text alternatives, interaction, contrast and readibility – on your website.
  • And finally, how to put it all together and which approach is best suited for which development scenario.

And maybe much more – you will also have an opportunity to make a quick accessibility assessment on-site based on what you’ve learnt (don’t forget to bring your laptop). And there will also be room to answer your questions regarding accessibility and inclusive design.

Note: Our workshop is an In-Person Workshop with maximum capacity of 15 people (the registration is on the first come, first served basis).

Tutors

Lukáš Hosnedl

Lukáš has been working in the field of accessibility since 2017, but he started following news and developments in the field in the early 2000s. Born blind, he is able to combine the practical perspective of an everyday user with professional expertise in the underlying principles and techniques.

Lukáš is also a translator from English to Czech (and vice versa), mainly translating articles about accessibility.

Radek Pavlíček

Radek is a renowned accessibility and assistive technology expert with more than 20 years of experience helping others to make their products and services accessible.

Radek is a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals and a Certified Professional in Web Accessibility.

WebExpo 2022 Promo Code

Use discount code assessibility while buying your tickets to get 15 % off.

And don’t forget that the WebExpo 2022 Program offers an excellent line-up of speakers from all over the world.

Looking forward to meeting you next week(end) at WebExpo 2022 🙂 And big thank you to Šárka Štrossová, director of WebExpo, for putting accessibility on the conference agenda again 🙂

Lukáš & Radek

Přístupnost a inkluzivní design na WebExpo 2017

Když jsem se v roce 2014 loučil v článku Jaké bylo WebExpo 2014 pohledem speakera a vystavovatele větou Za rok na WebExpu zase ahoj, tak jsem ještě netušil, že ten rok bude trvat „trochu“ déle. Po dvouleté, zdravotními obtížemi vynucené pauze, jsem se na WebExpo vydal až letos. A stejně jako na všech předchozích ročnících, kterých jsem se zúčastnil, i letos jsem nabídl do programu příspěvek, související s přístupností a inkluzivním designem.

A ani tentokrát jsem na to nebyl sám. Společně s Martinem Míchálkem ze Vzhůru dolů jsme připravili čtyřicetiminutový blok, věnovaný právě této tématice. Martinovi bych rád při této příležitosti moc poděkoval za skvělou spolupráci i za to, že se této tématice v rámci svých aktivit věnuje.

O čem to bylo?

Já svou část pojal spíše motivačně (co si budeme nalhávat, přístupnost i přes veškerou snahu a osvětu stále pro mnoho lidí není atraktivní téma) a na konkrétních příkladech velkých webů jsem se snažil ukázat, že přístupnost je pro ně aktrativní, provozovatele po finanční stránce nezruinuje a dává smysl se jí věnovat, protože přístupný web se lépe používá nejen uživatelům se zdravotním postižením.

Poděkování za spolupráci a poskytnutí informací, bez kterých by moje přednáška nemohla vzniknout, míří tvůrcům či provozovatelům následujících webů: cd.cz, irozhlas.cz, Monster.com, muni.cz, Seznam.cz a volby.cz.

Martin svou přednášku zacílil primárně na kodéry. Ukázal jim několik správně nakódovaných návrhových vzorů – strukturování stránky, tlačítka, schovávání obsahu, klávesnice či našeptávač a také to, jak přístupnost webu testovat.

Aktualizace 5. 10. 2017 – videa z WebExpo 2017 už jsou venku, najdete je pod odkazy/nadpisy níže.

Jak a proč řeší velké weby přístupnost

Anotace přednášky

Přístupnost se stále více začíná dostávat do popředí zájmu i provozovatelů a tvůrců velkých webů. Co je k tomu vede? Potřeby a zpětná vazba uživatelů? Altruismus? Připravovaná evropská legislativa? Nebo všechno dohromady? Na konkrétních příkladech (irozhlas.cz, volby.cz a některých dalších) si ukážeme, jak při zpřístupnění velkých webů postupovat, na co si dát pozor a na co naopak nezapomenout.

Komentované slajdy

Jak a proč řeší velké weby přístupnost od Radka Pavlíčka

Přístupnost v kódu: ukázky a návrhové vzory

Anotace přednášky

Podíváme se na časté chyby, které kodéři a designéři sekají jako slepý Baťa cvičky. Pak si ukážeme pár jednoduchých tipů, jak bez velké námahy pomoci nevidomým uživatelům vašich webů. A hlavně se podíváme na několik správně nakódovaných návrhových vzorů. Víte jak navrhout například přístupný našeptávač?

Komentované slajdy

WebExpo 2017 – Přístupnost v kódu: ukázky a návrhové vzory od Martina Michálka

Co nás potěšilo

Velký zájem účastníků o tuto tématiku

Pozitivní zpětná vazba

Děkujeme!

Nebyli jsme na to sami 🙂

Na WebExpo jsme nebyli jediní, kdo se tématikou přístupnosti zabýval. Ať už nechtěně – jako třeba Honza Řezáč…

…nebo cíleně – například Emanuela Damiani.

Poděkování závěrem

Kromě Martina a „mých“ respondentů si poděkování určitě zaslouží Šárka Štrossová nejen za poskytnutí prostoru v programu této tématice a Pavlína Louženská za skvělé moderování programu v Divadle ABC.

Tak zase někdy příště ahoj. A ještě jednou děkujeme za zájem 🙂