A Comparative Study on Accessibility for Autistic Individuals with Urban Mobility Apps

TL;DR

This study evaluates how urban mobility apps support autistic users, revealing significant accessibility gaps such as lack of customization options and native audio guidance, which impact usability for individuals with ASD.

Contribution

It provides a systematic assessment of urban mobility apps' accessibility for autistic individuals using the GAIA guide, highlighting specific missing features.

Findings

Most apps lack customization of text and visual elements.

Apps do not include native audio guidance for autistic users.

Accessibility gaps affect usability for ASD individuals.

Abstract

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodivergent condition with a wide range of characteristics and support levels. Individuals with ASD can exhibit various combinations of traits such as difficulties in social interaction, communication, and language, alongside restricted interests and repetitive activities. Many adults with ASD live independently due to increased awareness and late diagnoses, which help them manage long-standing challenges. Predictability, clarity, and minimized sensory stimuli are crucial for the daily comfort of autistic individuals. In mobile applications, autistic users face significant cognitive overload compared to neurotypicals, resulting in higher effort and time to complete tasks. Urban mobility apps, essential for daily routines, often overlook the needs of autistic users, leading to cognitive overload issues. This study investigates the accessibility of urban mobility apps for autistic individuals using the Interfaces Accessibility Guide for Autism (GAIA). By evaluating various apps, we have identified a common gap regarding accessibility for people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). This limitation relates to the absence of a functionality that allows users on the autism spectrum to customize the characteristics of the textual and visual elements of the software, such as changing the text font, altering the font type, and adjusting text colors, as well as native audio guidance within the applications themselves. Currently, the only function in this context is for visually impaired people, which completely changes the user experience in terms of navigation.