iOS Accessibility Best Practices
Article Summary
Adrian Russell from Just Eat Takeaway turned on Screen Curtain and tried to order food through his own app. What he discovered was shocking: over 100 accessibility failures making the app nearly impossible to use with VoiceOver.
Just Eat Takeaway's iOS team conducted a comprehensive accessibility audit after user complaints revealed their app was unusable for VoiceOver users. They spent dozens of hours navigating their own app blind, documenting every barrier faced by users with visual impairments.
Key Takeaways
- Dates read as '1 7 slash 0 7 slash 2020' instead of readable format
- Modal dialogs failed to block content, letting VoiceOver read hidden screens
- Table view cells skipped middle items, making menu sections invisible
- Custom star rating controls were completely inaccessible to assistive tech
- Team now mandates VoiceOver demos in biweekly meetings before any release
Critical Insight
The team fixed over 100 accessibility issues and embedded VoiceOver testing into their culture, transforming an unusable app into one that works for all users.
