Accessibility: Missing labels on interactive controls and UI fixes

[AnaFerreira015]

Hi! I’m Ana Ferreira, a Master's student in Computer Science.

As part of my research on mobile accessibility, I am analyzing open-source Android applications to help identify and correct accessibility barriers so users can utilize assistive technologies (like TalkBack) more effectively.

I’ve been exploring Scale Practice and noticed some accessibility issues on the Practice/Main screen, so I wanted to propose a fix.

1. The Issue

On the Main Practice Screen, several interactive elements (likely icons for playback, metronome settings, or scale selection) present the following behavior:

• Current behavior: The elements lack descriptive text labels. TalkBack announces them simply as "Unlabelled" or "Button", violating WCAG 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value) and 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
• Impact: Users relying on screen readers cannot distinguish these controls or understand their function while practicing, making the app inaccessible for visually impaired musicians.

2. Proposed Solution

To fix this, I suggest adding an android:contentDescription to all interactive icons in the layout XML.

Code snippet / XML suggestion:

<ImageButton
    ...
    android:contentDescription="@string/action_start_practice" />

3. Additional fixes (Need your input)

I have identified 5 other accessibility improvements for Scale Practice.

To avoid spamming your notification feed, how would you prefer I submit these?

• Option A: List them all here in this issue (I can update the comment below).
• Option B: Open separate issues for each specific problem.

Please let me know your preference, and I will proceed accordingly.

Best regards,

[aburdiss]

Hi Ana,

Thanks for submitting this issue. This app uses React Native, and doesn't use standard android development techniques, so the suggestions you provide here do not really apply. I can see what I can do about it from the React Native end, but all my apps (and all the apps written by people I know) are written using cross platform frameworks so standard android syntax doesn't apply. Hope this info helps your work!