Discover the hidden challenges of mobile advertising for the visually impaired in our latest research paper accepted at ICSE 2024! Ads are a vital part of the Android ecosystem, enabling free-to-use applications to generate revenue. However, when ads are injected as third-party content, they can disrupt the user experience, especially for blind users who depend on screen readers to navigate apps.

Our study takes a deep dive into this overlooked area by conducting an empirical analysis of 500 ad screens across various Android apps. We aim to categorize the specific accessibility issues present in mobile advertisements. Further enriching our research, we include insights from 15 qualitative interviews with blind Android users. These discussions help us understand the real-world impact of these ads, how users interact with them, and their preferences.

Building on our findings, we propose practical design strategies for creating accessible advertising on mobile platforms.

Check our paper!

“When I notice an ad, my immediate thought is to avoid it. I tend to view ads almost like a pestilence.”- S8