Can you escape from Castle Park using only VoiceOver? Challenge yourself to solve this puzzle while getting familiar with VoiceOver, an assistive technology for people who are blind and low-vision. VoiceOver is a screen reader that allows people who are blind and low-vision to completely operate Apple’s products. On iOS, people can touch and swipe on the screen in order to navigate items, with each item’s name and status spoken aloud using synthesized speech.
In this challenge, we invite you to escape the maze of Castle Park. But there’s a catch: There is no visual interface in this iOS app! You must rely completely on VoiceOver to navigate the maze and escape.
How to enable VoiceOver
You have a few options to enable or disable VoiceOver.
- You can ask Siri to turn VoiceOver on or off for you at anytime.
- You can use the Accessibility Shortcut in Settings > Accessibility and set the shortcut to VoiceOver. Now, when you triple click the side button (or Home button, depending on your device), you can quickly turn VoiceOver on or off.
Begin the challenge
To start this accessibility challenge, download the Xcode project linked below and run it on iPhone or iPad. Use VoiceOver to explore the app and make decisions to help you escape.
Tip:
Once you’ve enabled VoiceOver, there are three main gestures to help you navigate:
- Touch to speak
- Swipe left or right to move previous or next
- Double-tap to activate
Share your journey and your experiences with the developer community. For those participating in the Digital Lounges, We’re hosting a Challenge Study Hall in the #accessibility-study-hall channel from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. PDT on Friday. You can also connect on the Developer Forums using the tag “WWDC21-Challenges,” or on social media using the hashtag #WWDC21Challenges.
And once you complete this challenge, consider exploring how your own app behaves with VoiceOver. How can you make it better for people who rely on a screen reader to interact with their device?
SwiftUI Accessibility: Beyond the basics
Tailor the VoiceOver experience in your data-rich apps
VoiceOver: App Testing Beyond The Visuals
Resources
Download the VoiceOver Maze Challenge sample app
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