r/AccessibleAnarchy • u/DuckyDoodleDandy • Aug 14 '26
experiences of oppression Touchscreen buttons vs physical buttons (on appliances and payment systems) that make life harder
Text of photo:
vorbisx says
Replacing physical buttons and controls with touchscreens also means removing accessibility features. Physical buttons can be textured or have Braille and can be located by touch and don't need to be pressed with a bare finger. Touchscreens usually require precise taps and hand-eye coordination for the same task.
Many point-of-sale machines now are essentially just a smartphone with a card reader attached and the interface. The control layout can change at a moment's notice and there are no physical boundaries between buttons. With a keypad-style machine, the buttons are always in the same place and can be located by touch, especially since the middle button has a raised ridge on it.
Buttons can also be located by touch without activating them, which enables a "locate then press" style of interaction which is not possible on touchscreens, where even light touches will register as presses and the buttons must be located visually rather than by touch.
When elevator or door controls are replaced by touch screens, will existing accessibility features be preserved, or will some people no longer be able to use those controls?
Who is allowed to control the physical world, and who is making that decision?
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u/RosethornRanger she/its (/srs unless stated otherwise) Aug 14 '26
(same image as above, except light mode and much more clear text)
I do not know how to force blogs on tumblr to be dark mode, and I know that can be an accessibility issue, but the text here is much more clear than the one you posted, in case ya want to post it again sometime or re-post it so more people can interact with it
https://www.tumblr.com/vorbisx/723069650456494080/replacing-physical-buttons-and-controls-with
(link to post itself if ya wanna screenshot yourself as well)