AFBLC 2022: A Guide to the Crowd Compass Event App for Screen Reader Users

AFB has partnered with CrowdCompass to bring you all of our conference information and tools in one place. The CrowdCompass app provides information on conference events and key individuals, scheduling, networking, as well as other functions. This brief guide is intended to assist screen reader users in getting started with the web or iOS app, understand navigation, and be aware of any minor accessibility issues you may encounter and how to contend with them. The following instructions are applicable to the Windows platform with the JAWS or NVDA screen readers and the iOS platform with the VoiceOver screen reader.

Getting Started

To begin, either activate this link to the web app or this link for the iOS app, or search for "Crowd Compass" in the app store.

In the web app, activate the "Log In" link whereupon you will be taken to a page where you can enter your name and email address. Instead of a password, each time you log in, CrowdCompass will email you a code to enter to finish logging in.

Initial setup of the iOS app is somewhat more involved. When you first launch the app, you will see a page which asks you to find your event by password or title. Swipe to or directly locate the "Find your Event" button and activate it. You will be taken to a search field; enter "American Foundation for the Blind" and activate the "Search" button on your on screen keyboard. Swipe to or locate the first result titled "2022 American Foundation for the Blind Leadership Conference, May 2-3, 2022, Arlington, Virginia, United States." If you swipe right again, you will locate a "Download Event" button. Activate it.

You will be asked to log in to view this event; swipe right until you reach the "Log In" button and activate it. You will be taken to a page containing edit fields for your first and last name as well as your email address. Fill out this information and activate the "Next" button. On the subsequent page, you will be asked to enter a 6-digit code that has either been emailed or texted to you. Enter the code in the provided field and then activate the "Verify" button. After verifying, you will be asked to allow the app to send you notifications and then be brought to the app's main screen.

Web App Layout

The web app has a simple and clean design, with navigation options at the top of the page and the currently selected content following. Navigating down through the web app, you will find the following options.

First, you will find a link to the event app followed by a link to view notifications. After this is your name, followed by a heading titled "Schedule." The "Schedule" heading contains these items:

  1. All Sessions: will take you to a screen displaying all sessions by day. Activate the link for a session and then choose "Add to My Schedule" to add it to your personal schedule. You can also check into a session from its information page, though rating the session is inaccessible with a screen reader.
  2. My Schedule: Will take you to a page displaying only those sessions you have chosen for your personal calendar.

Following these items is another heading titled "My Items" which contains an unlabeled button which when expanded, displays several items. Note that each of these will be displayed at the very bottom of the page, below other main app content such as the day's schedule or speaker list. The choices are as follows:

  1. Messages: displays messages sent to you by other participants.
  2. Appointments: Meeting appointments that you have created yourself or received from other participants.
  3. Contacts: A list of your contacts among the other participants.
  4. Notes: Notes you have made for your self regarding other participants.
  5. Bookmarks: Speakers you have bookmarked.

Following these options is the "Event Guide" heading, containing the following:

  1. Social: Social media posts regarding the conference made by participants.
  2. Speakers: A list of conference speakers. Speakers have profiles which include the ability to make a note or bookmark the speaker, view their linkedIn profile, and see in which sessions they will be speaking.
  3. Sponsors: A list of Sponsors of the conference on the AFB website.
  4. Exhibitors: A list of Exhibitors at the conference. Exhibitor profiles contain the option to bookmark or make a note about the Exhibitor as well as contact information for the Exhibitor.
  5. Maps: Contains an inaccessible city map and map of the meeting rooms. It is possible to activate the meeting room buttons to see which sessions will be taking place in each.
  6. Attendees: Displays a list of attendees who have marked their profiles as public. You can choose to hide or display your profile at the top of this list under the "Profile options" button. Attendee profiles include options to make a note about the attendee, message them, add them as a contact, and invite them to a meeting.
  7. FAQS: Includes informational documents regarding the conference as well as the app itself.
  8. Search: Search the event for specific speakers, Exhibitors, sessions and pages.

To make navigating easier when using a screen reader, be aware that there is an image just above the main content and after the navigation options. For pages without headings or other elements to denote the main content, it is always possible to navigate by images to quickly move past the navigation items and to the main content for any given page.

Navigating the iOS app.

The iOS app contains the same options as are present in the web app, only with a different structure. The app has 4 tabs across the bottom of the screen. Below find each tab, from left to right, and the options contained in each.

The first Tab is titled "Event Guide" and contains the following:

  1. Notifications
  2. Social
  3. Speakers
  4. Sponsors
  5. Exhibitors

Following these options is a heading for "Featured Speakers" with items providing a direct shortcut to specific speaker profiles.

The second tab is titled "Schedule." This tab includes each day's schedule with the option to view only those sessions you have added to your personal schedule or view the entire event. In addition, you can filter the schedule by sessions you have bookmarked, speakers, and specific tracks.

Next, you will find the "Profile" tab. This tab includes the following options:

  1. View your profile
  2. More: Log out, View, or edit your profile
  3. Messages
  4. Appointments
  5. Contacts
  6. Notes
  7. Switch Event

The final tab is titled "More" and contains the following options in addition to the items found on the "Event Guide" tab:

  1. Maps
  2. Attendees
  3. FAQS
  4. Search

Known Accessibility Issues

The following are known accessibility issues and work-arounds if applicable:

  1. When using the "Bookmark" button on the web app, the text will change to "Bookmarked" but the change may not be read automatically with your screen reader. You can check the label of the button to be sure it worked correctly.
  2. When using the web app, it is unclear which day is selected when viewing the conference schedule. The best way to work around this is to look at the "Previous" and "Next buttons. If you are on the first day of the event (Sunday, May 1), the "Previous" button will be listed as unavailable. If you are on the second day (Monday, May 2nd), both buttons are available. If the final day (Tuesday, May 3) of the conference is selected, the "Next" button will be listed as unavailable.
  3. The ability to rate sessions is inaccessible in both the web and mobile apps. An accessible post-conference survey will be provided.