https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/14n9426/accessibility_updates_to_mod_tools_part_2/
created by joyventure on 30/06/2023 at 19:05 UTC*
0 upvotes, 37 top-level comments (showing 25)
TL;DR *We’ve made improvements to the accessibility of moderator features on iOS and Android.*
Hi mods,
It’s Friday and we’re back with an update on accessibility - as a reminder I’m u/joyventure, Director of Product at Reddit focused on accessibility and the performance, stability and quality of our web, iOS and Android platforms. I’m happy to share that u/platinumpixieset, a product lead at Reddit focused on accessibility, is joining me today to share this update. We’ll be here for a bit to help answer questions together, and u/platinumpixieset will provide updates to you all moving forward.
As we shared last week[1], accessibility improvements have started rolling out to the following core Moderator workflows:
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/modnews/comments/14he7nz/accessibility_updates_to_mod_tools_part_1/
On these surfaces you’ll see updates like: custom actions that provide quick access to moderation actions; updated labels, roles, and state; and improved focus order.
These improvements are available now to all users of the iOS app, and will be available on the Android app shortly.
Once you’ve had a chance to check out the changes, we’d love to hear your feedback. We will work to incorporate community feedback as we continue to make accessibility improvements to Reddit’s mod tools.
Next, we’re focusing on:
Thank you to the mods and other redditors who have been sharing their feedback on accessibility with us. We will continue to have regular discussions and please let us know in the comments or reach out to r/modsupport modmail[2] if you would like to join these conversations.
2: https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2Fmodsupport
We’ll be back in a few weeks to provide updates on our progress. In the meantime, please share any feedback with us or ask your questions in the comments.
Comment by Watchful1 at 30/06/2023 at 19:07 UTC
150 upvotes, 1 direct replies
I know this is r/modnews, but do you have anything to share about accessibility of the app in general? That's been one of the big sticking points with the protests.
Comment by miyoyo at 30/06/2023 at 19:11 UTC
134 upvotes, 3 direct replies
Has there been a Post-Mortem done at Reddit as to why the accessibility of the official App has been ignored for so long, and will it be shared with the community?
Comment by InitiatePenguin at 30/06/2023 at 19:42 UTC*
107 upvotes, 3 direct replies
I just want to make sure more admins see many of the existing bugs that still exist in the moderator workflow on mobile. I posted this 4 days ago to Mod Support.
This is the Current Experience Moderating on Mobile
I want the admins to understand fully, that while it's technically possible to most things on mobile these days why mods *don't want to*. The issues with your app simply don't exist with third party developers that we are used to using, and some of what your app still lacks, they, and other tools have had for years. When the first party app is too tedious and frustrating that it makes you quit and open your third party app, you're simply not ready to close that door.
I'm appreciative of the changes (many of which go back more than a year). But you are seriously not ready on this timeline.
I will simply be moderating less, and at best, increasing the amount of response time, not just in efficiency but also in that I'll just wait until I can get to a desktop so I won't have to put up with the tedium and frustrations of the mod queue on mobile.
Why can't I preview markdown formatting before submitting a response? *come on*. Your own mobile mod queue doesn't even support markdown...
Comment by adhesiveCheese at 30/06/2023 at 20:07 UTC
101 upvotes, 0 direct replies
we’d love to hear your feedback
I *highly* doubt that, but here it is anyways: Don't cut off access for folks who need accessibility accommodations currently provided by third-party apps without being able to offer feature-parity in your own application, just to meet a self-imposed deadline that exists for seemingly no reason but spite. Like, y'all are *actively* pulling the rug out from people who *want* to use your platform, when you could just... not. I don't understand why y'all are so committed to punching yourselves in the face.
Comment by MostlyBlindGamer at 30/06/2023 at 22:11 UTC
74 upvotes, 1 direct replies
u/joyventure I wonder if you've tried using modmail on iOS with VoiceOver. Flicking right on the title multiple times doesn't go anywhere. The web view works fine if you look at it and tap what you're looking for. With your eyes, if you look at it with your eyes.
u/advocado20 will remember me asking if we'f have a demo using gestures and screen curtain - I now understand why that didn't happen.
Let me bluntly ask: does any Reddit employee know how to use a screen reader?
Comment by 316nuts at 30/06/2023 at 20:14 UTC
63 upvotes, 1 direct replies
as director of product, and the person presumably charged with improving the moderating experience on the app - how much moderating experience do you have? how many communities? how long? how large? how active were you?
i'm really not aiming for a 'gotcha' situation, i swear, but every "improvement" in the mobile app for moderating seems really dialed in for *extremely small subreddits* and the usability goes right out of the water for any slightly large community
also, i'm asking because your account is nearly blank and as far as i can tell the people designing the app and the mod functions have limited experience with moderating
so yeah, genuine question
Comment by rollingrock16 at 30/06/2023 at 19:14 UTC*
196 upvotes, 2 direct replies
I still have no idea why you would run off 3rd party apps so aggressively that offers many of these features you lack, while not having the features ready yourself.
This also feels very tone deaf to post today with everything else going on.
Edit: and 3rd party apps officially turned off. From the the bottom of my heart go fuck yourself steve
Edit2: This is simply shocking. What in the hell are you doing?https://www.reddit.com/r/Blind/comments/14nzwkm/they%5C_finally%5C_did%5C_it%5C_reddit%5C_made%5C_it%5C_impossible%5C_for/[1][2]
Comment by adomo at 30/06/2023 at 19:43 UTC
43 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Will there be any other official communications from Reddit today regarding the implementation of API pricing tomorrow and the subsequent inability of a large cohort of long term users to use the platform?
Comment by xj4me at 30/06/2023 at 19:57 UTC
36 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Moderation tools is still broken on your app and your forcing a hard cutover later today? This is horribly planned and shortsighted. Thank goodness for Old Reddit. Even though it's on a phone it'll still be better than the garbage app. Until that gets destroyed too because Spez decides he doesn't like it because he needs even more money
Comment by bluesoul at 30/06/2023 at 19:45 UTC
64 upvotes, 1 direct replies
This whole sequence of events has been just baffling. Normally I wouldn't go after the messenger, but as the director of product, I'm sure you can see how from a user's perspective that it looks for all the world like Reddit simply forgot that disabled people existed until it became a huge conversation about how they'll be accommodated to *provide volunteer labor for you* after pricing the tools they make use of out of existence.
It's even more baffling to me that there's been no course correction after this issue surfaced.
This has been just very, very sad to witness.
Comment by BelleAriel at 30/06/2023 at 20:28 UTC
33 upvotes, 1 direct replies
How does this help people with visual impairment?
Comment by rumster at 30/06/2023 at 23:14 UTC
29 upvotes, 1 direct replies
u/platinumpixieset you know who I am. I'm the main mod of /r/Blind you need to be in /r/blind and talk to the community directly.
Comment by adomo at 30/06/2023 at 19:39 UTC
23 upvotes, 2 direct replies
By shortly for Android you mean today right?
Comment by HangoverTuesday at 30/06/2023 at 22:45 UTC*
21 upvotes, 0 direct replies
sleep square historical merciful attraction compare offbeat juggle arrest consider `this message was mass deleted/edited with redact.dev`
Comment by Szeraax at 30/06/2023 at 23:54 UTC
20 upvotes, 0 direct replies
You said that you were doing:
Mobile Mod Log - launching the week of June 26
Mobile Mod Insights - also launching the week of June 26
If not, do you anticipate that the moderation team of r/science (like u/helm) will restrict the sub again like they stated here[1]?
1: https://www.reddit.com/r/science/comments/14axtmu/rscience_is_restricted_until_monday/
Comment by cocojumbo123 at 30/06/2023 at 23:37 UTC
18 upvotes, 0 direct replies
can't make up my mind on where shall I cross post this to /r/aww because your are so cute or /r/quityourbullshit for obvious reasons
In the meantime, please share any feedback with us or ask your questions in the comments.
sure do. start by making the dang thing compact both for comments and posts on desktop and mobile. have a look at news.ycombinator.com for inspiration. Or you know, Appolo or Rif.
unrelated: I've put in over 1000 hours of work modding in the last 5 years, where shall I send the invoice ?
Comment by DHamlinMusic at 01/07/2023 at 12:45 UTC
13 upvotes, 0 direct replies
So as a blind user of the android app, and a mod of r/blind I can honestly say after using this new version to both mod and just use reddit that the app was better a month ago. This update made no functional changes beyond the add/remove favorites button in the community's list being labeled and changing state properly, yet it added dozens of new issues, made moderating significantly harder and should never have been released to start. If your intention is to just not have disabled users on reddit come out and say it instead of pulling this landlord trying to empty a rent controlled building bullshit.
Comment by [deleted] at 30/06/2023 at 19:40 UTC
42 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by enfrozt at 30/06/2023 at 23:41 UTC
12 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Is there going to be a response in the future about the whole debacle around ending 3rd party apps so abruptly, the protests, and the automated threats to moderators?
Comment by elysianism at 01/07/2023 at 00:34 UTC
11 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Reddit's desperation is palpable.
Comment by Audioworm at 01/07/2023 at 09:30 UTC
11 upvotes, 0 direct replies
we’d love to hear your feedback
I mean, at this point, just don't fucking lie?
The community is already fucking furious at the shit you have forced through, and we know statements like this are fucking hollow and pointless.
The only reason accessibility is something you are desperately trying to fix is because it is one of the few areas where you couldn't just tell us to fuck off and get over it and not have it thrown back in your face by media companies reporting on Reddit's stupidity.
Comment by [deleted] at 30/06/2023 at 22:29 UTC
27 upvotes, 1 direct replies
[deleted]
Comment by NattyB at 01/07/2023 at 03:52 UTC
11 upvotes, 0 direct replies
i can't believe this stuff is being released on the literal day the apps we've relied on die, and not months earlier for testing and feedback.
Comment by TranZeitgeist at 01/07/2023 at 15:21 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
We’ve made improvements to the accessibility of moderator features on iOS and Android.
Reddit severely damaged accessibility and moderator features, period.
Comment by Benskien at 01/07/2023 at 03:04 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Why the fuck wasn't this in the app years ago?