Pinterest, one of the most visual social media platforms, is also considered pretty accessible by many. Pinterest features elements such as alt text, a balanced color palette, and advanced screen reader capabilities, making the platform accessible by people who are blind or have visual or other disabilities.
Some may assume that people who are blind or have visual disabilities won’t use Pinterest because of its imagery-based content. This line of thinking, similar to the myth that people who are blind simply don’t use computers, is incorrect. As the fourth most popular social media platform in America, with 77.4 million monthly users, it must be realized that there are Pinners who are blind or have other disabilities that impact the way they use the web.
Making matters even more pertinent, in April, Pinterest went public and is now traded on the New York Stock Exchange. If revenues and users grow at a faster rate, the platform’s influence may also expand, meaning that creating accessible Pinterest content is more important now than ever.
Pinterest is quickly growing into one of the web’s most popular social media platforms. With nearly 25% of the American adult population using Pinterest annually (up 7% from 2017), the platform serves as a forum for creative exchange and advertising, nationally and worldwide.
The company’s mission is to “help you discover and do what you love.” In Spring 2018, they announced a campaign to become more accessible for people with visual disabilities, helping expand and fulfill this mission.
According to the American Federation for the Blind, the “very nature of Pinterest makes it difficult to use [for the visually impaired].” Screens that refresh often confuse screen readers; webpage images are hard to decipher; and its information-heavy design makes it more likely to be tedious using screen readers.
Pinterest must have agreed, because, last year, the company teamed up with Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired to research how to improve the app. "After talking to Pinners and finding out how Pinterest was (and wasn’t) working for them, we did an accessibility audit and created a list of areas to improve," says Pinterest's press statement.
Here are a few enhancements they’ve made since last spring to improve accessibility:
The company has also made accessibility a priority for engineers and developers. They’ve created a new UI library with accessible components, and have implemented accessibility checks, which will be applied to all new features in the future.
Since Pinterest’s content comes from its users, knowing some accessibility tips and tricks can be very helpful. Here are some elements to prioritize to create accessible Pinterest content:
Here are a few to check out:
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