How Live Text Will Reduce Cognitive Load and Make Tech More Accessible
I always look forward to Steven Aquino’s analysis of new OS features and how they benefit the accessibility community. Here he is at Forbes, writing about Live Text:
Secondly, the contextual menu to call or email someone, for example, is a boon in terms of reducing cognitive load. A person with atypical cognition, for instance, doesn’t need to copy the phone number, find the Phone app, paste the number, and hit Dial. All they need to do is tap Call right from the photo and the system initiates the call. More than immediacy or convenience, Live Text’s data detectors consolidates a multi-step process into a single step.
Viewing data detectors as a key way to reduce cognitive load is obvious in hindsight. It makes data more useable for everyone, including people with disabilities, people uncomfortable with or new to technology, and techno-geeks alike. I’m a little embarrassed I had never considered them in that way before.
Steven’s whole piece is, as always, well worth reading.