Hadiza Abdulrahman
A mobile banking application allows a customer to conduct a variety of banking transactions. This app can be downloaded via play store to a smartphone
People with visual impairments may have trouble using banking mobile apps, despite the fact that they are here to stay and have made financial transactions simpler and more convenient.
Most banks and other financial institutions now offer mobile banking options via websites and apps, which can be downloaded from various app stores.
Users can log in to their accounts through these apps, making banking more convenient and accessible, particularly for tasks that do not require in-person visits to a bank branch.
Therefore, promoting financial inclusion for these groups is essential to guarantee that people who are blind, partially sighted, or have other print disabilities have access to financial services.
Difficulty of the activation process for blind users of the apps
Jacob Agada, Chairman of the FCT Chapter of the National Association of the Blind (NAB), emphasised the difficulty of the activation process for blind users of the apps due to its complexity. “Even if you submit the essential information, you won’t be able to proceed, because there is no voiceover to tell you what to do when you reach a certain activation level.”.
Mr Jacob Agada
“We predominantly rely on sachet-sized alternatives to assist us in conducting these transactions. In a rapidly advancing digital economy like Nigeria, visually impaired individuals find themselves unable to carry out transactions independently, which leaves us at a disadvantage, He said effort to ensure their financial inclusion has not resulted in anything concrete, as the government is not responding.” Ogechi Uloka, a disability rights activist who is also visually impaired, said, “The Cash Reader App I was using can be used to determine how much money one has in an account.” However, it can be sluggish, disruptive, and incorrect in its amounts these days; for instance, it might say N200 instead of N1000.
“We heard of a new app in Israel that makes things simple for those with vision impairments. We desire such a thing so that we are not entirely reliant on others.” Current screen readers, such as TalkBack found in most modern smartphones, clearly fall short for her in many ways.. “We shouldn’t always have to ask for help to operate bank apps because people do get tired and eventually feel over-burdened”, She added
“There are times when unscrupulous persons take advantage of our challenge to compromise our bank accounts or steal into our private chats and mails without our permission. That is why we need tools that can help us use our phones more easily, such as a more compliant screen reader and cash reader.” For Barrister Gladys Ekama, she has trouble using the JAWS (on her computer) and TalkBack software on her android phone because the numbers “don’t correspond to a blind user”.
“In order to obtain what you want from the talk back app, you typically need to type twice. However, once it figures out that you don’t type twice, it starts writing when your hand touches the screen. Finding it is challenging. Even the alphabet is not friendly to the blind, who must type the figures by tracing them”. Barrister Ekama went further, saying, “I have to go to the bank if I have any issues since I have trouble getting in touch with customer service. When it comes to alphabet and number issues, we have to rely on others rather than handling it ourselves, which is not ideal. It really hurts me. Even while using an ATM, assistance is required. Let the banks make it simpler for us to access both their physical and mobile facilities.
“Some of the bank apps can’t be accessed except we are assisted. At times, we have to put off the talk back to access some of the features on the app. By doing so, we can’t continue the process because we are unable to see what to click on next,” she added.
Accessible Banking Mobile Apps across countries
The Purple banking application in the US, Kasikornbank app in Thailand and the WeBank App all in the People’s Republic of China all have accessibility features to provide convenient access to banking services for visually impaired citizens
Investigation revealed that most commercial banks in Nigeria have no deliberate or conscious policy in terms of making their services accessible to users with blindness or low vision. However, in January this year, a commercial bank introduced “Braille bank account” but more is expected from other banks, and other stakeholders in the financial industry for inclusivity.
Key Features of Accessible Banking Mobile Apps
Like on mobile phones, these are some features that should be incorporated in bank app, to ensure the inclusivity of the visually impaired
§ Text-to-Speech and Speech-to-Text: Text-to-speech can read out transaction details, while speech-to-text allows users to dictate notes or instructions for transactions.
§ Voice Commands and Gestures: This feature allows users to perform actions by simply speaking commands, such as checking account balances or transferring funds.
§ High-Contrast and Large Text Options: Visual impairments vary in severity, and some individuals may benefit from high-contrast interfaces or larger text sizes. Accessible mobile banking apps often provide customizable settings that allow users to adjust the app’s visual elements to their preferences, making it easier to read and use.
§ Braille Support: Banking apps with Braille support can seamlessly integrate with these devices, providing tactile feedback and enhancing the user experience.
Call for action
Significant economic implications arise from the dichotomies in financial services accessibility.
Citing World Bank estimates, the Central Bank of Nigeria recently reported a range of annual global GDP losses due to the financial exclusion of PWDs, which amounts to $1.71 trillion to $2.23 trillion.
Therefore, it is crucial for governments, policymakers, and financial institutions to collaborate and align with the SDGs’ goal of leaving no one behind by developing banking apps that cater to the needs of all users, including the visually impaired and individuals with print disabilities.
This is not only a matter of inclusivity but also a legal requirement in many countries.
Hence, banks should establish disability service counters in all their branches and ensure that their staff receives proper training to assist individuals with visual impairments and various forms of disabilities.
This fundamental right should be accessible to all.
Hadiza Abdulrahman, a broadcast journalist in this report sent in from Abuja as part of the requirement s a fellow for the Disability and inclusion in the Media Fellowship, 2023; Supported by the Africa Foundation For Young Media Professionals
Photo credit: mdpi
