On June 18th, Apple received the prestigious Helen Keller Achievement Award from the American Foundation for the Blind for their notable breakthroughs in accessible technology. But a few weeks earlier, at the 2015 Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple also presented an award for accessibility, the first annual design accessibility award, which went to DeskConnect, creators of an iOS app called Workflow.
In this article we will take a closer look at Workflow, describing not only what it does and how it works, but also how iOS VoiceOver users contributed to the app winning the Apple Design Award.
Workflow: An App that Streamlines Your iPhone Tasks
Let's start with the basics. A workflow is defined as the series of steps that are required to accomplish a specific task. Consider a recipe for your favorite casserole. Each step, from preheating the oven to adding the final garnish, is described in the order you should follow. You probably also have an informal workflow for cleaning your living room: first clear the clutter, next dust, and lastly vacuum.
Notice that the steps follow in a logical order that needs to be adhered to. After all, what is the sense of dusting before you have tossed the clutter? And you should probably dust those end tables before you vacuum the carpet.
Many computing tasks—desktop and mobile—are also best accomplished via workflows. Suppose, for example, you would like to e-mail someone a link to this article. You would:
- Locate the webpage URL.
- Copy the URL to your clipboard.
- Move to an e-mail app.
- Open a blank e-mail or reply to an existing e-mail.
- Copy the clipboard into the e-mail body text.
- Send the email.
Using a computer, this workflow can be accomplished in large part with the use of hotkeys and keyboard shortcuts: CTRL or Command + C (depending on whether you are using a PC or a Mac) to copy that URL from the browser window, then CTRL or Command V to paste it into the body of an e-mail. On a mobile device such as an iPhone, however, performing this task requires a good deal of tapping, scrolling, and swiping. "Too much" says Ari Weinstein, cofounder of DeskConnect, and one of the lead developers of the Workflow app.
Workflow for iOS takes over 200 of the tasks you perform on your iOS device and turns them into building blocks, called "Actions," that you can select and arrange to automate everything from getting walking directions to nearby coffee shops to sharing content with friends and business associates via text or e-mail.
The first time you open the app you are offered a guided tour, during which you will create a simple workflow to turn a series of photos into a GIF. Let's skip this for now. Instead, we will activate the Workflow Gallery tab, where we can browse a library of preconfigured workflows you can download and begin using immediately.
Workflows fall into two categories: Apps and Extensions. Workflow apps can be opened and run from within the Workflow app itself. They can also be saved to your home screen, and then activated and run via a one finger double-tap the same as any other app. Extensions appear in the Share Sheets of existing apps, in the same place you find other options such as "Email," "Message," "Copy," and "Open In…"
To demonstrate, let's run a few workflows from the Gallery.
Examples of Gallery Workflows
Make PDF
Safari, Google Chrome, and other iOS browsers include a Share Sheet, where you can send a link to the app's content via text message or e-mail. But what if you are sharing a blog post, or your local newspaper's headline page, where there are no permalinks and you fear the content might change before your recipient has a chance to give it a look?
The "Make a PDF" workflow adds this extra option to your iOS browser's Share Sheet. Invoke it and you will be presented with an accessible PDF version of the entire page, which you can then share with others via e-mail or text message, or open in another app such as Voice Dream Reader.
Walk to Coffee Shop
This workflow summons Apple Maps walking directions to nearby coffee shops for those times when you are out and about and need a quick jolt of caffeine. As described above, there are two ways to run this app. If you double tap the Walk to Coffee Shop workflow inside the app, you can then double tap the Run Workflow icon. Alternatively, you can invoke the Workflow Settings icon, which includes an option to add the workflow to your home screen. If you do this, the Walk to Coffee Shop app will now display as a home screen icon, which you can run directly.
You might even consider saving two or more versions of this app. When you open the workflow you will find a text entry field beneath the "Search" action, in which the word "Coffee" has been entered. Replace "Coffee" with "Grocery," and presto, you now have an app that will find the nearest food mart. Rename the workflow "Walk to Grocery Store" and save it to your home screen. You now have a pair of apps that will call up directions to either coffee shops or grocery stores on demand.
Speak Clipboard
There is one more workflow of interest to VoiceOver users we will mention here. It is called Speak Clipboard, and that is precisely what it does.
Marking and copying text using VoiceOver can be tricky, at best. The Speak Clipboard workflow can help you confirm you have the text you want in the clipboard. For many, this single workflow, which can be run as either a Share Sheet extension or a home screen app, may be worth the $4.99 price of admission.
Let's take a look at this extension step by step.
Get Clipboard action
As its name implies, this action grabs the contents of the clipboard.
Speak Text action
This action causes the device to speak the contents of the clipboard
These are the only two actions in this workflow, but for this second action several settings appear.
- Wait Until Finished (switch button) On
This pauses any future actions until the clipboard has finished reading. - Rate, 45%
This is the speech rate that will be used. You can change this rate and resave the workflow. - Pitch, 33%
Again, you can change and save this setting. - Language, Default
You can change this to any iOS speech language and voice installed on your device.
That's it. As you can see from our deep dive into the Speak Clipboard workflow, creating a new workflow of your own is as simple as selecting the building blocks and then assembling them in the logical order: No programming knowledge required. In the next section we will demonstrate this fact by creating a simple workflow app that opens your camera, then, after you snap a photo, automatically attaches the image to an outgoing text message.
The Workflow Interface
When you create a new workflow, the app displays two tabs: Actions and Workflow. The Workflow tab includes options to select the type of workflow you wish to create: a normal workflow, which can be saved as a home screen app, or an Action Extension workflow, which will appear in other apps' Share Sheets.
By default your new workflow will display as "Untitled 1." You can edit this name in the Settings menu. Tap "Done" and you are ready to begin assembly.
VoiceOver users can use a three-finger left or right swipe to move back and forth between the two tabs. There are also labeled tab icons near the bottom of the screen.
The Actions screen lists many, but not all, possible actions. There is a search box, however, and since we wish to begin our workflow by taking a photo, we will enter "photo" in the search field. Indeed, one of the first choices is "Take Photo Action." Here, the developers have done an excellent job of adding VoiceOver hints: "Draggable. Double-tap and hold, wait for the sound, then drag to the right to add to your workflow." Double tapping the element speaks: "Uses the camera to take photos. Result: images, photo from the camera."
Performing a double-tap and hold gesture enables us to begin dragging the action toward the right. VoiceOver speaks "Added Take Photo Action to workflow" when it is in the proper position. We are now prompted to set the number of photos to be taken (one, for our example app), and which camera to use (we'll select the front camera).
We next want to send the photo via text message. To do this we will drag the "Send Message Action" onto our workflow action list. This time when we drop the action Voiceover will report its position: "below Take Photo," which is exactly where we want it. Had we inadvertently placed it above Take Photo, all we would need to do is to use a second drag and drop gesture to move it down. Voiceover announces each change of position.
You can add one or more contacts to the Send Message action. Say, for example, you frequently take photos of pantry items and text them to your spouse, sibling, and best friend. You can add all three to the Send Message action item. You can optionally add a "Save to Photo Album" action item above the "Send Message" item, but leaving this action out is a great way to stop your photo album from becoming cluttered with pictures of jars, cans, and boxes.
That's all there is to this simple workflow. You can now save it as a home screen app, or run it right away. Your camera app will open, and after you take a picture and confirm you wish to use it, the image will automatically be attached to a text message prepopulated with your desired contact or contacts.
You can also share your new workflow with friends, submit it to the Gallery, and accept shared workflows from other users. The Action list is always available, and studying other workflows is an excellent way to learn how the various action items work and inspire you to modify them and create new and useful workflows of your own.
Workflow Accessibility for People with Visual Impairments
The initial release of the Workflow app was only partially accessible. There were no VoiceOver hints, and performing a drag and drop in the app was extremely difficult. It also was not obvious how to exit the Gallery once it was opened.
"The very day Workflow appeared in the App Store we began getting e-mails from VoiceOver users telling us how potentially useful our app could be, if only we could improve accessibility," says Weinstein. "I knew a little about VoiceOver, but not how to make an app VoiceOver accessible."
The developers began corresponding with Maine technology trainer Alex Hall and other VoiceOver users who wished to use Workflow. "They could not have been any more cooperative," says Hall. "They would send me and several other VoiceOver users fresh betas. We'd offer our feedback and report any new accessibility bugs."
"With their help and all the online accessibility resources Apple offers it didn't take us very long to make Workflow completely VoiceOver friendly," says Weinstein.
At the WWDC Design Award ceremony a pair of blind software engineers demonstrated the Workflow app in this video. The Workflow demo begins approximately 35 minutes in, at 61 percent.
Product Information
Workflow
Price: $4.99
Available from theiOS App Store.
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AT&T NYU Connect Ability Challenge: Programming for Accessibility by Bill Holton
Dolphin Guide from Dolphin Computer Access: A Suite of Access Programs that Simplify Computer Use by Jamie Pauls
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