Accessibility: Missing input labels and focus order navigation fixes

[AnaFerreira015]

Hi! I’m Ana Ferreira, a Master's student in Computer Science.

As part of my research on mobile accessibility, I am analyzing open-source Android applications to help identify and correct accessibility barriers so users can utilize assistive technologies more effectively.

I’ve been exploring wispaar and identified several accessibility issues on the Main/Configuration screens, so I wanted to propose a fix.

1. The Issue

On the Main Screens, the input fields and interactive controls present the following behavior:

• Current behavior: Several input elements lack persistent visual labels or clear instructions. TalkBack users and those with cognitive disabilities struggle to identify the purpose of a field once it is focused (violating WCAG 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions).
• Impact: Users may provide incorrect information or become frustrated when they cannot determine what a specific setting or text field is intended for.

2. Proposed Solution

To fix this, I suggest ensuring every input field has a descriptive label linked via android:labelFor or using Material Design's TextInputLayout to keep hints visible as floating labels.

Code snippet / XML suggestion:

<com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout
    ...
    android:hint="@string/input_field_description">
    <com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputEditText
        ... />
</com.google.android.material.textfield.TextInputLayout>

3. Additional fixes (Need your input)

I have identified 6 other accessibility improvements for wispaar.

To avoid spamming your notification feed, how would you prefer I submit these?

• Option A: List them all here in this issue (I can update the comment below).
• Option B: Open separate issues for each specific problem.

[Scriptbash]

Hi Ana! Thank you very much for raising this issue. Accessibility is definitely something I need to improve in the app, I will make sure to fix these issues before releasing the next update. Since all other issues are related to accessibility, I think we can use this issue to track them all in one place. Thanks!