Banking app gives visual aid

Off the back of its recent win of the ‚’Best Android Consumer App’ at the MTN App of the Year awards, Nedbank has enabled its banking app, Nedbank App Suite, to cater for the visually impaired.

Fred Swanepoel, Nedbank chief information officer, says, ‚”Our goal is to be a leader in the mobile and digital space in South Africa and the app for the visually impaired is one of the ways we’re showing that we are serious about that! The big thing for this 700,000-strong market is independence, and making it easy for our clients to bank securely anytime, anywhere is of great comfort to them.‚”

Visually impaired users utilise the accessibility features, more specifically the voice-over capability, which allows the user to hear the texts and commands on their screen. Depending on the preference of the visually impaired user, an external keyboard or electronic Braille display connected via Bluetooth may also be utilised.

Says Jacques Stassen, Nedbank New Technology Test Analyst, ‚”The way that sighted users interact with mobile devices is vastly different to that of visually impaired users. Nedbank therefore specifically employed me, a blind test analyst with extensive banking experience, to provide valuable insights to the development team. This ensures that the Nedbank App Suite leverages the accessibility capabilities of the various mobile operating systems to their full extent.‚”

Swanepoel concludes, ‚”We endeavour to keep improving our app and are committed to sub-sectors of the population, such as people with disabilities.‚”

Visually impaired users can download the app from their selected app store.

*