Accessibility: Missing labels on navigation controls and focus order 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 (like TalkBack) more effectively.

I’ve been exploring WikiReader and identified several accessibility issues on the Search and Article screens, so I wanted to propose a fix.

1. The Issue

On the Main Search and Reading screens, several interactive elements (specifically the search button, article actions, and navigation icons) present the following behavior:

• Current behavior: The elements lack descriptive text labels. TalkBack announces them simply as "Unlabelled" or "Button", violating WCAG 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).
• Impact: Users relying on screen readers cannot distinguish between different search or bookmarking tools, making the offline reading experience frustrating and inaccessible.

2. Proposed Solution

To fix this, I suggest adding an android:contentDescription to all interactive icons in the layout XML.

Code snippet / XML suggestion:

<ImageButton
    ...
    android:contentDescription="@string/action_search_article" />

3. Additional fixes (Need your input)

I have identified 5 other accessibility improvements for WikiReader.

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.

Please let me know your preference, and I will proceed accordingly.

Best regards,