Accessibility of the ReelFlow Player

Accessibility of the ReelFlow Player

We pride ourselves on trying to make the web an equitable place for all, so we are always interested in how we can improve the experience of the ReelFlow Player. We know our software is experienced by our customers’ own visitors who will have no control over how it might be implemented, or the context in which it appears on their device.

Therefore, when we design the parts we are responsible for and which we can control, we apply a number of principles to try and ensure we provide a high quality experience. We may not always get this right, there is such huge a variety of ways the web can be made more accessible, but we are keen to put our best foot forward.

In terms of our Player, the following considerations are made:

1. Videos are big assets to download, and text will always remain an important medium. We don’t want to overwhelm those who are on connections that cannot take large payloads where video is not appropriate. We use standard HTML5 to benefit from any browser affordances and we avoid embedding frameworks into our product which can bloat, preferring to write our own code. At the heart of what we believe is that video can enhance or improve often text-heavy websites, however we do our best to bring file sizes down and advise our customers on video lengths to avoid oppressive visitor experiences. Where we can reduce file sizes or asset counts, we will.
2. We implement at least one set of captions on every video. We don’t make this optional for customers, it’s a requirement we insist upon. We also play media muted by default. It’s invasive to do otherwise, and we provide clear options to turn on audio, skip or restart as needed. Video content is not always searchable or made editable with the same ease as raw text, but the tools and technology to improve this are emerging, and we actively wish to overcome those problems for our customers and their visitors. Our captions respect the idea that they can benefit by a wide group of visitors, so we carefully limit any aesthetic control to how they appear on screen.
3. We implement logical keyboard controls, consistent with other well known highly-trafficked video players such as YouTube. We respect resizing commands, so users can increase or reduce the size of the player. We design interactive controls like buttons meet the minimum suggested sizes laid out in well regarded accessibility standards. We try to ensure text contrast and size are highly readable, although we do permit our customers to make some aesthetic customisation decisions related to their brand that we don’t always have the final say in. Where this occurs, we try and provide accessibility guidance a the point of configuration.
4. We implement accessibility controls where we can, such as respecting the reduce-motion property, and ARIA role signposting in the code. This latter item helps visitors who may be using screen-reader technologies to navigate.
5. We have built the Player to respect visitor privacy. We are supporters of the concept of GDPR and other regulations that help attempt to ensure respectful relationship with the personal data of site visitors. We hope our own customers choose to be fully compliant with such regulations, and where they are, the Player is compatible with that position.

We share with our own customers our interest in supporting broad accessibility in our products, and do what we can to promote good practice. The web can be a little like the wild west at times, notably often in spaces where people are operating for commercial gain, so it’s important that we communicate our intentions clearly and apply our influence where we can.

Our aim is to continually accept feedback and improve our position. If you have comments regarding Player accessibility, please sned them to product.feedback@reelflow.com.