This week’s Microsoft’s Ability Summit highlighted how the company has incorporated accessibility into the design of Windows 11, Microsoft Edge, and especially its amazing peripherals, but the question needs to be asked again: Can Microsoft do more to create a Start menu in Windows 11 and The taskbar is more accessible to older users?
I am fortunate enough to be fully mobile, with the ability to use my mouse, keyboard, and Xbox console without any additional assistance. But I am also one of the millions of users whose vision slowly deteriorates over time. This is of course nothing new, and we have corrective glasses and lenses to compensate.
But my vision disintegrated during the pandemic, as I was locked inside and didn’t have many opportunities to drive, take trips, and engage my remote vision. My youngest son, who has endured two years of distance learning, experienced the same thing. Regardless of what has happened over the past few years, it is clear that those users who started computing when Windows 1.0 was released in 1985 have grown old.
this is important. The ability to use a computer depends largely on the ability to see. Studies have linked poor visual function to depression and social isolation simply because they are unable to interact with the world around them. And while Windows provides assistive technologies for those with very low vision – Narrator, the built-in screen reader in Windows – there is certainly a middle ground for those who can see well enough to use a computer but have a hard time navigating through the various menus.
Could Windows 11 accommodate this, with larger icons and a resizable Start menu and taskbar? And could Microsoft do a better job with the upcoming Start Folders in this regard? I think Microsoft can, and its reluctance to get involved in this issue is somewhat baffling.
In a moment, we’ll talk about what you are Could you To offset Microsoft’s decision, and help make these elements of Windows 11 more accessible. But I’m not sure if Microsoft intends to rely on these approaches or if it is planning further improvements for Windows 11. I asked Jenny Lay-Flurrie, Microsoft’s chief accessibility officer – Once on social mediaonce at a Microsoft Accessibility press event – and received no response.
Mark Hatchman / IDJ
Windows 11 taskbar: hard to parse
The Windows 11 taskbar poses three obstacles in the way of access: the taskbar itself is not moveable or resizable, icons cannot be enlarged independently, and taskbar buttons are always combined. Windows 10 allows you to set the first and third items. no The combination of taskbar buttons allows someone to create a large taskbar landing area whose function is clearly explained, as in Windows 10.
Mark Hatchman / IDJ
Oddly enough, the Windows 10 settings menu (right-click the taskbar to access it) allows you to create icons smallest, not bigger, which also seems to be a problem for older users. But Windows 11 simply does not provide the flexibility of Windows 10 in terms of configuring the Start menu.
By now, you are probably familiar with the limitations of the Windows 11 Start Menu: the entire window cannot be resized, its icons cannot be resized, and the lack of Live Tiles restricts the size of icons. In Windows 10, you can enlarge the Start menu icons to a relatively gigantic size, not only making them easier to read and navigate, but also allowing you to visually remind yourself of the most important apps, what they are called, and where they live. (Although this may sound silly to you, consider the difficulties some older family members may have with navigating a computer.)
Microsoft
One of the useful organizational tools that Microsoft included in Windows 10 were the Start folders, which group related applications together. It was left out of Windows 11, but we were already able to take a look at and test it out as part of the Windows 11 Insider Program.
In both Windows 10 and Windows 11, the Start folders shrink the size of the icons they contain, making them less visible. I never understood this decision. Both operating systems at least create popups with larger versions of the same icons when you click on them.
Mark Hatchman / IDJ
If Microsoft isn’t going back to Live Tiles, that’s fine. But why doesn’t Microsoft offer a resizable Start menu in Windows 11 that can be enlarged if necessary? Option for larger icons individually? Start menu folders that can also be resized and rearranged? A taskbar that can be adjusted to expand and fill the available space with tiled icons?
This should not be the domain of a third party like Start11 or even Microsoft’s excellent PowerToys. I would argue that these are not aesthetic choices, but functional choices. which are accessible. Limiting accessibility at the literal starting point of your Windows 11 experience should be a bit awkward for everyone involved.
Solutions: What you can do right now
Whether or not Microsoft chooses to take action, you have a few options for making Windows more visually accessible with its built-in tools.
Change the size of desktop icons
First, you can change the size of the floating icons on the desktop. (No, that’s no not Affects the icons on the taskbar or the Start menu. why not?)
Mark Hatchman / IDJ
Simply right-click on the desktop and go to Opinion in the dropdown menu. You will then have the option to choose between large, medium, and small icons, and you can choose what works best for you.
DPI scaling
The next option is what is known as a DPI scaling, or just scaling. The option can be found in the Windows 11 Settings menu. (System > Display > ScaleHere, you’ll find a drop-down menu with various percentages to choose from, as well as a “recommended” setting.
Mark Hatchman / IDJ
Scale is a “global” control that will resize everything: text, UI elements, browser windows, start and taskbar – works. It’s an easy way to enlarge all the visual elements on your screen — and, to be fair, it might represent what Microsoft believes is the most universally accessible way to increase the visibility of the Windows user interface. It still doesn’t address the ability to resize or adjust the Start size, but it will Make Windows items more visible.
The only trick that Scale hides is that it can be controlled on a per-view basis. So, if you’re typing on a laptop screen but also using a secondary screen as your primary display, make sure both are set the way you want them. You may have two independent settings for both monitors.
Use the magnifier
The third option is a magnifier, which can be used as a craft electronic magnifying glass. The magnifier can be controlled via the Windows 11 settings menu (Accessibility > Magnifier) and can be switched between it and writing WIN + + (aka clicking the “Windows” key and the “plus” key simultaneously) and turning it off by WIN + ESC. Note that the settings menu controls how “strong” the magnifier is, so you may want to “raise” it by increasing the percentage. The magnifier can also be used in full screen mode or as a “lens”, which seemed rather useful to me.
When you’re in magnifier mode, the cursor interacts with the screen as usual, so you can right and left click on different visual elements.
Mark Hatchman / IDJ
Of course, you can also use Windows’ special ability to read and navigate with voice, either within Word or via Windows Narrator. I don’t recommend using Narrator if you can already move visually around Windows, as it tends to get in the way. However, if you have difficulty seeing, it can be invaluable.
Again, you may have no problem reading your screen and navigating Windows. It’s fair to say, however, that a large percentage of users who grew up on Windows may have a problem with Windows 11. The accessibility tools built into Windows might be a good first step, but Microsoft’s Power Summit should also be appropriate for a Windows error recheck 11.