Accessibility: Major issue, can't navigate playlist view with screen reader

[robertbalte]

None of the below information is required. However, the more you provide the easier it will be for us to try and help.

Plan

Premium

Country

Sweden

Device

Computer

Operating System

Windows 11

My Question or Issue

A major accessibility issue appeared suddenly today. Using a screen reader (I'll use NVDA as an example, but I've tested JAWS as well), you can no longer navigate the playlist view like you could before. The issue seems to have something to do with the new button to choose which columns are displayed in the view, since the issue is only with the main playlist view, not the "recommended" view below it.

To reproduce the issue:

Place yourself somewhere in a playlist view (in e.g. a playlist, an album, etc.) and turn of "browse mode" in NVDA (NVDA+Space). Now try to use the arrow keys to navigate through the list. Then, do the same in a "recommended" view.

What happens:

In the normal view you can't navigate. In the "recommended" view, you can.

What is supposed the happen:

You should be able to navigate in the same way regardless.

[Ivelina]

Hey there @robertbalte,

Thank you for taking the time to post this thread in the Community.

I’m sorry to hear about the accessibility issue that you're experiencing with the screen reader and our service. Accessibility has always been a top priority here at Spotify and we're always looking for ways to improve. That being said, we appreciate you taking the time to reach out and share your thoughts on this with us and we've made the right team aware of the issue.

While our team looks into things further backstage, we'd be more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the app's design. 

It would also be very helpful if you could send us the exact Spotify-version that you're using.

Thanks again and don't hesitate to let us know if you need help with anything else.

[CryticalAce]

Hi @robertbalte,

That's not good!

I tried to install NVDA to see if I could better understand the issue you're facing, but I couldn't figure out how to use it effectively. Can you take a screen recording of you using the software to demonstrate how it should be working and how it isn't doing what is expected? You can post the video in a reply using the insert video button in the post editor or you can upload it to Google Drive and provide a link so that we can view it.

I hope to help get this issue fixed soon!

Cheers,

CryticalAce