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Moderating tips with screen readers and magnifiers

Last Updated: September 29, 2026

Do while moderating research

  • Ask desktop screen reader users to share their sound when sharing their screen so you'll be able to hear their screen reader over Zoom. They will have to tab to "Share sound" and select it.

  • If the participant encounters any issues using their assistive tech (AT), ask the accessibility specialist in the session to help (e.g., sharing screen/audio over Zoom, finding the Zoom chat, switching between applications, reloading the current page, closing dialog boxes that open, understanding why a UI interaction is not working for a participant’s AT). See Screen reader instructions and troubleshooting during research.

  • Be flexible if there are technical issues with the participant’s AT.

    • If you hear an echo, check if you or the participant has multiple devices with audio on in the Zoom meeting, and if so, turn one off. If not, try putting on headphones or earbuds.

    • If participant can’t share their screen in Zoom, ask them to proceed and tell you exactly what theyʼre seeing and interacting with. You and the observers should open the prototype/app/page that they’re using and follow along.

    • If you can’t hear the participant’s screen reader…

      • If participant is on a computer, make sure they checked the “Share audio” box in Zoom.

      • If participant is on a phone/tablet and NOT using headphones, earbuds, or hearing aids that directly receive sound from their device, ask their permission to change their Zoom microphone setting to “Original sound for musicians”:

        • More > Settings > Audio > Original sound for musicians

      • If you still can’t hear the participant’s screen reader, check if you see a transcript of what the screen reader is saying at the bottom of the participant’s screen. If not, consider asking their permission to change their device setting to show captions from their screen reader:

        • iPhone: Settings > Accessibility > VoiceOver > Caption Panel

          • Words being announced are yellow and underlined, and then gray and (if long) scrolling when done.

        • Android: Settings > Accessibility > TalkBack > Settings > Display speech output

          • Words being announced are displayed, and then disappear when done.

      • If none of the above work, ask the participant to tell you when they’re ready to pause to hear the next instruction from you.

    • If you can’t see the participant’s screen magnified (if they’re using a screen magnifier), ask if they can turn it on (if iPhone) in Settings > Accessibility > Show while Mirroring. If this isn’t possible or doesn’t work, ask the participant to go to the top of the page and tell you the rightmost thing they see on their screen, and also whatʼs at the bottom of their screen without scrolling. This will give you a sense of how much of the page theyʼre seeing at once.

    • If your participant is using a Windows desktop magnifier and their view jumps away every time they type into a field, it might be due to Microsoft Magnifier's behavior with an external monitor extending the view horizontally. Ask the participant to instead use their computer's screen during the session, or change "Extend" to "Duplicate" display in their settings.

  • If you asked the participant to change ANY setting on their device or in Zoom to make their AT work better for you during the research session, at the end of the session, please help the participant change the setting back to what it was before.

  • Ask how the participant accomplishes tasks. Screen reader users do not navigate in the same way that sighted users do. Typically, they navigate by keyboard using a combination of mainstream key commands and those specific to their screen reader. They may navigate from heading to heading, get a list of links organized alphabetically, use the tab key to navigate to links and form controls, or search within the page for keywords, among other methods. It may not be immediately obvious or visible, so it’s OK to ask for clarification.

  • Itʼs OK to use words in your prompts that refer to vision (e.g., “tell me what you see”, “look at this”) because people who are visually impaired generally use this language and donʼt feel excluded by it. Avoid awkwardly trying to rephrase on the fly. It’s OK to use alternate phrases like “check out this page” if you can do it and sound natural. If a participant asks you during a session to avoid vision-oriented language, please try to do this.

Don't do while moderating research

  • Don’t ask the participant to slow down the speed of their screen reader (reading rate). It won’t be natural to the participant and can be frustrating to advanced screen reader users who may be used to listening and navigating at a fast pace. If you can’t keep up with the screen reader, ask them to explain what their screen reader announced post-task instead.

  • Avoid talking over their screen reader. Screen reader users need to be able to hear their screen reader in order to complete tasks. Wait to talk until you hear that itʼs quiet. If you canʼt hear their screen reader or see its transcript, ask the participant to tell you when theyʼre ready to pause to listen for the next instruction or question.

  • Don’t give instructions that rely on vision such as “click here” or “look for the blue button.”

Get help with assistive technology research

The Accessibility Digital Experience (ADE) team can audit the accessibility of your product, test critical user flows, review your research plan and conversation guide, provide AT users and research feedback for your pilots, and serve as technical support during your research sessions. Submit an ADE intake ticket to start working with ADE.

Learn more about screen readers

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