#yahoo answers now

By Gary Moulton, Accessibility Program Manager

Last week we introduced a new Yahoo app for Android and iOS that re-imagines the Q&A experience for mobile users. Say hello to Yahoo Answers Now.

Using Yahoo Answers Now with assistive technology is as simple as plugging in your bluetooth keyboard, adjusting your smartphone’s text size or turning on your built in screen reader, such as to TalkBack or VoiceOver. And, of course, “looking” for the answer to a question that will make your day.

Yahoo Answers Now re-imagines the Q&A experience for mobile users. It helps users ask questions and receive quality answers quickly from community for answers that require human experiences and expertise.

For example: “what should I get my 50-year-old mother for the holidays?” or “what should photography hobbyists do when visiting Miami this weekend?”

Using assistive technology (e.g. screen reader), other questions and answers are just a swipe away, along with the number of answers provided and the option to evaluate the answer and/or add your own.

Take Matching for example. It is a key feature of Yahoo Answers Now that routes questions to qualified responders who have the experiences and expertise to provide a high quality answer. When you ask a question, there is floating button in the lower right-hand side of your display – the focus switches to the question answer field. Type in your question and, if you like, swipe to the “Details” text field to enter additional information. In either case, swipe back to the “Post” button. After pressing this button Yahoo Answers Now routes your question to qualified responders who have the experiences and expertise to provide a high quality answer. All this can be done without “looking” at the screen.

Want to answer a question? Use your screen reader to open a Yahoo Answers Now questions details card. When you swipe to a question, your screen reader will begin to read the questions category (for example, Maintenance & Repair), the most recent answer entered and additional information about it. Double-tap anywhere to open the question details and swipe to the “Answer” button. Give the question your best shot. You can also swipe to the options to add an assortment of media, including images and links. Again, no “looking” required.

Download Yahoo Answers Now from the App Storeor Play Store today to give these features a whirl and tap into the insight of our community! As always, you can send your questions or feedback to us at[email protected].