Screen readers: Common choices and configurations
Screen readers are software programs that run on computers, phones, and other digital platforms, to give those who have difficulty reading printed text, or interpreting icons, access to the device. If you’re interested in learning more about screen readers in general, check out this article that explains more on how screen readers work.
While people who are completely blind are the primary users of screen readers, they are also used by those with dyslexia, people with low vision who may find reading text for long periods of time difficult, or by anyone who can’t look at a screen for whatever reason (perhaps, for example, because they are driving).
Amber Knabl, Customer Success @ Fable
“When engaging with screen reader users on Fable, these preferences are great considerations to keep in mind.”
In 2019, WebAIM conducted a survey with over 1000 screen reader users worldwide to collect information in terms of demographics and preferences around primary screen reader type, browser, and operating system. Please note that this study was entirely voluntary.
Screen reader types used
| Screen reader type | % of respondents |
| NVDA (Non-Visual Desktop Access) | 40.6% |
| JAWS (Job Access With Speech) | 40.1% |
| VoiceOver | 12.9% |
| Other | 6.4% |
Source: WebAIM
Screen reader/browser configurations used
| Screen reader & browser | % of respondents |
| JAWS with Chrome | 21.4% |
| NVDA with Firefox | 19.6% |
| NVDA with Chrome | 18.0% |
| JAWS with Internet Explorer | 11.5% |
| VoiceOver with Safari | 9.1% |
| JAWS with Firefox | 5.9% |
| VoiceOver with Chrome | 3.0% |
| NVDA with Internet Explorer | 1.2% |
| Other combinations | 10.4% |
Source: WebAIM
Operating systems used by screen reader users
| Operating System | % of Respondents |
| Windows | 72.1% |
| iOS | 13.5% |
| Apple | 9.5% |
| Android | 3.8% |
| Linux | 1.1% |
| Other | .1% |
Source: WebAIM
When engaging with screen reader users on Fable, whether through Compatibility Tests or User Interviews, these preferences are great considerations to keep in mind.
There are a lot of factors that go into how a screen reader user will decide on the screen reader and synthesizer that they’ll use. This article on the voice behind screen readers takes a closer look at some of these factors.
View the full results from the screen reader survey conducted by WebAIM.