Strategy
Zany Touch App Review
This app is a FUN way to learn iOS gestures, listening skills and increasing auditory processing!
Test your reflexes with this exciting iOS game. Beware – the better you are the faster the game play! Zany Touch is intended to teach mainstream gestures and is fully accessible with VoiceOver. The game play itself is self-voicing (VoiceOver skills are not necessary to play the actual game once the game is activated; the game also works with VoiceOver on.) Listen to the instruction and do the gesture/motion as fast as you can. The app is free with in-app advertisements; remove the ads with an in-app purchase of $1.99; additional purchases available for more lives.
This app has four levels with the following gestures:
- Easy: Touch, shake, swipe (any direction)
- Medium: Touch, shake, pinch, swipe up, swipe down
- Hard: Touch, pinch shake, two- tap (two-finger single tap), swipe up, swipe down, swipe left, swipe right
- Multiplayer: Play in Hard mode with up to 3 other players
Note: For best results, create the gestures in the middle of the screen.
Skills Taught
Zany Touch is an exciting way to learn and practice mainstream iOS gestures. Repetitive practice develops good muscle memory, especially for young students who are visually impaired. Zany Touch also encourages good listening skills and can help increase auditory processing. As a player progresses, the game speeds up. The player has to listen to faster instructions, process the auditory information faster, and create the desired gesture faster. This game can be played as a tool to encourage students with visual impairments to increase their VoiceOver speech rate!
Learn more about the importance of listening/reading faster here.
Zany Touch is addictive! How fast can you go?
The video below is a young student who is learning to use an iPad with VoiceOver. Janna said that she loves Zany Touch and that it reminds her of one of her favorite physical games, Bop It! [The video shows a young girl sitting on her bed with an iPad in her lap. The girl is intently playing the Easy Level of the Zany Touch game. This is her first time playing Zany Touch!]
Summary
Students – and adults – with visual impairments love this simple but exciting game with it’s fast-paced action and pulsing music. The gesture sets are simple and the game starts slowly so students who are learning gestures can be successful. Students love playing this game and teachers love that their students are learning not only gestures but also several tech skills through the game play. Zany Touch is highly addictive! The icing on the cake is that Zany Touch is fully accessible with VoiceOver!
Game Suggestion
Zany Touch is a mainstream app and the gestures used are basic mainstream iOS gestures. The app is already fully accessible with VoiceOver. It would be wonderful if additional levels were added to incorporate VoiceOver gestures, such as double tap, two-finger tap, two-finger swipes, etc.
Educators and families: Enjoy this game? Please take a minute to rate the app in the app store. Be sure to include your appreciation for making this app accessible with VoiceOver! Are you interested in the developer adding VoiceOver gestures? Please let the developer know!
By Diane Brauner
