Explore quick methods to improve accessibility when using Mentimeter. You can either scroll through the tips or select from the list below to jump to that section.
- Prepare slides and questions that are easy to understand
- Alternative ways to participate
- Response time
- Accessibility of Mentimeter features
- Alternative communication methods to enhance engagement
- Accessibility functions within Mentimeter
Prepare slides and questions that are easy to understand
- Limit the text on slides avoiding longer question descriptions.
- Use plain English, prompts and avoid acronyms keeping questions short to support engagement.
- Add some brief context with the participants before sharing or asking for input.
- Practice reading and answering the order of questions you create to gauge processing time, pauses and reflection.
- Provide slides or questions ahead of time to reduce in-session cognitive load.
Provide alternative ways to participate
- Incorporate a backup or alternate response method, such as engaging through the chat, over a shared document or through a ‘reaction’ response for students who may not be able to access Mentimeter easily.
- Share the QR code to the board and also the short link, signpost or read the link out clearly.
Allow time for people to respond
- Add pauses or longer breaks for students to read and remember to respond, including quiet time.
- Consider integrating Mentimeter boards pre- and post-sessions asynchronously.
- Allow time for participants to get familiar with Mentimeter the first couple of times you use it and let students know they will be interacting with the platform in advance.
Consider the accessibility of features more regularly
- Word clouds options can be challenging for students who use screen readers, translating the visual format.
- Ranking options can be challenging for students increasing cognitive load by tracking multiple items.
- Pin on image questions can be challenging for students as it relies on specific visual interaction.
- You don’t have to avoid these questions completely, its important to consider your audience and provide an alternative.
Provide different types of communication for engagement and participation
- Read out key features of word clouds or charts, adding an auditory communication.
- Summarise key learnings or summaries from the Mentimeter boards aloud.
- Verbally explain the flow of the activity, for example, how to join Mentimeter, how to submit answers and what to expect next.
- Make it clear how and when participant names will be used during activities or if there is anonymity.
Use accessibility functions within Mentimeter
- Utilise the accessibility checker built into Mentimeter when designing your slides.
- Consider colour contrast and dark mode on web browsers and on mobile.
- Suggest using the hotkey ‘I’ to show the joining instructions on any given slide.
- To use the live caption tool within Powerpoint and Mentimeter, create your questions in Mentimeter itself and then import them into Powerpoint.