When I received a library card from a reciprocal library in my state, I did some research on what virtual/eLibrary services were available for cardholders and saw that Hoonuit was one of the available options. I’d heard about Hoonuit from a friend who lives in another state who had told me about their introductory technology tutorials, and spent a few days exploring the application and trying out some of the tutorials myself. Here are my thoughts on the Hoonuit app, and how it can help library cardholders with vision loss improve their technology skills.
What is Hoonuit?
Hoonuit, formerly Atomic Learning, provides free software training and support tutorials for over 150 software applications, as well as assistance with job searching and career skills. The videos can be watched in order, or users can choose to watch a small segment of a tutorial to learn a specific concept. Videos are available 24/7 and are updated regularly, and users can watch as many videos as they want, and as many times as they want.
How to access Hoonuit
Hoonuit is available as a free service through libraries, schools, and universities. Each institution gives users specific login information and a direct link for login on their website for virtual services. Hoonuit is not available as a downloadable app, but videos can be watched on desktop or mobile devices.
Interface
On the homepage, users can view popular videos, new releases, as well as video categories, or search for a video using the search function. Videos are displayed by default in a split-screen viewing area, with the video playing on the left side of the screen and an outline of video content or other videos in the playlist is on the right side. There is also a full screen option that can be selected within the video window.
Website Accessibility
Hoonuit is very transparent about their accessibility support, and has made their Web Content Accessibility Guideline (WCAG) support statement and Voluntary Product Accessibility Template (VPAT) available for download on their website. All videos have captioning available as well as transcripts, and the Hoonuit website itself has been tested for use with JAWS and VoiceOver. Users can also enlarge text by either using the zoom function in their web browser (pinch-to-zoom or control-+) or with another magnification software. For users that want to play Hoonuit content on a larger screen, I recommend using a display tool such as the Chromecast or connecting the device to an external monitor.
Related links
- WCAG 2.0 Support Statement (PDF)
- Hoonuit VPAT
- Ways I Use My Google Chromecast For Virtual Learning
- A to Z of Assistive Technology For Low Vision
Types of content on Hoonuit
Accessibility
Outside of making their website accessible for people with disabilities, Hoonuit also provides information about how to use mainstream and specialty assistive technology tools, which are a great supplemental resource for people taking classes or learning a new device on their own. Some of the tutorials available when I searched for “accessibility” include:
- Chromebook accessibility
- Dragon Naturally Speaking
- JAWS
- Windows accessibility
- Microsoft Office accessibility
- VoiceOver
Since Hoonuit videos are updated often and frequently change content, I can’t speak to the quality of these videos but found them easy to follow when doing research for this post.
Hardware/Operating Systems
While these tutorials do not focus on accessibility settings, Hoonuit has several videos for learning how to use different operating systems or performing tasks such as accessing email, taking photos, or using other applications. One potential use case for Hoonuit tutorials would be to research a hardware or software update to determine if a device or application would work well for a user.
Web Apps
There are also tutorials on web applications such as Google Forms and Microsoft Outlook. One of the things I found confusing while watching the video was that the narrator used phrases such as “click here” or “over there”, which were not always clear to me when I was watching the video with the web application open in another window. I recommend watching the video once without having a web application open, and then watching it again and following along with the content.
Productivity Software
Tutorials for productivity and job-specific applications such as Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Cloud, programming apps, and other tools are great about breaking down complex tasks and interfaces and making them easier to follow. I used the Creative Cloud tutorials to familiarize myself with a new application I was using for work, and liked that it went into a lot of detail explaining what was in each drop-down menu, since I often try to memorize the order of items in a list.
Career Skills
Hoonuit tutorials also cover general career skills such as how to write a resume, prepare for job interviews, and complete other tasks related to the job search and employment.
Related links
- Low Vision Accessibility Settings For Windows 10
- How To Make iPad Accessible for Low Vision
- Seven Accessibility Features You Didn’t Know Existed In Microsoft Office
- Creating Inclusive and Accessible Video Lectures For Visually Impaired Audiences
Summary of Hoonuit for Libraries
- Hoonuit provides free educational videos on topics such as technology literacy and career skills for participating library card holders
- The Hoonuit website supports JAWS and VoiceOver screen readers as well as screen magnification, and all videos are available with captions or transcripts
- In addition to promoting accessibility on their website, Hoonuit also provides tutorials for assistive technology apps
- Other tutorials available on Hoonuit include hardware/operating system tutorials, web apps, productivity software, and career skills
