Hi @StaceD. Great idea for a thread and I hope the comments on here go towards improving the system for those with accessability issues and disabilities.
Personally speaking, I think the remote and UI for Sky Q are the biggest problems that should be addressed first.
The accessibility remote looks like the old Sky remote, but doesn't function like it, which is really confusing. The button you used to press for TV guide doesn't do that any more. The button that used to be back-up is now the home button, so pressing it expecting to go back one step takes you out of everything. The back button takes you out of the menu completely instead of going back one step (when you remember that's the new version of the "back" button). The left arrow button is what has to be pressed to go back one step in the menu. The right arrow button is now the last channel button, despite right being instinctively associated with going forward, not back. The accessibility remote should not look like a Sky HD remote but not function like it. It should have loked like the new Q remote only bigger, with a grippable back and larger buttons. As is, it's a combination of both and its confusing.
As for the UI, you have to press home > down > ok > ok (or home > down > right > right) just to get into the TV guide to start navigating it. I can't believe that was signed off on as the best method for customers. The main feature of the Sky guide should be a one button access to the TV listings first and foremost, it's the main thing people use Sky for, so why it takes 4 button presses to get into the TV guide is so strange and counterintuitive. There should be a TV Guide button and pressing it loads the guide instantly with BBC ONE (or the channel you are currently watching) highlighted and ready to be interacted with, not something you have to then go into further just to see whats on.
The UI of Sky Q probably won awards for it's refreshing changes, but I think it's a step way too far for disabled customers from what they were used to previously and it has caused problems. I know my mother hates using it as she finds it too overwhelming and coupled with the accessibility remote and other UI changes, I (more often than not) am asked to do things on Sky for her because it confuses her and she loses patience with it.
I would say the biggest benefit you could do would be to release an updated accessibility remote that looks like the Sky Q remote but with one button access to the TV guide and to have voice control, so those that are finding the UI too much can still just lift the remote and tell it to tune in to the chanel required to make navigating the system a lot easier and less hassle for them. As is, it's just a mash-up of several things and sadly doesn't do the job it should.
