Usability, Accessibility, and Ethics: Grammarly
What is it?
Grammarly is a popular software tool that detects grammar and spelling errors to elevate your writing. It is available as a browser extension, web application, and even a downloadable app for your computer, phone, or tablet. Grammarly offers both free and paid options. While the free service offers only basic grammar-check and spell-check, the premium version includes over 400 features including a plagiarism checker and vocabulary suggestions.
[For practical purposes, this is only a review of the free version.]
Usability
Grammarly has a simple interface that is easy to learn. The browser extension begins to work the minute you install it, without any need to sign in. It reads any text input and analyzes it for any mistakes, which it underlines in red. To fix the mistake, the user hovers the mouse over the error. The correct usage then pops up, and all the user has to do is click on the suggestion to replace the mistake with the correct version.
It’s pretty much a simple process of find and replace that takes no time to learn therefore no effort to remember. Its friendly interface is easy to use and does all the work.
It’s all pretty intuitive: as you type, Grammarly analyzes your input. In the case of an error, the red line dynamically appears under the word. When hovered over, the word is highlighted in red and the suggested correction appears below it.
In the cases of small spelling errors, Grammarly will often autocorrect the mistake and underline the change in a dotted line. When hovered over, the changed word is highlighted in green and a little report of the autocorrect action pops up.
Accessibility
The fonts and colors are easy and friendly, which augment the simplicity and ease of access that the app already exhibits. Other accessibility applications are more noticeable in the Editor app, where the software’s functions are more robust.
When a user opens the app, the homepage pops up, with a search bar at the top and existing documents shown as icons below. Account options appear on the left. When a document is selected, the text editor pops up; editing options appear on the left, with suggestions and analytics on the right.
Besides the basic spellcheck and grammar-check, the app also features an analysis of correctness, clarity, engagement, and delivery, as well as an overall quality performance score that Grammarly breaks down into simplified data.
Ethics
My extensive experience with Grammarly hasn’t yet revealed anything ethically objectionable. The app seems designed to help the user succeed, and I’ve found the free version more than sufficient for my needs. The price of Grammarly Premium is a bit high ($139.95/year), but Grammarly often features substantial price cuts and special offers.
