Color Perception and Applications Visualization 96 Course: From Perceptual Psychophysics to Graphic Design Penny Rheingans University of Mississippi

Accessibility

IS 101Y/CMSC 101YNovember 19, 2013

Marie desJardinsUniversity of Maryland Baltimore CountyUniversal Usability (UU)Products and software are not always accessible for all users

Why?

Universal usability refers to design of information and communications products and services that are both accessible and usable by all2Small marketUnprofitableBelief that it would be really expensiveUsers are Diverse!Individual Differences Physical abilitiesDifficulties interacting with hardwareCognitive and perceptual abilitiesDifferences in memory, learning, making decisionsPersonality differencesInterested/disinterested in software

3Older AdultsMore than 32 million older people (55+) have a computer compared to 64 million aged 34-54Use of Internet is increasingMay not all realize benefits of technologyCan help them access healthcare, maintain communication7 million Americans are long-distance caregivers for older relatives (Family Caregiving Alliance, 2005)4Older AdultsEyesightDifficult to see small icons on toolbars

Motor skill abilitiesSmith et al (1999) Tested basic mouse clicking and drag-and-drop abilities Older participants found more difficulty performing tasks than younger participantsTasks such as double-clicking problematicPg 780-781 Sears and Jacko Ch 395Older AdultsCognitive abilitiesSome components of cognition (the ability to understand things) decline with ageComponents such as speed and attention are predictors of competences at data entry, menu-based tasks Therefore, word processing becomes more difficultSearching on the Web also requires cognitive skills such as memory, reasoning, attention, learning and problem solving

Pg 780-781 Sears and Jacko Ch 396Assistive Technologies for the BlindScreen readers to access software or the WebA synthetic voice reads the text present

Screen reader reading out formFrom: http://www.webaim.org/techniques/forms/screen_reader.php

7Assistive Technologies for the BlindUnderstanding diagrams can be a challenge unless there is some alternative text

How would you describe this through text?From: http://www.howstuffworks.com8Screen ReadersCan be cumbersome reading a long page of textAlso difficult to understand images and tablesBraille output but not all blind people can read it!Can lead to social and technical isolation9Assistive TechnologiesPartially sighted (including some elderly users) can use screen magnifiers Enlarges the information on the screenCreate a large, scrolling virtual screen or magnify area close to the mouse

10ChildrenDexterityMotor control is not equal to adultsMay have problems double clicking or using 3 button mouse (Bederson et al. 1996)Difficulty dragging a mouse (Strommen, 1994)Led to the popularity of tablets with children

SpeechOHare and McTear (1999) found that 12 year olds could generate text more quickly and accurately through dictationSpeech recognition developed for adults doesnt work so well with young children (Nix et al., 1988)11ChildrenReadingDifferent reading abilitiesWhat can be used to substitute?

Background knowledgeJones (1992) Children are less familiar with office concepts like file folders and in/out boxes

Interaction stylePlayful, spontaneous interactions with technologyHanna et al. (1997) found kids repeatedly generating errors to hear funny noises!12ChildrenComputer acts as a tutorAnimated tutors teaching kids

Computer acts as a toolKidPix is a drawing tool for kidsSeveral ways to erase screen (e.g. drawing explodes or sucked down a drain)It is designed well for kids interests and needs

13LegislationEconomic impact of individuals with disabilitiesSection 508 - Americans with Disabilities Act Eliminate barriers in ITMake new opportunities for disabledEncourage development of technologies that will help achieve these goalsLaw applies to all Federal agenciesGood practice for private companies

14Design Guidelines for InclusivenessSection 508Have a text equivalent to diagrams (e.g. alt text, longdesc)Equivalent alternatives for any multimediaInformation conveyed with color is also available without color

15Design Guidelines for InclusivenessSection 508Pages should be readable without style sheetRow and column headers should be identified for data tables.Avoid causing the screen to flicker with a frequency greater than 2 Hz and lower than 55 Hz

16Design Guidelines for InclusivenessSection 508Scripting should be identified by assistive technologiesPermits users to skip repetitive navigation links

17Design Guidelines for InclusivenessSection 508Further info and sample HTML code at: http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/guide/1194.22.htm

18Design Guidelines for InclusivenessWCAG validatorValidator.w3.org (entered: www.wikipedia.org)

19Design Guidelines for InclusivenessWikipedia is not completely accessible well according to the W3C WCAG guidelines!

Note: that there are automated tools for checking web sites:WAVE - http://wave.webaim.org/May only find up to a certain percentage of problemsManual testing is needed

20What Basic Changes Can Designers Make To Improve Interface Access?BlindOlder AdultsColor blindDeaf & hard of hearingCognitive disabilitiesPhysical disabilitiesYounger communityOther groups

21What can Designers Do?Designers must plan early to accommodate users with disabilitiesFollow design guidance (Section 508, WCAG)Simple design can be more effective than complex designUse validators and do manual testing tooTesting with target users is essential!22SummaryGraphical interfaces look nice, but they can cause barriers to certain communitiesEnsure that disabled users are accommodated within design cycle

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