Accessibility IS 101Y/CMSC 101Y November 19, 2013 Carolyn Seaman University of Maryland Baltimore County.

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

Carolyn SeamanUniversity of Maryland Baltimore CountyQuizIndividual quiz: 5 minutesTeam quiz: 5 minutes

But only if I have the whole teams peer evaluations!Demo evaluationsDue Thursday2 parts:Outside evaluation (submitted via email)Evaluation document (submitted via Blackboard)See announcement on BlackboardUniversal 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 all4Small 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

5Older 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)6Older AdultsEye sightDifficult 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 397Older 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 398Assistive 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

9Screen 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 isolation10Assistive 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.com11Assistive 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

12ChildrenDexterityMotor 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)13ChildrenReadingDifferent 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!14LegislationEconomic 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

15What 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!16SummaryGraphical interfaces look nice, but they can cause barriers to certain communitiesEnsure that disabled users are accommodated within design cycle

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