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What Frustrates Screen Reader Users on the Web: A Study of 100 Blind Users
International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction
Abstract
In previous research, the computer frustrations of student and workplace users have been documented. However, the challenges faced by blind users on the Web have not been previously examined. In this study, 100 blind users, using time diaries, re- corded their frustrations using the Web. The top causes of frustration reported were (a) page layout causing confusing screen reader feedback; (b) conflict between screen reader and application; (c) poorly designed/unlabeled forms; (d) no alt text for pictures; and (e) 3-way tie between misleading links, inaccessible PDF, and a screen reader crash. Most of the causes of frustration, such as inappropriate form and graphic labels and confusing page layout, are relatively simple to solve if Webmasters and Web designers focus on this effort. In addition, the more techni- cally challenging frustrations, such as screen reader crashes and conflicts, need to be addressed by the screen reader developers. Blind users in this study were likely to repeatedly attempt to solve a frustration, not give up, and not reboot the computer. In this study, the blind users reported losing, on average, 30.4% of time due to these frustrating situations. Implications for Web developers, screen reader developers, and screen reader users are discussed in this article.
... Enter Lighthouse [1], an open-source, automated tool developed by Google designed to assist developers in enhancing the quality of web pages. Lighthouse [1] conducts comprehensive audits across several dimensions, including performance, Accessibility [7], best practices, and search engine optimization (SEO). By providing actionable insights and recommendations, Lighthouse [1] is an indispensable resource for developers striving to optimize their websites. ...
... User experience, as conceptualized by Norman and Nielsen (1995), encompasses all aspects of the end-user's interaction with a company, its services, and its products. Subsequent research has expanded this definition, emphasizing the holistic nature of UX, which integrates usability, Accessibility [7], and emotional responses to digital interfaces (Hassenzahl, 2008;Garrett, 2011). Theories such as the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) further elucidate the determinants of user acceptance and engagement, underscoring the significance of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness (Davis, 1989;Venkatesh et al., 2003). ...
... It generates detailed reports with actionable recommendations, allowing developers to identify and address issues that degrade user experience. Accessibility and Inclusive Design Accessibility [7] is a critical component of UX, ensuring that websites are usable by individuals with diverse abilities. The Web Content Accessibility [7] Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 [11], established by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), provide a framework for creating accessible web content. ...
In the digital era, the quality of a website's user experience (UX) is pivotal in determining its success. This paper delves into the multifaceted impact of website development on UX, particularly emphasizing the critical role played by Google's Lighthouse [1] tool in identifying and mitigating UI issues. Despite advancements in web technologies, many websites suffer from suboptimal performance and poor usability, leading to significant adverse effects on user engagement, satisfaction, and conversion rates. This study examines the comprehensive benefits of employing Lighthouse [1], an open-source, automated auditing tool, to enhance website performance, Accessibility [7], adherence to best practices, and search engine optimization (SEO) [3]. Through an in-depth analysis of common development pitfalls and their detrimental effects on UX, we highlight how Lighthouse [1] provides actionable insights and recommendations that can transform user interactions with web interfaces. Additionally, the paper explores the socioeconomic implications of bad UI, demonstrating how it can lead to increased bounce rates, reduced customer retention, and potential revenue losses. By integrating case studies and empirical data, we underscore the efficacy of Lighthouse [1] in driving substantial improvements in web development practices, ultimately fostering a more inclusive, efficient, and engaging online ecosystem [4]. This investigation aims to provide web developers, designers, and stakeholders with a robust framework for leveraging Lighthouse [1] to achieve superior UX outcomes, thereby aligning technological capabilities with user-centric design principles.
... As we mentioned previously, while digital technologies, including the web, enhance the quality of life of people with disabilities and their integration into society, they still present significant hurdles for this group of users [13]. Due to the predominantly visual nature of these technologies, people with visual impairments face significant challenges, particularly those with total visual impairments or blindness, which entails a complete lack of any visual resources, thus encountering numerous difficulties in their web interactions [1,13,[18][19][20][21][22][23][24]. Covering the most complex methodological context with the greatest number of difficulties and variables that people with total visual disabilities face will facilitate the adaptation of this methodology to other disabilities. ...
... Furthermore, a study conducted among individuals with disabilities revealed that barely half of blind individuals can complete tasks on the web (53%) compared to 73% for those with low vision, 83% for those with dyslexia, or 85% for those with physical or auditory disabilities [23]. In another research [24] including 100 blind users, it was found that these users experienced an average time loss of 30.4% due to difficulties in managing their interactions on the web. These studies highlight the need for further research with users with total visual disabilities so that websites not only comply with technical accessibility criteria but also cover functional and usability aspects, enabling smooth interaction [1,24]. ...
... In another research [24] including 100 blind users, it was found that these users experienced an average time loss of 30.4% due to difficulties in managing their interactions on the web. These studies highlight the need for further research with users with total visual disabilities so that websites not only comply with technical accessibility criteria but also cover functional and usability aspects, enabling smooth interaction [1,24]. ...
The web was conceived in 1997 with the goal of universal accessibility. However, it still presents obstacles for users with diverse abilities. Although interactions in digital environments have improved the quality of life for many people, they remain a source of limitations and frustrations, up to twice as much for users with total visual impairment, which is commonly known as blindness. This article emphasizes the need to provide designers and developers with methodologies and tools that consider users with different abilities in all stages and from the beginning of the design, redesign, and development of digital products and services on the web, collecting their needs and goals and delving into their reactions and emotions. While an approach based on persona archetypes can optimally represent each group of users with disabilities throughout website design processes, serving as a communication and empathy tool for development teams and stakeholders, it is essential that this tool considers all dimensions involved in the experiences of people with disabilities. This conceptual paper develops a methodology that provides designers with a persona tool that effectively captures the goals and emotions of these users in their interaction with the web. This methodology proposal is multidimensional and holistic. It addresses conscious and subconscious dimensions, combines traditional user experience and neuroscientific techniques, focuses on total visual impairment, the most challenging in digital environments, and makes it adaptable to other disabilities.
... These guidelines are organized around four foundational principles; Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (commonly known as POUR), which ensure that content is accessible via sensory capabilities (sight, hearing, touch), user interfaces, and assistive technologies like screen readers and alternative keyboards. Although WCAG provides a comprehensive framework, studies have shown it can be difficult to apply in practice [44] and its applications often fall short [31,41]. Despite the guidance put forth by WCAG, many websites still present navigational and informational barriers that are not fully addressed by current guidelines. ...
... In addition, empirical studies provide insight into the practical challenges already faced by blind and low-vision users and which may be exacerbated by overlay technology. For instance, Lazar et al. [31] identified specific frustrations encountered by screen reader users, such as poor website layout and inadequate keyboard accessibility, features that overlay technologies claim to augment. This connection between user frustration and the practical challenges is supported by Egger et al. [20], who discusses the limitations of overlays as remediation tools, noting that while they can provide temporary solutions, they do not replace the need for fundamentally accessible design. ...
Web accessibility is essential for ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their physical or cognitive abilities, can access and effectively use the internet. This principle is fundamental as digital platforms increasingly become primary channels for education, communication, commerce, and entertainment. Our study critically evaluates the effectiveness of accessibility overlays, which are third-party tools that claim to enhance website usability for people with disabilities. Specifically, we focused on the experiences of blind and low-vision users, who are disproportionately impacted by poor web accessibility. Through a combination of online surveys and interviews, we engaged with participants who employ a variety of assistive technologies to navigate the web. The empirical evidence gathered paints a troubling picture: despite their intended purpose, accessibility overlays often fail to deliver on their promises and, in many cases, increase existing challenges. Participants frequently reported that these overlays conflicted with their assistive technologies, leading to reduced functionality and increased frustration. This points to a significant misalignment between the design of these tools and the real-world needs of users. The study highlights the pressing need to move away from superficial technological fixes and towards deeper, more meaningful engagement with the needs of disabled users. This involves embracing user-centered design practices that integrate accessibility considerations from the ground up, ensuring that digital environments are truly inclusive. By prioritizing comprehensive, well-integrated solutions over patches like overlays, we can foster a more accessible and equitable digital landscape.
... One piece of assistive technology that is often used by blind and low vision people is a screen reader. A screen reader is software that will read aloud the contents on a computer display [23], for example, the items listed in a web page menu for the user to determine what they would like to access. However, for a screen reader to be able to do this, it requires the designers and developers of digital technology and services to follow certain implementation steps to ensure that the screen reader understands how to interpret the structure and features of an interface. ...
... For example, it is possible for a screen reader to read aloud what is in an image but only if the app or website creator has defined alternative text (image descriptions) within the underlying HTML when posting the image. Often digital systems and digital content are inaccessible to screen readers due to poor implementation [23,26,39], and this has also been observed within CSCW settings such as collaboration and communication. ...
Emoji are a popular, expressive form of non-verbal communication. However, people often use emoji in ways that result in confusing or cumbersome screen reader output. We created two accessibility support designs: (1) PREVIEW, which displays a basic text transcript of a message with emoji that a screen reader would narrate, and
(2) ALERT, which summarises potential accessibility issues caused by emoji within a message. We explored our designs using an online survey and provided participants with the option to edit messages that contained emoji, should they choose to do so.
We collected 1508 modified messages from 116 sighted participants and conducted a qualitative analysis of the data to identify the strategies participants used when asked to edit a message for accessibility issues and their appreciation of each design. We found that participants preferred the PREVIEW design over ALERT since it allows for subjective interpretations of what constitutes an accessible message. We report sighted users' rewriting strategies (e.g., editing the message to move the emoji to the end) and incorrect assumptions about screen readers that would lead to using textual markers that are incompatible with screen readers. We discuss the design implications for future systems for accessible messaging.
... Moreover, screen readers are limited to reading out loud website content in a straightforward way without interpreting the Web structure. Therefore, blind and visually impaired users experience several problems finding the information they need, as existing research indicates [7,21,25,28]. The improvement of screen readers has been addressed [2,18,36,38] through the annotation of Web contents. ...
Even now, users with disabilities encounter serious barriers when accessing the Web. In particular, blind and visually impaired users encounter difficulties browsing and reading the contents of a website. Screen readers provide some assistance, yet, as they are unable to interpret the Web structure, they summarise information and read specific labelled fragments. Therefore, the overall comprehension of the text remains challenging. In this sense, in order to improve the accessibility of websites on the fly, we propose a Web augmentation framework for accessibility (WAFRA). Our framework uses Web augmentation techniques that extend the website with voice interaction and new actions: label text fragments, read aloud these fragments, facilitate navigation, increase font size and show videos. In order to perform this accessibility improvement, we automatically provide annotations from DBPedia regarding important information for end users. Moreover, we also provide the option that intermediary users add new annotations for labelling or including more specific information, which can be shared with other users by crowdsourcing. The evaluation of the framework shows its usefulness to ease website access for users with visual disabilities compared to using screen readers.
... In the second step, the user defines the reading order for each page, i.e. the logical order in which the regions defined in the previous step should be read by a screen reader. Research has shown that reading order is crucial for individuals who use screen readers and an incorrect reading order can lead to frustration [20,17]. ...
PDF inaccessibility is an ongoing challenge that hinders individuals with visual impairments from reading and navigating PDFs using screen readers. This paper presents a step-by-step process for both novice and experienced users to create accessible PDF documents, including an approach for creating alternative text for mathematical formulas without expert knowledge. In a study involving nineteen participants, we evaluated our prototype PAVE 2.0 by comparing it against Adobe Acrobat Pro, the existing standard for remediating PDFs. Our study shows that experienced users improved their tagging scores from 42.0% to 80.1%, and novice users from 39.2% to 75.2% with PAVE 2.0. Overall, fifteen participants stated that they would prefer to use PAVE 2.0 in the future, and all participants would recommend it for novice users. Our work demonstrates PAVE 2.0's potential for increasing PDF accessibility for people with visual impairments and highlights remaining challenges.
... In recent years, the researchers have investigated novel approaches and tools for BWUs to facilitate web interaction via searching, browsing, and exploration. However, the BWUs' information needs are not well satisfied since the existing tools and approaches lack the exploration support for the BWUs in web search [29][30][31][32][33]. BWUs are unable to explore or browse the search results efficiently. ...
Currently, the world is facing challenges in accessing information on the web. Each second, millions of bytes of data are generated. Easy internet access has shifted users’ tendency towards online information retrieval systems. Notably, web search engines can retrieve relevant information from immense piles of available data. However, accessing web content can be a challenging task for blind users. Blind Web Users (BWUs) interact with web search engines via assistive technologies to retrieve web documents to satisfy their information needs. The assistive technologies, including screen readers, voice-overs, Braille, etc., aid BWUs in information exploration. The assistive technologies exploit list-based structures to access web search documents. In addition, web search engines can only partially employ assistive technologies to explore and navigate the search documents linearly. The web search documents presented in ranked linear lists could be inconvenient to reach, particularly for BWUs. In this research, we propose a nonlinear exploration approach and multimodal design that allow BWUs to explore and navigate non-linearly the search documents. The proposed nonlinear representation comprises interactive tree-based document categories and follows cognition rules to enable web search results exploration and navigation. We also provide an interactive interface design via the Search Results Exploration Tool for BWUs (SERB) targeting multimodal (textual and acoustic) queries and interactions. The approach is instantiated on an actual data set of Wikipedia web documents. Furthermore, the proposed exploration approach and multimodal interface design are evaluated via diverse standard usability tests to ensure usability and effectiveness.
... All of this extra burden results in editors that have high cognitive load and are difficult to navigate. On complex interfaces, blind users spend over 30% longer on navigation than sighted users [24]. In math, this burden on working memory may be especially harmful [8,16]. ...
For blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals, digital math communication is uniquely difficult due to the lack of accessible tools. Currently, the state of the art is either code-based, like LaTeX, or WYSIWYG, like visual editors. However, both paradigms view math communication as primarily a visual typesetting problem, and may be accessible but difficult to use. In this paper, we present an equation editor that is built from the ground up with BLV accessibility in mind. Specifically, we notice that two of the biggest barriers with current technology are the high cognitive load and the lack of spatial relationships. Thus, we build an editor that uses spatial audio cues, muscle memory, tones, and more intuitive navigation to properly contextualize math equations. We discuss how this new paradigm can enable new levels of math communication, engagement, and literacy. Finally, we discuss natural next steps.
... The growth of the user base in computing systems has brought to light accessibility issues -that is, concerns regarding the possibility of their full utilization by all interested parties, capable of meeting the needs of individuals with specific characteristics [7]. A more specialized audience comprises individuals with visual impairments whose computer usage is complemented by other assistive technologies, among which screen readers are highly popular due to their advantageous cost-effectiveness [14]. In essence, the functioning of a screen reader involves audibly articulating the elements on the screen through voice synthesizers, following the order of arrangement in the underlying code, providing an auditory alternative to visual data output [11]. ...
... Further barriers to accessing published research exist for individuals with VI as many journals are hosted online and primarily designed by and for the sighted population (Chiang et al., 2005). Moreover, while advances in assistive technology (e.g., screen readers and character enlargement tools) have aided in Internet accessibility for people with VI, many websites are not designed to adequately support such software (Lazar et al., 2007;WebAIM, 2023). ...
For individuals with vision impairment (VI), there can be physical and technical barriers to participating in research and accessing research outputs. As a result, researchers often target smaller VI samples and individuals with VI are left under-involved and underrepresented in the VI research discourse. This study aimed to evaluate the accessibility and utility of the Online Participant Engagement Network for Vision Impairment Research (OPEN VI Research) and explore the broader experiences of research involvement in individuals with VI to develop guidelines for researchers studying this area. Qualitative data were collected through a semi-structured focus group with seven adults with VI, and analysed using a dual inductive reflexive thematic analysis approach. Three overarching meta-themes emerged through the analysis: ‘access’, ‘participant permanence’ and ‘motivation’. It was identified that preferences for being reached to take part in research and optimisation for accessible web-design differed based on individual needs associated with varying levels of VI. The importance of researchers recognising participants with VI as active contributors, before, during and after participation, was also outlined. In addition, despite some participants expressing negative experiences of researchers failing to follow-up post-participation, it was found that focus group members remained highly motivated to continue to take part in research. To address these findings, guidelines for researchers were developed based on participant suggestions and discussed in relation to relevant literature. This study fills the gap in the literature on individuals with VI’s views and experiences of research involvement and the suggested guidelines have the potential to improve the accessibility and effectiveness of the practice of researchers of VI.
... Recent efforts within the HCI, accessibility, visualization, and AI research communities have been directed towards rendering traditionally inaccessible visual content accessible. A number of studies [11,29,36,38,59] have investigated the current landscape of chart accessibility, identifying significant knowledge gaps and sociotechnical challenges within this domain. Fan et al. [16] pinpointed prevalent accessibility issues in online visualizations, which are often crucial for conveying information to BLVIs. ...
We introduce ChartA11y, an app developed to enable accessible 2-D visualizations on smartphones for blind users through a participatory and iterative design process involving 13 sessions with two blind partners. We also present a design journey for making accessible touch experiences that go beyond simple auditory feedback, incorporating multimodal interactions and multisensory data representations. Together, ChartA11y aimed at providing direct chart accessing and comprehensive chart understanding by applying a two-mode setting: a semantic navigation framework mode and a direct touch mapping mode. By re-designing traditional touch-to-audio interactions, ChartA11y also extends to accessible scatter plots, addressing the under-explored challenges posed by their non-linear data distribution. Our main contributions encompass the detailed participatory design process and the resulting system, ChartA11y, offering a novel approach for blind users to access visualizations on their smartphones.
... Yet in the absence of robust description, complex concept-embodied identities such as gender and race become invisible rather than nuanced, while the accessibility of visual content to people who are Blind and who rely on textual descriptions of visual information is significantly hampered. Previous studies reveal that poor web content layout and a lack of descriptions of visual content is frustrating for Blind users (Lazar et al, 2007;Mulliken, 2019), and that sufficient description-meaning alternative text and/or transcriptions for digitized special collections materials-was absent in almost 50% of cases examined by Southwell and Slater (2012). All too often, robust description remains an afterthought to advances in technology and practice, rather than central figures of concern (Watson, 2021). ...
This panel explores the unique challenges and opportunities presented by the expanded sociotechnical practices associated with the preservation, curation, and use of visual information and ongoing perceptions of the affordances and constraints associated with new and emerging visual information objects. The panelists and the respondent work with the curation and preservation of visual information across a variety of research areas and utilize both qualitative and quantitative methods to understand the parallel and divergent sociotechnical challenges of curating visual information across analog, digitized, and born‐digital contexts. Sites of analysis range from format‐specific identity‐representation issues to the cultural practices of media archivists, translational challenges when moving complex scientific data across various digital and analog formats, and the role of accessibility in the design and deployment of discovery systems within cultural heritage institutions. Responding to the unique and intersecting challenges produced by working with visual information across various archival and digital curation contexts, the panelist will reflect on the practical and theoretical outcomes from ongoing research projects and identify persistent and emergent issues within the digital curation of visual information.
... One major challenge is the navigation of graphical user interfaces (GUIs) primarily designed for sighted users. The heavy reliance on visual cues in standard GUIs, such as icons and buttons, makes it difficult for visually impaired users to navigate software applications (Lazar et al., 2007). Identifying and selecting small icons or navigating through complex menus can be daunting without proper auditory or tactile feedback mechanisms. ...
This study aims to establish a universal standard for software application icons, enhancing computer usability for visually impaired and elderly users. It addresses the challenges of graphical interfaces, such as the difficulty in distinguishing between similar icons or understanding complex iconography, and focuses on developing an intuitive, ontology-based classification system for software icons.
... They found that over 25% of Twitter contains visual media, but only around 0.1% of images contains appropriate alt text. In a study of blind users' web use, a lack of alt text for images was one of the top complaints (Lazar, et al 2007). This lack of alt text has led some blind and low vision users to leave Twitter because of the lack of accessibility (Morris, et al 2016;Whitney & Kolar 2019). ...
Libraries use social media to connect with their communities. This paper outlines research examining the accessibility of those social media feeds within public libraries in Ontario. Of particular focus are the accessibility of social media feeds and their use of alt text to describe visual media. Findings are rather bleak. Only two libraries were found to regularly use alt text. This research outlines three key issues including the enormity of the access issue for people with visual disabilities, the limitations of accessibility legislation, and the limitations of AI generated alt text.
... Screen Readers and Navigation: Screen reader support is essential for making digital content accessible to users with visual and motor impairments (Lazar et al., 2007). ...
The proliferation of mobile applications (apps) has made it crucial to ensure their accessibility for users with disabilities. However, there is a lack of research on the real-world challenges developers face in implementing mobile accessibility features. This study presents a large-scale empirical analysis of accessibility discussions on Stack Overflow to identify the trends and challenges Android and iOS developers face. We examine the growth patterns, characteristics, and common topics mobile developers discuss. Our results show several challenges, including integrating assistive technologies like screen readers, ensuring accessible UI design, supporting text-to-speech across languages, handling complex gestures, and conducting accessibility testing. We envision our findings driving improvements in developer practices, research directions, tool support, and educational resources.
... There are also recipes and personal blogs on which users can post any recipes that they wish to share [20]. Given majority of recipes are text-based, prior research has explored systems to support people with vision impairments access text-based content, such as screen readers [31,43,45,56,66], speech synthesizers [10,25,69], and Braille displays [2,67]. On the other hand, some recipes might be stored in tactile, image, or video format. ...
Cooking is an essential activity that enhances quality of life by enabling individuals to prepare their own meals. However, cooking often requires multitasking between cooking tasks and following instructions, which can be challenging to cooks with vision impairments if recipes or other instructions are inaccessible. To explore the practices and challenges of recipe access while cooking, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 20 people with vision impairments who have cooking experience and four cooking instructors at a vision rehabilitation center. We also asked participants to edit and give feedback on existing recipes. We revealed unique practices and challenges to accessing recipe information at different cooking stages, such as the heavy burden of hand-washing to interact with recipe readers. We also presented the preferred information representation and structure of recipes. We then highlighted design features of technological supports that could facilitate the development of more accessible kitchen technologies for recipe access. Our work contributes nuanced insights and design guidelines to enhance recipe accessibility for people with vision impairments.
... For individuals with VI, computer software programs that read written text on a computer screen aloud through a speech synthesizer are the most popular assistive technology (AT) tool for accessing information from computers (Lazar et al., 2007). The four commonly used screen readers are JAWS, NonVisual Desktop Access (NVDA), Window-Eyes, and VoiceOver (Calvo et al., 2014;Kayte et al., 2015). ...
This study explored the effectiveness of screen readers on the academic life of higher education students with visual impairments, including reading, writing, access to the internet, exams, and general information for their courses. This study was designed as a qualitative study and applied a phenomenological approach in order to discuss the experiences of higher education students who use screen readers as assistive technology. One college student and six graduate students with visual impairments were interviewed in the United States. The findings revealed that higher education students with visual impairments benefitted from screen readers; however, they also noted some limitations: difficulties in accessing printed classroom materials, inaccessible digital content, and time lost due to technical issues. Students with visual impairments should be offered accessible documents such as electronic versions of classroom materials, accessible PDFs and websites, and software compatible with JAWS. Universities should provide accessibility training for lecturers who want to better serve students with visual impairments. University information technology services need to train their technical services staff about screen readers to provide 24/7 professional services for students with visual impairments.
... Another problem is that most commercial Q-DAS packages display information on popup screens which are inaccessible to users of screen readers (Lazar et al., 2007). Users with visual impairment cannot access popup screens because they appear and disappear quickly. ...
Although computational methods facilitate research studies greatly, academics with visual impairment cannot utilize these tools to their maximum potential. Not only do computational research methods themselves have many shortcomings, but the needs and problems encountered by researchers with visual impairment in using these tools are not identified. In particular, the use of qualitative data analysis software (Q-DAS) by researchers with visual impairment has not been thoroughly examined. Thus, the current article addresses the benefits that visually impaired researchers can gain from employing commercial Q-DAS software packages in analyzing qualitative data. Further, Q-DAS problems that researchers with visual impairments experience are discussed. In addition, the article proposes solutions by which Q-DAS utilization in studies performed by/for the visual impairment community could improve. The article has many significant contributions, not only for scholars with visual impairment but also for elderly scientists whose vision declines over time. The article addresses this topic through critical disability studies.
... Additionally, the inconsistency and complexity of web design and layouts can be disorienting and overwhelming for blind users [7]. Furthermore, the lack of feedback and guidance within web applications or websites leaves blind users uncertain and lost, impeding their ability to make informed decisions and navigate effectively [8,9]. ...
Advertisements have become commonplace on modern websites. While ads are typically designed for visual consumption, it is unclear how they affect blind users who interact with the ads using a screen reader. Existing research studies on non-visual web interaction predominantly focus on general web browsing; the specific impact of extraneous ad content on blind users’ experience remains largely unexplored. To fill this gap, we conducted an interview study with 18 blind participants; we found that blind users are often deceived by ads that contextually blend in with the surrounding web page content. While ad blockers can address this problem via a blanket filtering operation, many websites are increasingly denying access if an ad blocker is active. Moreover, ad blockers often do not filter out internal ads injected by the websites themselves. Therefore, we devised an algorithm to automatically identify contextually deceptive ads on a web page. Specifically, we built a detection model that leverages a multi-modal combination of handcrafted and automatically extracted features to determine if a particular ad is contextually deceptive. Evaluations of the model on a representative test dataset and ‘in-the-wild’ random websites yielded F1 scores of 0.86 and 0.88, respectively.
... BVI users who use built-in smartphone assistive technologies such as VoiceOver (iOS), Siri (iOS), and TalkBack (Android) are greatly affected by such violations [46,47]. Screen readers (e.g., VoiceOver, TalkBack) allow BVI users to explore the graphical user interface of a smartphone and its apps through a variety of gestures but are reliant on proper labeling and hierarchy of the elements in a mobile app [34]. ...
People with disabilities face barriers when engaging with information retrieval (IR) systems due to designs that overlook their needs. This systematic literature review explores research for individuals with disabilities interacting with IR systems. Relevant theories concerning disabilities were examined, and the gap model was used as the theoretical framework that guided the review. This review covers relevant research published from 2000 to 2023, focusing on user groups with sensory, cognitive, and motor impairments. The main topics are help‐seeking situations encountered by these user groups in various IR systems due to system design not meeting user needs, and search tactics applied by users with different types of disabilities corresponding to various help‐seeking situations. Design recommendations for IR systems and platforms were also examined. Key limitations in existing research and the authors' reflections are highlighted, including a lack of theories on the interactions between people with disabilities and IR systems, imbalanced research on and misclassification between different types of impairments, unclear distinctions between accessibility and usability, unexplored IR issues in mobile environments, and inadequate existing IR system designs, along with the challenges posed by one‐size‐fits‐all design. Further research opportunities are also proposed.
PDF documents are usually not born-accessible, and so document authors need to put in additional work (remediation) to make them accessible for people with disabilities. Unfortunately, this step is often overlooked and hard to execute, resulting in a large number of inaccessible PDF documents on the internet. Previously, there have been research efforts to investigate potential solutions for remediating PDF documents for accessibility. However, most of the existing research focuses on accessibility of long or scientific PDF documents meant for passive reading. PDF documents come in different types, and this research project focuses on a distinct type of PDF document—forms—where the user is required to interact with the PDF document and enter data. Through our research work we identified that the PDF form remediation process is non-intuitive, repetitive, and overwhelming due to the high-information density of PDF forms, and existing research and tools do not yet address the challenges. Our research work culminated in the creation of a tool – FormA11y – that addresses these challenges by making the repetitive and painstaking process of form remediation easier. To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of FormA11y against the industry standard tool – Adobe Acrobat – for PDF form remediation, we performed a within-subject user study with 20 participants. With FormA11y, users remediated forms 2.8 times faster while creating more accurately accessible PDF forms.
Persons with disabilities have been disproportionally affected by the COVID-19 virus, experiencing difficulties in accessing health and social services during the pandemic. Lockdowns enforced public health restrictions to prevent spreading of the pandemic, a step needed to protect life. However, these restrictions have had devastating impacts with regard to social inclusion of people with disabilities. During the pandemic, most communication transitioned from offline to online, raising the following questions: How do people with disabilities cope with this change? and Can digital inclusion compensate persons with disabilities for their social exclusion in virtual reality? This book discusses whether the pandemic changes the nature and climate of social inclusion. One view is positive: Remote learning, working from home, access to health information, and interpersonal relations can enhance social inclusion. The opposite view is quite pessimistic: People who have accessibility difficulties online may have the same difficulties offline, mainly because nothing has changed with respect to their social capital. The book explores the roots of social inclusion and exclusion and current use of the terms with respect to people with disabilities, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social inclusion of people with disabilities, and countries’ responses (particularly the United Kingdom and the United States) during the pandemic and afterward. These issues are discussed with respect to persons with various disabilities living in developed and low- and medium-income countries and children with disabilities.
Drawing on the triple articulation framework, this study explores the “failed domestication” of online news consumption among young visually impaired people (YVIP), focusing on technological objects, symbolic environments, and individual texts. The findings suggest that “failed domestication” is not merely a consequence of limitations in technical design or social contexts but rather the result of “negotiation” between individuals and media. YVIP develop unique media usage strategies by simplifying operational procedures, foregoing updates, filtering out news irrelevant to their daily lives, and personalizing their interpretation of texts. In contrast to the notion of “failure” rooted in ableism, these behaviors reflect a deep understanding by the visually impaired of their capabilities and specific needs, constituting a form of “alternative success.” The use of digital media by people with disabilities is a process of autonomous choice rather than the “enforcing normalcy.” Therefore, this study advocates for creating a more flexible and human-centric media ecosystem that enables people with disabilities to choose appropriate media usage patterns based on their individual needs and preferences, thus promoting genuine digital inclusivity.
Hundreds of Libraries, Archives, and Museums (LAMs) around the world run crowdsourced transcription projects in order to engage users with their collections. Some LAMs explicitly use crowdsourcing projects to make non‐machine‐readable images of documents, such as manuscripts, discoverable to people who are blind or have low vision. We present findings from Crowdsourced Data: Accuracy, Accessibility, Authority (CDAAA ), a 3‐year Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant project that investigates whether and how LAMs integrate crowdsourced transcriptions into their discovery systems, and whether these efforts result in accessible web‐content for blind people and those with low vision who use assistive technology to navigate the web. We share research findings as well as practical suggestions for those in charge of crowdsourcing projects, the resulting transcription data, or similar web‐based textual content such as scholarly editions. These research and practice‐oriented findings are relevant to any national or local context where inaccessible images are transcribed, and are especially timely in the US context given recent Federal rule‐making to ensure that all web and app‐based content provided by US State and local governments is accessible, including tools, resources, and content created in‐house, through contracts or by license (2024).
Perusing web data items such as shopping products is a core online user activity. To prevent information overload, the content associated with data items is typically dispersed across multiple webpage sections over multiple web pages. However, such content distribution manifests an unintended side effect of significantly increasing the interaction burden for blind users, since navigating to-and-fro between different sections in different pages is tedious and cumbersome with their screen readers. While existing works have proposed methods for the context of a single webpage, solutions enabling usable access to content distributed across multiple webpages are few and far between. In this paper, we present InstaFetch, a browser extension that dynamically generates an alternative screen reader-friendly user interface in real-time, which blind users can leverage to almost instantly access different item-related information such as description, full specification, and user reviews, all in one place, without having to tediously navigate to different sections in different webpages. Moreover, InstaFetch also supports natural language queries about any item, a feature blind users can exploit to quickly obtain desired information, thereby avoiding manually trudging through reams of text. In a study with 14 blind users, we observed that the participants needed significantly lesser time to peruse data items with InstaFetch, than with a state-of-the-art solution.
Alternative (alt) text descriptions for images in digital publications provide comparable information for people who cannot effectively see the visuals. They are relied upon by people who are blind or who have a moderate to severe visual impairment and who use assistive technologies. However, consistent provision of alt text is proving challenging for publishers because of the required changes in workflow, budgeting, and resourcing; in particular, scholarly publications contain high numbers of images requiring alt text. Most industry knowledge-sharing and studies on alt text in scholarly PDFs focus on large and medium-sized publishers and high JIF titles. To explore key issues affecting the consistent inclusion of alt text in publications produced by small and non-profit publishers this study uses the case of a UK-based independent research organization. Drawing on PDF analyses and a focus group discussion with publishing staff, the article makes recommendations for similar organizations seeking to publish alt text.
Much of the current user experience navigating digital information relies on visual displays. Providing auditory alternatives enables access for visually impaired and blind users. The current study evaluated hierarchical navigation in a novel spatialized auditory interface compared to a screen reader and visual navigation mode. Past studies suggest that spatialized audio may provide performance improvements. Sixteen participants navigated menu structures of varying depth / breadth to select a target item with three different interface styles (spatial audio, screen reader, and visual). Time-to-completion, errors, and SUS scores were compared across interfaces. Results showed that spatial audio was significantly slower, more error prone, and less usable than the other conditions. However, the problems of spatial audio might be overcome with simple changes in the interaction mode and optimization of display space. Our experience shows that designers must solve the problem of auditory clutter and spatial selection to achieve usable auditory navigation.
Creating accessible software is imperative for making software inclusive for all users. Unfortunately, the topic of accessibility is frequently excluded from computing education, leading to scenarios where students are unaware of either how to develop accessible software or see the need to create it. To address this challenge, we have created a set of educational labs that are systematically designed to not only inform students about fundamental topics in producing accessible software but also demonstrate its importance. Over the previous year, these labs were included in several Computer Science 2 (CS2) offerings at The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), comprising a total of 500 student participants. This paper discusses instructional observations from these offerings, some of which include: I) Many of the research findings from previous efforts remain true with the larger, more diverse evaluation, II) That our created material and format reduced students’ belief that creating accessible software was difficult in relation to the baseline, III) We observed that our created material and format benefited student opinion that creating accessible software is important, and IV) Computing majors may not be uniformly impacted by experiential educational accessibility material. The educational labs are publicly available on the project website: https://all.rit.edu
The development of Web 3.0 is aimed at utilizing available information to enhance users’ experiences of searching, allowing this process to be catered by different users to their own needs. However, websites do not make life easier for blind users. Unconditional situations lead to the frustration and total exclusion of blind users. To overcome the accessibility problems, this study aims to develop a blind user mental model (BlUMM) for browsing websites. We conducted a qualitative empirical study via usability test with structured interviews and task analysis in five different scenarios on a website using JAWS screen reader. Six blind users participated in this study. Their feedback was recorded on a video and transcribed into a GOMS model. From the activities, the participants indicated the challenges they faced to accomplish the tasks. The information obtained was analyzed, and BlUMM was developed based on Nielsen’s usability principles, GOMS model, and Norman’s action cycle model. The methodology was divided into three phases. Phase 1 was the identification of the challenges encountered by blind users while browsing the website. Phase 2 was the analysis of the ability of the blind users to accomplish tasks. Phase 3 involved mapping the blind users’ actions. As a result, the BlUMM was developed with 14 elements, which were set/plan the goal, explore the browser/website, apply the existing mental model, discover new features, select features, predict the feedback, execute the plan, execute the task, perceive the feedback, interpret the feedback, change strategy, accomplish the goal, update the strategy, and implement the new mental model with four stages of user action: planning, selection, execution, and evaluation.
Informal caregivers play an essential role in caring for persons who require assistance and in managing the health of their loved ones. Unfortunately, they need more health, leisure, and relaxation time. Nature interaction is one of many kinds of self-care intervention. It has long been regarded as a refreshing break from stressful routines, and research suggests exposure to nature interventions to improve the quality of life of caregivers. Despite not being the real thing, technology allows us alternatives that can still have some beneficial effects. In this preliminary study, we explore the benefits of natural environment videos on informal caregivers as an alternative to exposure to nature. Specifically, we are interested in the effects of their own choices versus a random video. We found that natural environment videos improve the well-being of informal caregivers in at least three key areas: valence, arousal, and negative affect. Furthermore, the effect increases when they choose the video they want to watch instead of a random video. This effect benefits the studied subjects because they need more time and energy to visit real natural environments.KeywordsInformal caregiversSelf-careWell-beingNature videos
Content accessibility is a key feature in highly usable Web sites, but reports in the popular press typically report that 95% or more of all Web sites are inaccessible to users with disabilities. The present study is a content accessibility compliance audit of 50 of the Web's most popular sites, undertaken to determine if content accessibility can be conceived and reported in continuous, rather than dichotomous, terms. Preliminary results suggest that a meaningful ordinal ranking of content accessibility is not only possible, but also correlates significantly with the results of independent automated usability assessment procedures.
Traditionally, errors are avoided in training. In contrast to this approach, it is argued that errors can also have a positive function and that one has to learn to deal efficiently with errors on a strategic and an emotional level (error management). An experiment tested these assumptions. One group (n = 9) received guidance for error-free performance; another group (n = 15) received error training. In the latter group, errors were produced by assigning problems that were too difficult to deal with. The error-training group showed higher scores in the nonspeed performance tests. Error training seems to be positive for people with high scores on the cognitive failure questionnaire (Broadbent, Cooper, FitzGerald, & Parkes, 1982).
While computers are beneficial to individuals and society, frequently, users encounter frustrating experiences when using computers. This study attempts to measure, through 111 subjects, the frequency, cause, and the level of severity of frustrating experiences. The data showed that frustrating experiences happen on a frequent basis. The applications in which the frustrating experiences happened most frequently were web browsing, e-mail, and word processing. The most-cited causes of the frustrating experiences were error messages, dropped network connections, long download times, and hard-to-find features. The time lost due to the frustrating experiences ranged from 30.5% of time spent on the computer to 45.9% of time spent on the computer. These disturbing results should be a basis for future study.
We describe an Action-by-Design-Component (ADC) framework to guide auditory interface designers for exploratory data analysis. The framework characterizes data interaction in the auditory mode as a set of Auditory Information Seeking Actions (AISAs). Contrasting AISAs with actions in visualizations, the framework also discusses design considerations for a set of Design Components to support AISAs. Applying the framework to geo-referenced data, we systematically explored and evaluated its design space. A data exploration tool, iSonic, was built for blind users. In depth case studies with 7 blind users, with over 42 hours of data collection, showed that iSonic enabled them to find facts and discover trends of geo-referenced data, even in unfamiliar geographical contexts, without special devices. The results also showed that blind users dramatically benefited from the rich set of task-oriented actions (AISAs) and the use of multiple highly coordinated data views provided by the ADC framework. Some widely used techniques in visualization, with appropriate adaptation, also work in the auditory mode. The application of the framework to scatterplots shows that the framework can be generalized and lead to the design of a unified auditory workspace for general exploratory data analysis. Readers can view a supplementary video demonstration of iSonic by visiting www.
By analyzing the classes of errors that people make with systems, it is possible to develop principles of system design that minimize both the occurrence of error and the effects. This paper demonstrates some of these principles through the analysis of one class of errors: slips of action. Slips are defined to be situations in which the user's intention was proper, but the results did not conform to that intention. Many properties of existing systems are conducive to slips; from the classification of these errors, some procedures to minimize the occurrence of slips are developed.
Novice users frequently make errors when learning a new computer task and spend a large portion of their time trying to recover from errors. Three methods for helping novice users respond to errors have been presented in the literature: error manage- ment training, exploratory training, and conceptual models. In error management training, errors are presented as opportunities for learning, and users are instructed in strategies for coping with errors. In exploration, users are given an overview of their environment and are taught how to navigate through their task environment. Concep- tual models are graphical or mathematical representations of a system that correspond closely to the real-world system. This experiment tested the effectiveness of these different approaches on training novice users to use the Internet. In this exper- iment, users received 3 hr of training on the World Wide Web and then were asked to perform a set of information retrieval tasks. Performance was measured in two ways: task performance and performance time. Participants who received exploratory train- ing had significantly higher task performance. Participants who received exploration and conceptual models, both individually and together, were able to complete the tasks in less time. Error management had no significant effect on the performance of participants. In the task application of Web browsing, exploration seems to be the most appropriate training method for novice users.
A study of 30 psychology students replicated and extended the findings of Frese et al. (1991) on the superiority of error training, a procedure in which trainees are exposed to many errors. The hypothesis was that error training would lead to exploration and this would increase performance. The error training group performed better than the group that received training in which they were not allowed to make any errors. Students in both the error training and the error avoidant groups performed better if they explored. Exploration was done in contrast to the instruction in the error avoidant group. The data suggest that it is necessary to look into the question of whether errors instigate exploration.
Using Internet Archive's Wayback Machine, a random sample of websites from 1997-2002 were retrospectively analyzed for effects that technology has on accessibility for persons with disabilities and compared to government websites. Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's HSD were used to determine differences among years. Random websites become progressively inaccessible through the years (p<0.0001) [as shown by increasing Web Accessibility Barrier (WAB) scores], while complexity of the websites increased through the years (p<0.0001). Pear son's correlation (r) was performed to correlate accessibility and complexity: r=0.463 (p<0.01). Government websites remain accessible while increasing in complexity: r=0.14 (p<0.041). It is concluded that increasing complexity, oftentimes caused by adding new technology to a Web page, inadvertently contributes to increasing barriers to accessibility for persons with disabilities.
We report on a diary study of the activities of information workers aimed at characterizing how people interleave multiple tasks amidst interruptions. The week-long study revealed the type and complexity of activities performed, the nature of the interruptions experienced, and the difficulty of shifting among numerous tasks. We present key findings from the diary study and discuss implications of the findings. Finally, we describe promising directions in the design of software tools for task management, motivated by the findings.
Novice users face many challenges when browsing the Web. The goal of this experiment was to learn about how users perceive error situations when using the World Wide Web. Specifically, the goal was to learn which circumstances cause users to believe that an error has occurred. An exploratory experiment took place with 78 subjects who were novice users. In the experiment the subjects were asked to identify when they perceived that an error had occurred. The subjects reported a total of 219 error situations. These error situations were then classified by the researchers into the following four categories: user error, system error, situational error, and poor Web design. Based on the collected data, suggestions are presented for improving the usability of Web browsers and Web sites.
Novice users frequently make errors when learning a new computer task and spend a large portion of their time trying to recover from errors. Three methods for helping novice users respond to errors have been presented in the literature: error management training, exploratory training, and conceptual models. In error management training, errors are presented as opportunities for learning, and users are instructed in strategies for coping with errors. In exploration, users are given an overview of their environment and are taught how to navigate through their task environment. Conceptual models are graphical or mathematical representations of a system that correspond closely to the real-world system. This experiment tested the effectiveness of these different approaches on training novice users to use the Internet. In this experiment, users received 3 hr of training on the World Wide Web and then were asked to perform a set of information retrieval tasks. Performance was measured in two ways: task performance and performance time. Participants who received exploratory training had significantly higher task performance. Participants who received exploration and conceptual models, both individually and together, were able to complete the tasks in less time. Error management had no significant effect on the performance of participants. In the task application of Web browsing, exploration seems to be the most appropriate training method for novice users.
The present study examined the reactions of older and younger workers to the situation of encountering an error during computer-based work. It was expected that older workers would have a stronger negative emotional reaction to such an error due to a combination of age-related factors. In both a questionnaire and an observational study among 134 office workers this was found to be the case. This age relationship remained after controlling for differences in computer experience, attitudes to new technology, education and the number of errors made by participants during a typical computer-based work session. More detailed analyses showed that in response to an error situation, older workers compared to younger ones stated they were significantly less likely to try and solve the problem entirely on their own; this was also partly supported by the observational data. In terms of the available options for helping rectify errors, older workers reported that they were more often likely to use written documentation and rely less on asking other workers. The implications of the findings are discussed in terms of interventions to ameliorate the impact of errors in computer-based work on an older workforce.
Over 70 United States federal government agencies collect and store statistical data that eventually are made available to the general public. The World Wide Web offers the best medium for dissemination of these data. However, to facilitate access to these statistical data, a common portal with an easy to use interface is required. This portal is necessary to ensure that the general public, as well as researchers and statisticians, know about the existence of such data and can easily and quickly have access to the huge amount of information the federal agencies provide.
Whilst graphical user interfaces (GUI) have gained much popularity in recent years, the need of the visually impaired to use applications in a non-visual environment is great. This paper promotes the provision of interfaces that allow users to access most of the functionality of existing GUIs using speech. This has been achieved by the design of a speech control tool that incorporates speech recognition and synthesis into existing packaged software, such as Teletext, the Internet or a word processor. The tool developed has taken the menu structure as a means of demonstrating what is accessible by the use of speech input and output. The tool provides the facility to dump screen text into clipboard and read it out loud. Adapting existing GUI applications in this way requires successful integration of speech, which in turn requires a profound understanding of the medium and the development of human engineering techniques.
Some of the most troubling problems for users of computer equipment arise in the getting started stage. A “training-wheels” system was designed for a commercial word processor in which system functions that new users typically do not need, but which can be springboards for errors and confusions, were disabled. The training-wheels word processor improved learning efficiency in two experiments, one of which examined learning by doing and the other, learning by the book.
Governmental agencies provide statistical data on their web sites. These large collections of data need appropriate interfaces that would guide the general public, as well as the researchers, to easily and successfully find information they seek. This paper summarizes the results of three empirical studies with 15 users in each group of the FedStats Topics web page. The evolution from 645 alphabetically organized links, to 549 categorically organized links, to 215 categorically organized links tied to portal pages produced a steady rise in successful task completion from 15% to 28% to 42%. User satisfaction also increased. We make recommendations based on these data and our observations of users.
This research explores how the effectiveness of word-processing training is impacted by a trainee''s goal (learning vs. performance) and whether the training program is designed to encourage or discourage errors (error management vs. error avoidant). Ninety-four trainees were randomly assigned to one of four word processing training programs. Results indicated several beneficial effects of both error management training and learning goals including enhanced performance, increased intrinsic motivation, and decreased frustration. Results are discussed in terms of how error management principles might be implemented as well as which worker groups might be most responsive to this type of training.
User frustration with information and computing technology is a pervasive and persistent problem. When computers crash, network
congestion causes delays, and poor user interfaces trigger confusion there are dramatic consequences for individuals, organizations,
and society. These frustrations, not only cause personal dissatisfaction and loss of self-efficacy, but may disrupt workplaces,
slow learning, and reduce participation in local and national communities. Our exploratory study of 107 student computer users
and 50 workplace computer users shows high levels of frustration and loss of 1/3–1/2 of time spent. This paper reports on
the incident and individual factors that cause of frustration, and how they raise frustration severity. It examines the frustration
impacts on the daily interactions of the users. The time lost and time to fix problem, and importance of task, strongly correlate
with frustration levels for both student and workplace users. Differences between students and workplace users are discussed
in the paper, as are implications for researchers.
Large percentages of web sites continue to be inaccessible to people with disabilities. Since tools and guidelines are available to help designers and webmasters in making their web sites accessible, it is unclear why so many sites continue to be inaccessible. In this paper, we present the “Web Accessibility Integration Model,” which highlights the multiple points within web development where accessibility can be incorporated or forgotten. It is uncertain why webmasters do not use the various tools and guidelines that currently are available for making web sites accessible. A survey was created, and data was collected from 175 webmasters, indicating their knowledge on the topic of web accessibility and the reasons for their actions related to web accessibility. Findings and future directions for research are discussed.
In order to examine the impact of negative attitudes toward computer usage, a survey was administered that measured attitudes toward computers, the level of job satisfaction in the work environment, and general attitudes toward the organization. Twenty-nine employees at a real estate office completed a 24-item survey during a regularly scheduled employee meeting. Attitudes toward computers were generally positive; however, about one third of the sample felt incompetent in their ability to use computers, and 21% said that they avoid using computers altogether. Results also indicated that feelings of frustration and confusion about the use of computers were associated with lower job satisfaction. While negative attitudes towards computers were related to one 's attitudes toward the job, these attitudes were unrelated to one's feeling toward the company. Thus, computerphobia may have a strong link to individual job satisfaction, with any consequence for overall attitudes toward the company operating through prolonged dissatisfaction with one's job.
This paper describes the use of facial EMG to provide a continuous measure of the user's emotional state. Facial EMG was recorded while female users performed five tasks to one of two web sites. Frustration index scores were developed from the corrugator EMG data by calculating a percentage score of a pre-task baseline. As predicted, the frustration index was greater for (1) novices as compared to experienced users, (2) incorrect as compared to correct answered tasks, and (3) for the web site that was rated more difficult. The frustration index was able to provide important information on web page performance.
This paper reports on a study of 50 home pages in the Mid-Atlantic United States, to determine what accessibility problems exist. The 50 home pages were evaluated using both the U.S. Government's Section 508 guidelines, as well as the Web Accessibility Initiative's (WAI) Priority Level 1 of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). According to both sets of guidelines, 49/50 sites were found to have accessibility problems, although some of the accessibility problems were minor and easy to fix. There are two troubling findings from this study. The web sites that had the most accessibility problems were organizations in the web development and information technology field, which ideally should be the leaders in making the web more accessible. The web accessibility software testing tools, which are available to assist people in making their web sites more accessible, are flawed, inconsistent, and require large numbers of manual checks, which many developers may not be able to do. More people need to become aware of the topic of web accessibility, and the testing tools need to be improved so that
A large number of users with disabilities use assistive technology devices to browse the web. However, the use of assistive technologies can only be successful when the web sites are developed in such a way that they are compatible with such devices. Guidelines exist for creating accessible web sites. However, they are seldom followed, and current levels of web accessibility are low. Therefore, the question arises as to which is the major cause of inaccessibility, and how accessibility features of web sites evolve over time. A set of 50 web sites has been studied over time to determine if accessibility improves or declines. This research-in-progress paper presents a comparison of the results obtained in 2002 and 2003. Such a comparison leads to the conclusion that, in the time period of 1 year, the 50 web sites have actually become more inaccessible. Implications for developers, webmasters, and educators are also discussed in the paper.
Novice users face many challenges when browsing the Web. The goal of this experiment was to learn about how users perceive error situations when using the World Wide Web. Specifically, the goal was to learn which circumstances cause users to believe that an error has occurred. An exploratory experiment took place with 78 subjects who were novice users. In the experiment the subjects were asked to identify when they perceived that an error had occurred. The subjects reported a total of 219 error situations. These error situations were then classified by the researchers into the following four categories: user error, system error, situational error, and poor Web design. Based on the collected data, suggestions are presented for improving the usability of Web browsers and Web sites.
Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), companies must provide customers with disabilities access to their “physical” stores. With the advent of the pure Web store, some wonder if the ADA will extend into “cyberspace”. So, are companies ready? This study assesses Web sites to determine their readiness. Results reveal that only 9 percent of the sites have accessible home pages.
More than 100 U.S. governmental agencies offer links through FedStats, a centralized Web site that facilitates access to statistical tables, reports, and agencies. This and similar large collections need appropriate interfaces to guide the general public to easily and successfully find information they seek. This paper summarizes the results of 3 empirical studies of alternate organization concepts of the FedStats Topics Web page. Each study had 15 participants. The evolution from 645 alphabetically organized links, to 549 categorically organized links, to 215 categorically organized links tied to portal pages produced a steady rise in successful task completion from 15.6 to 24.4 to 42.2%. User satisfaction also increased. We make recommendations based on these data and our observations of users.
When hard-to-use computers cause users to become frustrated, it can affect workplace productivity, user mood and interactions with other co-workers. Previous research has examined the frustration that students and their families face in using computers. To learn more about the causes and measure the severity of user frustration with computers in the workplace, we collected modified time diaries from 50 workplace users, who spent an average of 5.1 hours on the computer. In this exploratory research, users reported wasting on average, 42 – 43% of their time on the computer due to frustrating experiences. The largest number of frustrating experiences occurred while using word processors, email and web browsers. The causes of the frustrating experiences, the time lost due to the frustrating experiences, and the effects of the frustrating experiences on the mood of the users are discussed in this paper. Implications for designers, managers, users, information technology staff and policymakers are discussed.
There are many people who find the standard computer input devices—the keyboard and mouse—difficult to use due to a motor disability. A number of keyboard and mouse configuration options designed to overcome physical difficulties exist. However, formal empirical evaluation of such facilities is rare. There is, in fact, little data available on the precise nature of physical difficulties with input devices. Hence, it is difficult to gauge the adequacy of existing access provision. This paper presents an empirical study of the keyboard and mouse errors encountered in a sample of 20 computer users with motor disabilities, and six without disabilities. Six important classes of keyboard difficulty are identified, involving significant correction time for participants with disabilities. Difficulties with all aspects of mouse usage were observed, particularly pointing and dragging. Many of the difficulties observed would be amenable to automatic detection. It is hoped that these results will help to inform the development of more accessible software and hardware.
Novice users make many errors when they first try to learn how to work with a computer program like a spreadsheet or wordprocessor. No matter how user-friendly the software or the training manual, errors can and will occur. The current view on errors is that they can be helpful or disruptive, depending on the extent to which they are controlled in the learning process. This study examines one of the ways in which such error control can be brought about, namely by investigating the design and role of error-information in a (tutorial) manual. The error-information was designed to support the detection, diagnosis and correction of errors of novice users, and it was based on a general model of error-handling. In an experiment a manual that contained ample error-information was compared to a manual in which there was hardly any error-information. The outcomes showed that the presence of the error-information in the manual helped subjects perform better during practice as well as after practice. Among others, these subjects completed training faster and showed superior corrective knowledge and skill after practice, in addition to having acquired the same level of constructive skill. The discussion addresses the compensating roles of support for error-handling on screen and on paper.
The article focuses on the need of encouraging research on universal usability of computers to empower every citizen The article focuses on the need of encouraging research on universal usability of computers to empower every citizen. Universal usability can be defined as having more than 90% of all households as successful users of information and communications services at least once a week. A 1998 survey of U.S. households shows that 42% have computers and 26% use Internet-based email or other services. A research agenda based on three challenges in attaining universal usability for web-based and other services include the first challenge to cope with the technology variety by supporting the 100-to-1 range of hardware, software and network access speeds. The other two challenges include the accommodation of enormous diversity of users and bridging the gap between what users know and need to know. Attaining benefits of universal access to web-based and other information, communications, entertainment, and government services will require a more intense commitment to lowering costs, coupled with human-computer interaction research and usability engineering. As a concluding note, the article points out the success of the U.S. in making their services usable by many on recognition of centrality of usability by it. INSET: Web Resources for Universal Usability .
Our goal was to develop a computer system trained to sense a user's emotional state via the recognition of physiological signals. In the course of developing an exploratory pilot study toward this end, we encountered and addressed unique and context-dependent interface design and synchronization challenges. We used social science methods to induce a state of frustration in users, collected the physiological data, and developed an effective strategy for coupling these data with real-world events. 1 Introduction Affective computing, a new area of computing research, has been described as "computing which relates to, arises from, or deliberately influences emotions [5]." Why build an affective computer? Recent evidence demonstrates that humans have an inherent tendency to respond to media in ways that are natural and social, mirroring ways that humans respond to one another in social situations [6]. Since affect is such an integral part of human-human social communication, we believe th...
Introduction The goal of universal access to information and communications services is compelling. It has united hardworking Internet technology promoters, telecommunications business leaders, and government policy makers. Their positive motivations include innovative visions, corporate opportunities, and social goods respectively, although critics see unreasonable zeal for technology, pursuit of high profit margins, and regulatory excesses or omissions. Each sector is working hard to contribute what they see as valuable, while trying to respond to critics. Most technology infrastructure developers seek to accommodate high volumes of use, reliably and rapidly even at peak periods, while ensuring security. Most service providers strive to develop popular communications, e-commerce, healthcare, education, and other services, while ensuring profitability. Most government officials struggle to provide safety for consumers, freedom of speech, and privacy protection, while supporti
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A framework for auditory data explo-ration and evaluation with geo-referenced data sonification. Manuscript under review
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