Sound, space, and metaphor: Multimodal access to windows for blind users (original) (raw)
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The use of non-speech sounds in non-visual interfaces to the MS-Windows GUI for blind computer users
… Conference on Auditory Display, Glasgow, UK, 1998
Two studies investigated the use of non-speech sounds (auditory icons and earcons) in non-visual interfaces to MS-Windows for blind computer users. The first study presented sounds in isolation and blind and sighted participants rated them for their recognisability, and appropriateness of the mapping between the sound and the interface object/event. As a result, the sounds were revised and incorporated into the interfaces. The second study investigated the effects of the sounds on user performance and perceptions. Ten blind participants evaluated the interfaces, and task completion time was significantly shorter with the inclusion of sounds, although interesting effects on user perceptions were found.
The potential of multimodal interfaces for the blind: An exploratory study
Multimodal interfaces are the subject of considerable research world-wide. This paper describes a joint project funded by two French research organisations, with the cooperation of an institute for the blind. This project applies multimodal interfaces to provide improved computer access for the blind. A multimodal text editor is described. It has been designed to provide enriched texts, direct manipulation and immediate feedback to text editing tasks, such as reading and modifying text attributes, selecting, copying, moving, or deleting parts of text, navigating within the text and getting additional information on words (definitions, annotations...).
Desktop Operations Procreate Ease for Visually Impaired
The onset of computer based speech synthesis has brought mankind a favorable way of communication by enabling automatic speech-conciliated communication. Assistive Technology for desktop operations must meet high expectation of usability. Though various assistive technology tools are available, still visually impaired are not independent to access computer systems completely as compared to sighted user. Visually impaired users still find problems in accessing computer system using traditional input device. Assistive technology available for such people comprises of screen magnifier, screen reader such as speech synthesized reader, voice synthesized reader, webpage reader, etc which reads aloud text on screen to blind user. But still these users are not so independent to access their systems using mouse/keyboard. To overcome these limitations a mouse controlled assistive technology which will provide user with facility to access desktop by mouse movements is discussed. Desktop here means any computing device that can be operated using keyboard and mouse. This technology will facilitate visually impaired users to have plenary access of their desktop for any desired operations to be performed by them. Mouse controlled assistive reader will indulge navigation for better accessibility and accuracy via mouse to the blinds same as sighted user accesses it. The aural medium and speech is used to implement high plausible channel for visually impaired people and is well defined and visible trend in Assistive Technology. This technology shall be used for online competitive exams for blinds and other such areas which are still not accessible by visually impaired people.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1994
The use of modern computers and software by the visually handicapped has become more difficult over the past few years. In earlier systems the user interface was a simple character based environment. In those systems, simple devices like screen read-ers~ braille output and speech synthesizers were effective. Current systems now run Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs) which have rendered these simple aids almost useless. In no area has this problem become more important than in technologies for the handicapped. What has become enabling technology for the sighted has become disabling technology for the visually impaired. In the current work we discuss new and innovative approaches to permit non-sighted users to interface with GUIs, having the salutary effect of gaining needed access to the most modern computing equipment for a subset of our population that is otherwise excluded from such access. Using our approach to integrating special interfaces into those already shipped by the manufacturer, the non-sighted user will no longer be isolated from the mainstream of the information world. The net effect of such an interface is to make computing and information resources available to the visually handicapped user at the cost as to the sighted user.
Training blind people in the use of graphical user interfaces
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, 1994
Page 1. Training Blind People in the Use of Graphical User Interfaces Gerhard Weber 1,2 Helen Petrie 3, Dirk Kochanek 1, Sarah Morley 3 1 Universitht Stuttgart, Insfimt fiir Informatik, Breitwiesenstr. 20-22, 70565 Stuttgart, FR Germany 2 FH Papenmeier GmbH&Co., KG, Talweg 2, 58239 Sehwerte, FR Germany 3 Psychology Division, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield ALl0 9AB, Hertfordshire, UK Abstract. The need for training of blind people to use graphical user interfaces has arisen since the first access systems became available. ...
Initial design and evaluation of an interface to hypermedia systems for blind users
Proceedings of the eighth …, 1997
Access to information in electronic forms is currently difficult for blind people, but electronic information, particularly hypermedia, provide great potential to overcome the difficulties that blind people have in accessing information. The E.U. funded ACCESS Project is developing tools to facilitate user interfaces which will be adaptable to the needs of different user groups. One demonstrator developed with these tools is a hypermedia system for blind students. This paper presents the initial designs for the hypermedia system which has a non-visual interface named DAHNI (Demonstrator of the ACCESS Hypermedia Non-visual Interface). DAHNI can be used with a variety of assistive input/output systems for blind users. Output from the system includes synthetic and digitised speech, non-speech sounds and refreshable Braille; input to the system can be via a small or large touchtablet, joystick, and/or conventional keyboard. This paper presents an evaluation of DAHNI by seven blind and partially sighted students. Plans for further development and evaluation of the system are also discussed.
Accessibility and Visually Impaired Users
Enterprise Information Systems VI
Internet accessibility for the visually impaired community is still an open issue. Guidelines have been issued by the W3C consortium to help web designers to improve web site accessibility. However several studies show that a significant percentage of web page creators are still ignoring the proposed guidelines. Several tools are now available, general purpose, or web specific, to help visually impaired readers. But is reading a web page enough? Regular sighted users are able to scan a web page for a particular piece of information at high speeds. Shouldn't visually impaired readers have the same chance? This paper discusses some features already implemented to improve accessibility and presents a user feedback report regarding the AudioBrowser, a talking browser. Based on the user feedback the paper also suggests some avenues for future work in order to make talking browsers and screen readers compatible.
Basic Human Computer Interface for the Blind
cybertesis.urp.edu.pe, 2010
The graphical user interfaces of modern operating systems have been improving usability at a good rate, but for blind users the progress has been a much slower rate if not declining. It is for this reason that the focus on accessibility should not be to interpret modern GUI's but to develop an application based on the visually impaired people's general heuristic interaction with software. To design a blind person's user interface based on their behavioral characteristics and provide them an independent and enjoyable environment. Using a user centered design working hand in hand with blind people; a basic blind user interface is to be implemented. This interface provides basic interaction but is used independently from installation to task completion. The process will integrate various open source projects that are available under GNU GPL and Open Source Initiative copyleft licenses, so the resulting design will fall under these licenses as well and be open source free software. Some of the applications that are used are: Non Visual Desktop Access, WebbIE web browser and accompanying apps, and Wikipedia and Project Gutenberg public domain free content. The application is currently in its pre-alpha stage and current user experience is being measured to improve usability and gain feedback for improvements.
Computer Entertainment Technologies for the Visually Impaired: An Overview
International Journal of Interactive Multimedia and Artificial Intelligence
Over the last years, works related to accessible technologies have increased both in number and in quality. This work presents a series of articles which explore different trends in the field of accessible video games for the blind or visually impaired. Reviewed articles are distributed in four categories covering the following subjects: (1) video game design and architecture, (2) video game adaptations, (3) accessible games as learning tools or treatments and (4) navigation and interaction in virtual environments. Current trends in accessible game design are also analysed, and data is presented regarding keyword use and thematic evolution over time. As a conclusion, a relative stagnation in the field of human-computer interaction for the blind is detected. However, as the video game industry is becoming increasingly interested in accessibility, new research opportunities are starting to appear.
Auditory Presentation of Graphical User Interfaces
International Conference on Auditory Display, 1992
This paper describes work to provide mappings between X- based graphical interfaces and auditory interfaces. In our system, dubbed Mercator, this mapping is transparent to applications. The primary motivation for this work is to pro- vide accessibility to graphical applications for users who are blind or visually impaired. In this paper, I describe the design of an auditory interface which