Thread Subject: Re: touchscreens

From: Gregg Vanderheiden
Date: Thu, Jul 19 2007 12:00 PM

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Oh I think they can use some gestures. At least some can.

Some are of course very concrete just like the rest of us and gestures on
screen with out tactile cues is a problem.

The bigger problem is that I don't know of very many systems that use
gesture that don't also use pointing.

I did a lot of work with gestures and people who are blind back when EZ
Access was gesture based on touch screens. Curtis will remember some of
this. The results were very interesting. I learned that people who are
blind have very different tactile and exploratory skills approaches and
mental models. It is all a long story but to answer your question briefly

- some could use gesture with great effect and efficiency.
- some would have much trouble with it
- gestures would have to not be mixed with need for pointing to objects on
screen
- usually the gestures need physical landmarks to get them close to where
they need to gesture. If it is anywhere on screen then the edges are good
enough for most people.

Oops got to run

Don't forget that we have to accommodate people with prosthetics etc too.

Ciao



Gregg
-- ------------------------------
Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.



> -----Original Message-----
> From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of
> Jim Tobias
> Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 12:12 PM
> To: 'TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee'
> Subject: Re: [teitac-hardware] touchscreens
>
> OK, I agree with the capacitive issue.
>
> But why can't people who are blind use a gesture touchscreen
> with the provisos I'm describing?
>
> ***
> Jim Tobias
> Inclusive Technologies
> +1.732.441.0831 v/tty
> +1.908.907.2387 mobile
> skype jimtobias
>
>
> > -----Original Message-----
> > From: Gregg Vanderheiden [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ]
> > Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 11:31 AM
> > To: 'TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee'
> > Subject: Re: [teitac-hardware] touchscreens
> >
> > Jim Wrote:
> >
> > > I think that the only people who can't use static or dynamic
> > > touchscreens also could not use mechanical controls and
> would need
> > > speech recognition or an AT solution like scanning or
> > puff-and-sip switches.
> >
> > I think you forgot all the prosthetics, headstick and other
> > users. They
> > could use the touch screen but capacitive doesn't work -
> and the group
> > didn't want to outlaw capacitive.
> >
> > So there is a big bunch that would need to use the
> mechanical controls
> > - but would not use AT or speech etc.
> >
> > Plus of course all the people who are blind.
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Gregg
> > -- ------------------------------
> > Gregg C Vanderheiden Ph.D.
> >
> >
> >
> > > -----Original Message-----
> > > From: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED =
> > > [mailto: = EMAIL ADDRESS REMOVED = ] On Behalf Of Jim
> > > Tobias
> > > Sent: Thursday, July 19, 2007 9:22 AM
> > > To: 'TEITAC desktop/portable (hardware) subcommittee'
> > > Subject: Re: [teitac-hardware] touchscreens
> > >
> > > Thanks for your comments, Gregg. I'm going to respond
> > separately to
> > > the non-touchscreen gesture interfaces.
> > >
> > > I want to begin by saying that my goal here is to see
> > whether a single
> > > touchscreen input device can meet the needs of all users with
> > > disabilities at least as well as mechanical controls. To
> repeat, a
> > > static touchscreen may be accessible to people with limited
> > dexterity
> > > if the targets are large enough and far enough apart. A dynamic,
> > > gesture-based touchscreen may meet the needs of users with
> > vision loss
> > > if the gestures can be received anywhere on the active
> > surface (which
> > > must itself be tactilely discernible -- no fair having
> touchscreens
> > > without borders). It *might* be possible to have 2 gesture
> > reception
> > > areas simultaneously (top/bottom or
> > > left/right) if the gestures are well designed.
> > >
> > > So I'm talking about a touchscreen device that can run
> > either static
> > > or dynamic input software at the user's choice.
> > >
> > > Gregg wrote:
> > >
> > > > First lets look at what we have - and then some new ideas
> > your post
> > > > brings up
> > > >
> > > > Currently the language says - "if touchscreen is used then all
> > > > functionality can be done through tactilely discernable
> controls."
> > > >
> > > > This would mean that people who can't use touch screens
> (static or
> > > > dynamic) could achieve the same functions another way.
> > >
> > > I think that the only people who can't use static or dynamic
> > > touchscreens also could not use mechanical controls and
> would need
> > > speech recognition or an AT solution like scanning or
> puff-and-sip
> > > switches.
> > >
> > >
> > > > 1 - are the gestures like shortcuts? You can use them to
> > do things
> > > > quickly
> > > > but there are other ways as well? -- this would be
> > > > non-gesture access
> > > > for all gesture input.
> > > >
> > > > 2 - are gestures the ONLY way to do some things? If so then
> > > > some gestures
> > > > require fine motor and some require simultaneous actions.
> > >
> > > I'm assuming that the touchscreen is the *only* input device.
> > > But the issue of "simultaneous action" is important --
> > what does it
> > > mean in this context? It's not as obvious as "CTRL-ALT-DEL".
> > >
> > > I think that the bottom line is, can a blind user use a
> > well-designed
> > > touchscreen gesture interface? If we say "yes", we should
> > reconsider
> > > the touchscreen provisions.
> > >
> > >

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