WebAIM - Web Accessibility In Mind

E-mail List Archives

Re: Accessibility guidelines for information kiosks

for

From: Holly Marie
Date: Mar 6, 2002 5:36AM

From: "Oliver Burmeister" < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
To: < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2002 12:35 AM
Subject: Accessibility guidelines for information kiosks


> Hi.
>
> I'm new to this list and after being a voyeur for a couple of weeks,
thought
> its about time I join the conversation.
>
> I have 2 requests:
>
> 1. I teach HCI at undergraduate and postgraduate level. I would be
> interested in hearing from anyone who has incorporated accessibility
issues
> into their teaching of HCI, to get ideas for how I could do likewise.

Sign up for the Free April Event/Online seminar at WebAIM.
which will cover ideas, topics, and issues that will apply to post
secondary education and can also be used for web or other media
delivery.
http://www.webaim.org/training2002/


Here is one site that may have some information regarding Accessibility
and the use of Multimedia and Digital technology in Education. This page
maintains a list of resources for educators and teachers.
http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/learn/

this area may have some good information on captioning of media.
http://ncam.wgbh.org/


The Adaptive Technology Center at the University of Toronto
http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/
http://www.utoronto.ca/atrc/education.html [education section]

Special Needs Opportunity Windows (SNOW) - supporting educators of
students with special needs.
http://snow.utoronto.ca/

Trace Research & Development Center, University of Wisconsin
The Trace Center is dedicated to technology more usable by everyone.
http://www.trace.wisc.edu/

WebAIM has a paper by Cyndi Rowland, PhD
_Accessibility of the Internet in Postsecondary Education: Meeting the
Challenge _
http://www.webaim.org/articles/meetchallenge

> 2. This semester my Maters students do a major usability project
prototyping
> a new interface for a touch-screen information kiosk that has in
recent
> times (since Oct last year) become popular with the public in
Melbourne. I
> realise this list is meant to be reserved for discussing web
accessibility
> issues, but I'm hoping this request with still within the realms of
> acceptability. Clearly there are guidelines for accessibility for web
> design, but what about the design of other products, such as
information
> kiosks? This is not be a major component of the Masters project, but I
would
> like to raise awareness of accessibility issues amongst my 49
students.

This is a fun and detailed project. I and two other students last
semesterd designed a Kiosk, and this had me all over the web looking for
Accessibility issues or focus and using Kiosks. Kiosks fit web as far as
I am concerned because many of these that we use in the United States
are also hooked up through Networking connections. Some have interactive
databases that store info from the on site use and can be accessed in
other areas or even on the web from home. So, Kiosks are of great
importance. Automated Teller Machines[ATM] - Kiosks - are a way and
means for individuals to access their banking needs just about anywhere
they go. Pharmacies may use Kiosks to deliver helpful information
regarding medicines and health. Kiosks are also used with consumers as
database driven gift giving services for special events or holidays. We
designed a holiday shopping Kiosk for a larger department store.
Thoughts of keeping it simple, offering both text information and
instruction, and audial support, as well as offering keyboard access was
important. For low vision and eye hand coordination, it was important to
keep the text large and the button or screen touch areas easy to
access(far enough apart) so a correct hit on an item or hot spot could
be achieved. Use of simple instruction, universal symbols or icons were
important for those that may have had either language or reading
difficulties. Height of screen from floor was a consideration for those
that may also be in wheel chairs.

Here are a few links I found regarding Kiosks and Accessibility while
doing this project for the Multimedia Class.
Good ideas and information can be obtained from a variety of resources
including companies that are making Kiosks. Sometimes one resource
overlooks an item of importance that another may pick up, even the
Accessibility guideline centers or sites may have overlooked some ideas
that others applying HCI and usability studies(which we had to do) will
pick up while testing any delivery.

----
***
Trace Center - Research and Development -[University of Wisconsin,
Madison] is one of those places online that has a Multitude of
Accessibility information in regards to Technology and also Assisstive
devices. They have a great section devoted to design of Kiosks.... I
used this one quite a bit.... http://trace.wisc.edu/world/kiosks/
[ATMs, Vending Machines, Kiosks]

Also
User needs, and Strategies for addressing those needs [at Trace]
http://www.trace.wisc.edu/world/kiosks/itms/needs.html

-----
Kiosks.org - Kiosk Internet, Public Terminals, Self Service.
Accessibility article - a nice article that also covers Why Consider
Accessibility?
Good answers and also a few lists of who may be affected and why. Nice
listing and also covers, hearing, motor, seeing, and more...It has a
consumer business approach, but I believe they outlined the need for
accessibility at kiosks very well.
http://www.kiosks.org/articles/pr051001b.html

Another link at Kiosks.org [ADA and Accessibility]has a short listing of
resources online and articles including Braille Kiosks for those
interested. http://www.kiosks.org/ada.html
----
ITM Accessibility Checklist ***
A Checklist of items for ITM[Infomation Transaction Machines]
http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/archive/olditm.html

A great list of questions regarding usability to have the students check
against their device or project.

----
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
OFFICE OF THE CHIEF INFORMATION OFFICER
REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCESSIBLE ELECTRONIC AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY Design
This site has a nice document that numbers the issues in Eduction and
Delivery of information through technology, online or offline.
http://ocfo.ed.gov/coninfo/clibrary/software.htm

Covered are multimedia projects including the measurements of the screen
size for display and much more.
Desktop, Self contained multimedia devices, Video, Telecommunication,
Web Based/Internet, Software and OS

----

Designing Kiosks for Accessibility -By Bernard LaFleur, Quad Media and
Dr. Gregg C. Vanderheiden, Trace Research and Development Center [there
is a downloadable word document and also a short list of considerations
when designing an accessible Kiosk)
http://www.quadmedia.com/naka.htm
----
Java Accessibility - ATM's and Accessibility -[Sun Microsystems]
_ Anyone Anywhere Access to Money and Information_
http://www.sun.com/access/articles/presentations/AATM/
----
from a company working to design Kiosks...
Kiosks, Web Design, Software Development, IT Accessibility, ECCS, Inc.
http://www.eccsva.com/services/kiosk.htm
Kiosks & The Americans with Disabilities Act
http://www.eccsva.com/services/kiosks/kioskada.htm
--

hope this helps a bit.

holly
Kiosks are fun and either simple self contained delivery of information
or services, or can be very intricately connected to Intranet/Internet
devices and accessible later at any other device or home computer also
connected to this network.



----
To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view list archives,
visit http://www.webaim.org/discussion/