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Re: System Usability Scale with Blind Users

for

From: Ron
Date: Sep 2, 2015 7:28PM

I would be concerned about any scale that only looks at only one subset of
those with disability. This has been a pressing problem for a number of
years in the community.

Yes we need to deal with the issues of sensory disability, but I find much
more problematic the issues of alternative input, in particular Voice
Recognition tech.

We have been seeing for a number of years products that are accessible with
JAWS, the dominant product in the Screen Reader market. The problem is
these products fail more often than not in pan-disability evaluation. In
addition, they as a rule fail miserably in an accessibility and usability
evaluation.

Just some food for though.

On Wednesday, September 2, 2015, Amelia Dickerson < <EMAIL REMOVED> >
wrote:

> My question has 2 parts:
> 1. Has anyone used or seen anyone else use the System Usability Scale
>
> http://www.usability.gov/how-to-and-tools/methods/system-usability-scale.html
> with blind/VI users when testing for accessibility/usability? Just
> from a logical perspective, it seems like it would be just as valid
> and reliable with a blind/VI user as with any other user-- it asks
> about things like if you would want to use this system often and if
> you are confident with it and if you felt able to figure it out
> without training. At the same time, you aren't really supposed to
> assume a tool is valid and reliable in a population where it hasn't
> been tested. As a general rule, blind/VI users are probably going to
> wind up with lower scores on usability than other users.
>
> 2. Is there another tool you use or have seen other people use to give
> a general number on usability or accessibility when evaluating? We
> are using WCAG guidelines and providing a lot of specifics. We also
> try to offer a summary at the beginning. For the most part though, we
> are communicating with people who know very little about
> accessibility-- probably a bit more about general usability- so we are
> trying to communicate in ways that make sense to them. Providing a
> number might give a reader just one more way to try and relate to what
> our reports say. A list of 20 problems can mean different things, but
> having a score of 50 versus 80 is something that might help
> communicate significance and impact and what it all winds up looking
> like.
> Thanks,
> Amelia
> > > > >