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From: Abby Dacres
Date: Tue, Apr 06 2004 6:07AM
Subject: Improving the Web surfing experience for blind and partially sighted users
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Hi
I am a student at Bradford University studying internet computing. I had an
idea for a HCI project that involves designing a user interface to help
improve the web-user experience for partially sighted or blind users. It is
a purely conceptual idea, but I need to be able to explain how it could be
done. I rather thought that something would already exist, if only a
research project, that I could review for the purposes of my report. However
I am struggling to find anything...I was wondering if there was anyone out
there that could point me in the right direction or give me your thoughts on
its limitations...

The Surf Pad
I wanted to develop a portable pad, that would act in much the same way as a
mouse, ie it would emulate a cursor on the screen. This pad will have
raised icons or braille for say internet explorer, search buttons and zoom
buttons(these could be configured to automatically load up the user's choice
of search engine and zoom scale. The main area of the pad will act as a
touch screen with a raised cursor that can be moved around. My first thought
was something akin to a marble inside a gel-like layer that when pressed in
would serve in the same way as a click of a mouse led cursor. This would
allow the user to feel where they last were on the screen. So in effect it
would act like a touch screen but with a tool that could be detected by
touch and moved around. My feeling was that its position both on the screen
and the pad could be easily detected during periods of periodic use. It
would be used in conjunction with a screen reader but it would remove the
need for tabbing through endless links. It would enable the user to scan
and surf the web page in much the same way as a sighted user can.
What do you think of the concept? Do you think the idea is usable? Or do you
think it is a crazy idea?
Thank you for your valuable time
Abby dacres

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From: David R. Stong
Date: Tue, Apr 06 2004 6:38AM
Subject: Re: Improving the Web surfing experience for blind and partially
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Abby wrote:

>I am a student at Bradford University studying internet computing. I
>had an idea for a HCI project that involves designing a user
>interface to help improve the web-user experience for partially
>sighted or blind users:
>I wanted to develop a portable pad, that would act in much the same
>way as a mouse, ie it would emulate a cursor on the screen. So in
>effect it would act like a touch screen but with a tool that could
>be detected by touch and moved around. My feeling was that its
>position both on the screen and the pad could be easily detected
>during periods of periodic use.
>What do you think of the concept?


Abby, I'm a visual designer at Penn State. Primarily I'm a designer
of interfaces, with a background in Web accessibility. I like your
idea, but I think it may have limited, though very specific
application.

I think in pictures. When I work, I'm completely absorbed in a
graphic, space oriented, "conceptual" world. Words and language are
things that slow me down; if someone enters my office while I'm
working and asks a question, often times it takes a moment for me to
start to think in words so that I respond. You can try this yourself
by drawing a picture while telling a story- as you get more involved
with the rendering, words fail. What would be the experience of
someone who thinks this way if they lost their vision? or if born
blind, they genetically thought like a visual artist?

Your concept would give a tactile sense of space. That would be a
tough paradigm to sell- almost a Mac vs. PS type of difference. If
you need it, you'd appreciate it.
There would be lots of bugs to work out, certainly; but worth
investigation. Talk to people in visual design.



--
David R. Stong
Microcomputer Information Specialist (Graphic Designer),
Education Technology Services, a unit of
Teaching and Learning with Technology
Information Technology Services
The Pennsylvania State University
Phone 8148651843

212 Rider Building II
227 W Beaver Avenue
State College, PA 16801-4819

Working for Universal Design: http://tlt.its.psu.edu/suggestions/accessibility

Download Penn State's visual identity marks:
http://www.personal.psu.edu/drs18/mark.html


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From: Richard Sweet
Date: Tue, Apr 06 2004 11:24AM
Subject: RE: Improving the Web surfing experience for blind and partially sighted users
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This isn't exactly what you're talking about, and it only works with the
software provided, but it might be useful to look at...

http://www.virtouch.com/

Richard

>

From: Mike Lyman
Date: Tue, Apr 06 2004 12:51PM
Subject: RE: Improving the Web surfing experience for blind and partially sighted users
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The main area of the pad
> will act as a
> touch screen with a raised cursor that can be moved around.
> My first thought
> was something akin to a marble inside a gel-like layer that
> when pressed in
> would serve in the same way as a click of a mouse led cursor.
> This would
> allow the user to feel where they last were on the screen.
>

Abby,

I like the idea as well. I've recently taken a course in immersive
instructional systems (basically virtual and augmented realities). It sounds
very similar to what designers are doing to create a sense of touch and feel
with virutal objects. There are using haptic (touch) feedback to allow users
to sense objects that are virutal and thus, not really there. You might
consider looking into this arena for ideas on what has been done with
gloves, sensor pads, and other haptic feedback devices.

Michael Lyman
WebAIM
6800 Old Main Hill
Logan, UT 84322-6800
435-797-8284
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From: Shilpa
Date: Wed, Apr 07 2004 4:45AM
Subject: RE: Improving the Web surfing experience for blind and partially sighted users
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Hello!
Sounds very interesting.
An enhancement could be to create a pad which has haptic capabilities.
Through this pad the user can FEEL the screen. So the left top and the
right bottom of the pad are boundaries of the screen. The user can move
the mouse anywhere. If there is a link then it has a raised effect or
something of the sorts, so the navigation can be clicked using the pad.

Each of the website translates onto the pad effectively and the user can
figure the layout of each page. Also, maybe some key could be given to
get the screen reader to READ that link once it is clicked.

To take it further the text could become a Braille output.

Rgds,
Shilpa

From: Sachin Pavithran
Date: Wed, Apr 07 2004 12:21PM
Subject: Re: Improving the Web surfing experience for blind and partially sighted users
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Abby,

Just to clarify, will the pad display the text on a web site in braille or
is that going to be read with the help of a screen reader.

Regards.

Sachin.



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From: Abby Dacres
Date: Fri, Apr 09 2004 11:04AM
Subject: Re: Improving the Web surfing experience for blind and partially sighted users
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Hi and thank you to everyone who posted a reply to my query; I have not
worked out how to reply to individual threads on this site so I will reply
to each thread in this email. (I rather thought that each posting you added
would send an email to which I could reply...perhaps there is a problem with
my email address)
David.R Strong: Your thoughts were really interesting and challenged the way
I am thinking about this project. I must admit that when I tried to explain
the concept in words to a blind person, I did have some difficulty. This is
really interesting in itself, since if we can't put ourselves in a similar
mindset, how can we design effectively? This project has been very
enlightening to me in terms of the assumptions that I have made which relate
to what I think people need and want.

Richard Sweet: Thank you for the link...it was really useful and gave me
some great ideas!

Mike Lyman: Thank you...what you said really was interesting I'd not
previously considered haptic feedback. Is the technology available to
provide dynamic haptic feedback? ie could an image on a web site really
become raised in relation to shades and colours to give a raised image? Or
is that just Star Trek stuff?

Shilpa: Again thanks...looks like you answered the above question..but is
this actually currently possible?...do you know of any research or studies
in this field?

Sachin Pavithran: In answer to your question Sachin, my original idea was to
use the pad in conjunction with screen reader software such as SupaNova or
the like.

Regards
Abby

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