Usability testing with screen reading technology in a Windows environment

ABSTRACT

Ever since applications with graphical user interfaces were introduced, individuals who are blind have experienced great difficulty accessing these applications. The quality of access provided through a combination of screen reading software and speech synthesizer is greatly dependent on the design of the mainstream application interface. In attempt to better understand the access strategies employed by users of screen readers, this study was designed to (a) examine the interaction between users of screen reading technology and graphical user interface (GUI) elements and (b) to identify the type and significance of obstacles encountered during these interactions. Fifty-eight unique obstacles encountered by participants were identified. These obstacles were encountered by the thirteen participants a total 534 times. Although many obstacles lead to minor delays, the cumulative effect of these obstacles was to significantly delay, and in many cases, prevent task completion.

REFERENCES

• 1: Alan Dix , Janet Finley , Gregory Abowd , Russell Beale, Human-computer interaction (2nd ed.), Prentice-Hall, Inc., Upper Saddle River, NJ, 1998
• 2: Earl, C., & Leventhal, J. A survey of Windows screen reader users: Recent improvements in accessibility. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB), 93, 3 (1999), 174-177.
• 3: Susan Fowler, GUI design handbook, McGraw-Hill, Inc., New York, NY, 1998
• 4: Wilbert O. Galitz, The essential guide to user interface design: an introduction to GUI design principles and techniques, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 1997
• 5: Lewis, C. Using the "thinking-aloud" method in cognitive interface design (RC 9265 (#40713)). Yorktown Heights, NY: IBM Thomas J. Watson Research Center. 1982.
• 6: Clayton Lewis , John Rieman, Getting to know users and their tasks, Human-computer interaction: toward the year 2000, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc., San Francisco, CA, 1995
• 7: Leventhal, J., & Earl, C. Accessing Microsoft Windows with synthetic speech: A user survey. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness (JVIB) News Service, 91,1 (1997), 12-16.
• 8: Marcus, A. Graphical user interfaces. In M. Helander, T. Landauer, & P. Prabhu (Eds.), Handbook of humancomputer interaction (2nd ed.), completely revised. Amsterdam: Elsevier,(1997), 423-440.
• 9: McKinley, J., & Sacco, T. Access to graphical user interface by blind and visually impaired computer users: A nationwide survey. Palo Alto, CA: Veterans Affairs Palo Alto Health Care System, 1995.
• 10: Microsoft Corporation. Microsoft Office 2000 Accessibility. Redmond, WA: Microsoft Corporation, 1998.
• 11: Morkes, J., & Nielsen, J. Concise, SCANNABLE, and objective: How to write for the web: useit.com. Available at http://www.useit.com/papers/ webwriting/writing.html.
• 12: Jakob Nielsen, Usability Engineering, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc., San Francisco, CA, 1993
• 13: Jakob Nielsen, Heuristic evaluation, Usability inspection methods, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, NY, 1994
• 14: Paap, K. R. and Cook, N.J. Design of Menus. In M. Helander, T. Landauer, & P. Prabhu (Eds.), Handbook of human-computer interaction (2nd ed), completely revised. Amsterdam: Elsevier, (1997), 423-440.
• 15: T. V. Raman, Auditory User Interfaces: Toward the Speaking Computer, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Norwell, MA, 1997
• 16: Scadden, L. A. (1984). Blindness in the information age: Equality or irony? Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 78,9 (1984), 394-400.
• 17: Ben Shneiderman, Designing the user interface (2nd ed.): strategies for effective human-computer interaction, Addison-Wesley Longman Publishing Co., Inc., Boston, MA, 1992
• 18: Tyler, K. Software certifications boost productivity. HR Magazine: Society for Human Resource Management (1997, May).

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  D. Software
  D.2 SOFTWARE ENGINEERING
      D.2.2 Design Tools and Techniques
          Subjects: User interfaces

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.5 INFORMATION INTERFACES AND PRESENTATION (I.7)
      H.5.2 User Interfaces (D.2.2, H.1.2, I.3.6)
          Subjects: Graphical user interfaces (GUI)

  I. Computing Methodologies
  I.2 ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
      I.2.7 Natural Language Processing
          Subjects: Speech recognition and synthesis

  K. Computing Milieux
  K.4 COMPUTERS AND SOCIETY
      K.4.2 Social Issues
          Subjects: Assistive technologies for persons with disabilities

General Terms:
Design, Human Factors, Languages, Management, Performance, Theory

Keywords:
GUI, blindness, disability, screen reader