ERIC Number: EJ732712
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Mar
Pages: 9
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0145-482X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Usability of AcceSS for Web Site Accessibility. Research Report
Hackett, Stephanie; Parmanto, Bambang
Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, v100 n3 p173-181 Mar 2006
The standard display of web pages is inadequate for users who are visually impaired. Most visually impaired people obtain information from a web page in a linear fashion via a screen reader, whereas sighted users can immediately obtain a bird's-eye view of a web page's organization and content by quickly scanning the page. AcceSS (which stands for Accessibility through Simplification and Summarization) is an application that allows users who are visually impaired to obtain a gestalt understanding of a web page more quickly by using simplification and summarization techniques to transform it. This new and unique way of rearranging web content provides the potential for significant usability issues. For this reason, six think-aloud assessments were conducted to compare AcceSS with the standard web display, with the goal of improving the design of AcceSS by identifying usability issues. The think-aloud assessments allowed the computer users to share their reactions as they interacted with the system while the researchers captured the users' thoughts. This report presents the findings of the usability assessments.
Descriptors: Web Sites, Accessibility (for Disabled), Access to Computers, Visual Impairments, Internet, Assistive Technology, Computer System Design, Computer Software, Computer Software Evaluation
American Foundation for the Blind Press, P.O. Box 1020, Sewickley, PA 15143-1020. Tel: 800-232-3044 (Toll Free); Tel: 412-741-1398; Web site: http://www.afb.org/store.
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Pennsylvania
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A