SUPPOSE A BLIND USER ENTERS A WEB SITE:
CAN HE/SHE FIND THE INFORMATION NEEDED?
AND HOW EASILY? HOW QUICKLY?
NAUTICUS PROVIDES THE ANSWER
PROBLEM
Web site utilization have been increasing over the years, thus it is important that the information contained in Web sites can be easily reachable by all, including disabled people.
Among users with special needs, some categories, such as blind users, are particularly concerned with Web navigation, since it represents their principal mean for obtaining useful information.
Such information can span a wide range of subjects, involving educational and working fields, public utility, etc.
Current difficulties in providing universal access can be reduced through the proper application of usability and accessibility principles.
TARGET
In the past, usability and accessibility of Web sites, although interconnected, were usually treated as separated issues. However, accessibility guidelines do not necessarily guarantee usable web sites, in particular when specific groups of disabled users are considered. Thus, with our research, we highlighed the relationship between usability and accessibility, to give a unified view of Web navigation. Such comprehensive view is particularly relevant for the usability of accessible Web sites by disabled users. In this perspective, we started to remove some barrier that could prevent the usage of online services by blind and low-vision users.
An important part of the research was the definition of a first set of criteria for an appropriate design and adequate evaluation of Web sites in order to make online services more available for vision-impaired users and to bridge the gap between visual layout and aural perception. Such criteria are useful define and improve Web site usability, especially when the web pages are accessed by visually impaired users with special devices (i.e. screen reader and magnifiers). Of course, the eventual integration of accessibility and usability principles can make Web site navigation much easier for visually impaired people (VIP).
SOLUTION
NAUTICUS (Acronym for: New Accessibility and Usability Tool for Interactive Control in Universal Sites) is the first realized by our research group and it is able to determine to which extent the proposed criteria have been applied to the code of Web pages.
This tool was created for designers and developers, in order to:
- Support them in the application of our criteria;
- Assist them during evaluation and repairing phases, through an interactive approach.
For further information please contact
fabio.paterno@isti.cnr.it
and
barbara.leporini@isti.cnr.it