Margherita Antona

Design for All @ FORTH-ICS

Human – Computer Interaction Laboratory User Interface software

technologies Design methodologies and tools

for the design, implementation and evaluation of user interfaces

Interaction in Ambient Intelligence Environments

Centre for Universal Access & Assistive Technologies

Centre for Universal Access & Assistive Technologies (1/2)

The main objective of the Centre is o to support the equal participation and socio-

economic integration of people with various types of disability in the emerging Information Society, by developing accessible applications and services based on the principles of Universal Access

o to facilitate independent living, self-care and health, interpersonal communication, education, vocational training, employment, etc.

Centre for Universal Access & Assistive Technologies (2/2)

The activities of the Centre include:o Technology development and applications in a

variety of domainso Studies on eAccessibility and eInclusion,

accessibility guidelines and policy interventions at national as well as at European level

o Technical development and consulting services to user organizations, industrial organizations government agencies and non-market institutions

BRIEF HISTORY

eAccessibility, Design for All and Universal Access (1/2)

The overall goal is to support and facilitate the adoption and application of the principles of Design for All and Universal Access in the context of the Information Society and to consolidate the necessary knowledge, instruments and building blocks for ensuring that interactive applications and services are designed and developed in such a way as to preliminarily take into account the needs and requirements of diverse target user groups in diverse contexts of use

eAccessibility, Design for All and Universal Access (2/2)

Consolidation of Design for All approaches and methods Methods, techniques and tools for the development of user

interfaces that exhibit intelligent adaptation to the characteristics of diverse target user groups, technological platforms and contexts of use

Design and development of appropriate interaction techniques, supported through user interface toolkits, for user groups with specific interaction requirements, such as, for example, non visual interaction for blind users and scanning based interaction for users with upper limbs motor impairments

Methods, techniques and instruments for usability evaluation involving users with different characteristics and abilities

Concepts, frameworks and methods Universal Access in the Information Society Design for All in HCI Unified User Interface Design Method: a design method that

facilitates the design of interfaces that exhibit automatic adaptation behaviour based on user and context related diversity factors

Unified User Interface Software architecture: an architectural framework facilitating the development of interfaces that exhibit automatic adaptation behaviour

Interaction techniques and toolkits

Scanningo Fast Scanner: a tool based on Microsoft Active

Accessibility providing accessible interaction with interactive applications through the automatic "on-the-fly" activation of hierarchical scanning facilities

Non visual interactiono Hawk : a non-visual interface development toolkit

that enables the programming of genuine non-visual interfaces embodying non-visual interaction metaphors

Accessible Web Browsers (1/2)

Feedback on operationcompletion (here, bookmark addition)

Links presented as buttonsLink enumerationand structureoverview pane

Interaction for motor-impaired: automatically scanned window manipulation toolbar

Interaction for motor-impaired: automatically scanned HTML elements(including image-maps)

Interaction for motor-impaired: all GUI objectsaccessible through automatic scanning

Interaction for motor-impaired: keyboardlayouts that speedup interaction (e.g.by following letter-frequency criteria)

Interaction for motor-impaired: on-screenkeyboard for text input

AVANTI browser o a universally accessible web browser with a unified user interface

Accessible Web Browsers (1/2)

ARGO o a public system that integrates a Web browser

with off-screen non-visual display transformation and delivery (for blind people) and a Web browser that supports the scanning technique through the use of binary switches(for people with motor impairments)

Accessible Information Systems

PALIOo a system that supports the provision of tourist web-based

services exhibiting automatic adaptation behaviour based on user and context characteristics, as well as the user current location

RESEARCH AREASInclusive Online CommunitiesUniversally Accessible Games and Educational ApplicationsInclusive Interaction in Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments

Inclusive Online Communities (1/2)

Provision of universally accessible and usable online communities

New tools and services for promoting online communication and collaboration (web portals, digital libraries, eServices, etc.), as well as user needs and requirements for accessing inclusive online communities and web-based services, both with and without the use of assistive technologies

Inclusive Online Communities (2/2)

Development of methods, platforms and tools for supporting the accessibility of online communities to users with diverse needs, abilities and requirements, beyond web accessibility

Investigation and design of novel visualization and navigation techniques, intuitive metaphors and user empowering concepts for online communities and web-based services

Development of universally accessible web portals Development of methods and instruments targeted towards

assessing the inclusiveness of online communities and related tools

eGovernment Web Portal for disabled people

o The web applications that are available through the Portal include

• the Online Citizen Service Center, a one-stop-shop service for information retrieval and application submission to public administration bodies

• Job Finding Service, supporting people with disabilities in searching on – line for jobs, eliminating the need for their physical presence in the workspace in order to conduct any preliminary negotiations with employers

• Digital library of assistive technology product and services, addressing individual users as well as public bodies and organizations

• Voice Portal, as an alternative means to access the content available through the Online Citizen Service Center with the use of telephone

EDeAN Portal (1/3)

An adaptable portal for the support of the activities of the EDeAN Network

Various layouts

EDeAN Portal (2/3) Motor Impaired, two Switches, Low Expertise

• Quick access links at the top and bottom of the page

• Links are displayed as buttons

• Text boxes provide feedback on focus

• A software keyboard is provided for text entry

• A window with the favorite navigation options is displayed (for novice user)

EDeAN Portal (3/3)

Colour blind, low expertise

• Links are displayed with pink color

• The background color is set to black

• Buttons use yellow color for background, red for border and black for text

• Charts are rendered using an appropriate color palette

Targeted to promote the equal participation of people with disabilities in e-government services

Accessible web portal for the provision of informative e-serviceso available through mobile devices as well as traditional desktop PCs equipped

with assistive technologyo Comply with WCAG 1.0 levels AAA , and with MWBP 1.0

AmeAnet

Development Tools (1/2) EAGER

o a development toolkit that allows Web developers to build adaptive applications using facilities similar to those offered by commonly user frameworks

o It is a developer framework build over ASP.NET providing adaptation-enabled ready to use dialogs

o By means of EAGER, a developer can produce Web portals that have the ability to adapt to the interaction modalities, metaphors and user interface elements most appropriate to each individual user, according to profile information containing user and context specific parameters

Development Tools (2/2) Web content should be available for everyone

and anywhereo And so its construction should also be accomplishable by

anyone Current Web authoring practices

o are based on the WYSIWYG design metaphoro heavily relay on client scripting technologieso do not produce accessible outcomeso can be used effectively only by “able-bodied” authors

Web Hyperspace of Accessible Resources for iMplementing persONalised and Interoperable Applications – WebHarmoniao an accessible authoring environment with necessary mechanisms for Web accessibility

support and content creation (accessible authoring)o fully conformance with ATAG 1.0 as well as with WCAG 2.0o supporting authoring when using assistive technology solutions

Browser Add-ons FireScanner

o a Firefox browser add-on which provides access to the web for people with hand motor impairments, through the scanning technique

Assessment methods and tools (1/3) ACCESSIBLE: access to a suite of

accessibility assessment facilities Assessment tools for developers

o A User Interface Portal and a Stand Alone tool

Support for state of the art assessment such as WCAG2.0 o One stop shop for accessibility (web,

web services, embedded systems, etc)

Assessment methods and tools (2/3) Specifically designed for developers

o Using metaphors familiar to themo No training or guideline knowledge is neededo An accessibility error is just another error in the source code

Evaluationo Personas based : Select among a number of predefined personas the ones

that match the target user population of the application under development o Ontology based :

• Select among a number of settings from the ontology (disabilities, functional limitations, device and software usage etc.)

• Select categories (for example all disabilities, all functional limitations, all personas etc.).

• Select to assess all the guidelines contained in a standard (all WCAG2 guidelines, all MWBP etc.).

o Guidelines based : Manually select the guidelines to assess from the collection of the available accessibility guidelines

Assessment methods and tools (3/3)

ORIENT o a tool for the walkthrough-based assessment of eServiceso ORIENT is based on a new methodology which combines

the evaluation of accessibility and usability, and more in general the user experience, throughout the usage lifecycle of eSevices, taking into account different user needs and requirements and different environments of use

Universally Accessible Games and Educational Applications

Methods and concepts for the development of Universally accessible games and educational applications that follow the principles of Design for All, being proactively designed to optimally fit and dynamically adapt to different user characteristics

Design and development of universally accessible games, including design rationale, game mechanics, software architectures, etc.

Education and Training Applications for disabled people

FORTH Editoro a text processor designed for users with motor impairment of upper limps,

and users with learning or cognitive difficulties SEW Trainer

o a vocational training application for disabled people, specifically developed in order to provide cognitive impaired users with support for developing and enhancing the vocational skills required for table and bed linen production

Canteen Manager o a specifically designed application for

users with learning difficulties and intellectual disabilities, providing cognitive impaired users with support for developing and enhancing the vocational skills required for the management of a refectory

Starlight A novel software platform for developing and interacting

with multimodal interactive electronic textbooks that provide a Dual User Interface, i.e., an interface concurrently accessible by visually impaired and sighted persons

Starlight Reader o It is specifically designed for non-visual interaction and can be fully

used without the need of a screen or a mouse. Interaction is accomplished through synthetic speech, the Braille display and the keyboard

Starlight Writer: Writing Softwareo Allows for the creating, editing and storing of electronic educational

textbooks. It supports the writing and structuring of educational content in chapters, subchapters, paragraphs, etc. Each section can contain notes/comments as well as references to other sections of the book. At the end of each section exercises using an automated correction mechanism can be added for student to practice

Copypoint

Electronic version of the Copypoint game for children with learning and cognitive disabilitieso hand-eye coordinationo skills in distinguishing colors

and shapeso ability to understand an image

and copy ito spatial orientation

Game modeso single player gameo two players in collaborationo two players in competitiono two-mice mode

User Profiles Trainers’ tool

UA-Chess

UA-Chess can be played through a standard Web browser

Its distinctive characteristic is that it is designed to be Universally Accessible, i.e., it can be concurrently played by people with different abilities and preferences, including people with disabilities (e.g., low-vision, blind and hand-motor impaired)

This is achieved by supporting alternative input and output modalities and interaction techniques that can co-exist and co-operate in the game's user interface, combined with fully customizable player profiles

http://www.ics.forth.gr/hci/ua-games/ua-chess/play.html

Access Invaders

It can be concurrently played by individuals with different abilities and preferences, including people with disabilities, e.g., low-vision, blind and hand-motor impaired

The game can be played using the keyboard, the mouse, a joystick, and one, two or three switches (or even more). It also features spatial (3D) sound and a screen reader (for presenting textual information), so that it can be played by blind people too

Basic profile

Single switch profile

Game Over! The world's first (and hopefully only)

universally inaccessible game The goal is to be used as an educational

tool for disseminating, understanding and consolidating game accessibility guidelines

The theme of the game is a reversal of the stereotypical space invaders scenario

The game comprises twenty-one levels, each of which violates a fundamental game accessibility guideline. At the end of each level, a famous quote related to the level's content is recited (a "punch line") and the guideline that was violated is displayed

A-Cross An Accessible Crossword Puzzle for Visually

Impaired Users o Clues are not only classified in two

dimensions (across / down), but also presented according to their relevance to the currently solved clue

• The next most “relevant” to the current word clue is automatically suggested

o Automatic announcement of the number of letters constituting the corresponding answer, when a clue is announced and announcement of the letters that have been already completed for a clue, by solving other related clues

o Audio feedback for the correct answer to a clue and for correctly typed letters

5Cards

5Cards: Poker game designed for older people 2 - 4 players Automatically adaptable user interface

o based on user profile and context Game Features:

o Easy to useo Betting system

using chipso Context-related

help system, including hints for playing

Inclusive Interaction in Ambient Intelligence and Smart Environments

The main goal of research in this domain is to support seamless, high-quality, unobtrusive, inclusive and fault-tolerant interaction in Ambient Intelligence Environments

Novel software development frameworks and methods, and future ambient interactive systems targeted to enabling natural and intuitive interaction of people with the intelligent environment via multiple modalities and coupled deviceso Scenarios and methodological approaches for universal access in ambient

intelligence environmentso Methods and tools for user interface development in Ambient Intelligenceo Development of prototype applications that demonstrate the potential, added

value and benefits of ambient intelligence technologies to end-users

CAMILE

An interactive application that supports accessible lighting control through multiple modalitieso touch-screen-based, for sighted users with

no motor impairmentso remote controlled operation in combination

with speech and sound for visually impaired users or tele-operation by sighted users

o switch-based scanning for motor-impaired users

o speech-based interaction for all users

Control Home Easily

Control appliances witho simple toucho from all interactive

devices • Touch screens• PCs• Mobile Phones

o for all roomso in an enjoyable

enjoyable way

Design-and-play tools AmIDesigner

o graphical design environment for GUIs in smart environments

• easy and quick development of user interfaces

• automatic integration of the developed interfaces in smart environments

• accessibility features: speech and audio, scanning, compatibility with various input/output devices

AmIPlayero support tool for automatic Flash

GUIs generation

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JMorphUI development &use lifecycle

MAID A Multi-platform Accessible Interface Design Framework MAID allows designers to produce ready-to-deploy UIs

o by constructing the User Interface design in an abstract XML formato the actual interface instances are automatically generated at runtime by an

accessibility-aware multiplatform translation engine In addition, MAID facilitates the development of reusable custom widgets

Universal Access in AmI (1/2)

Support every day activities by integrating, augmenting or substituting (limited) human abilities with the intelligence spread in the environmento built-in facilities for multimodal

interaction and alternative input/output

o “accessories” that facilitate alternative ways of use

Universal Access in AmI (2/2)

Ultimate criterion for public acceptance and use o the extent to which people feel safe

and comfortable using AmI environments

AmI should integrate Universal Access in a mainstream fashiono Need for

• large scale experimentation• close and continuous collaboration of

researchers and practitioners

Implementing accessible AmI environments

Equivalent access to content and functions for users with diverse characteristics, not necessarily through the same devices, but through a set of dynamic interaction options integrated in the environment

Two levelso accessibility of individual deviceso accessibility of the environment as a whole

Inclusive mainstream product designo Gradual transition form assistive

technologies to products accessible ‘by design’

o multimodality

Open issues

Methods for eliciting the requirements of diverse target user groups with different characteristics, abilities, needs and preferences

Methods for understanding the context of use Design guidelines (and possibly technical

standards) for the accessibility and usability of Ambient Intelligence environments

Design-oriented methods to address intelligent interaction and adaptation, as well as critical design for all targets

Evaluation instruments to analyse the extent to which design for all targets have been met

Computer-based design tools

Thank you