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INM313: Inclusive Design

(and social aspects of computing)

Dr Panayiotis Zaphirishttp://www.zaphiris.org/

zaphiri@soi.city.ac.uk

Lecture 1: Introduction to Inclusive Design

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Lecture 1 OverviewINM 313 Overview

Orientation: My role– The objectives of INM313– The topics to be covered

Orientation: Your role– The lecture notes– Assessment– Questions

Why is inclusive design important ?

Definitions (Universal Design, Design for All, Inclusive Design etc.)

Challenges in doing ‘Inclusive Design’

General Introduction to designing for people with Special Needs

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The Inclusion of People with Special

Needs in the Mainstream

“Accessibility”

“Universal Design”

“Design for All”

“Accessible Design”

“Inclusive Design”

We are going to talk about the original definitions of each as per

their proposers’ ideas

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Why is inclusive design important ?

Computers Computers penetrate almost penetrate almost

all life all life situationssituations

People depend People depend more on computer more on computer

technologytechnology

Facilitating Facilitating computers for computers for

anybody anybody anywhere anywhere anytimeanytime

Computer Computer applications are applications are

more complex and more complex and offer more offer more

functionalitiesfunctionalities

Computer users Computer users have diverse have diverse

abilities, skills, abilities, skills, requirements and requirements and

preferencespreferences

Users are not Users are not necessarily necessarily

computer experts computer experts

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Some Statistics

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Slide 7

Some Statistics

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Some Statistics

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Some Statistics

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Some Statistics

Variation of disposable income and free time with age

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Motivations

Legal Requirements

– Disability Discrimination Act 1995

– SENDA (Special Educational Needs and Disability Act) 1995

1. Not treat a disabled person ‘less favourably’ for a reason relating to their disability

2. Required to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ if a disabled person would otherwise be placed at a ‘substantial disadvantage’

3. Adjustments should be ‘anticipatory’

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Motivations

Moral

Demographic (see graph before)

Economic

– In the E.U. ratio 60+/(20- 59) = 1.9

– Increase of people with registered disability (11% today to estimated 17% - in 2020)

– Estimated market size > 30 Billion Euro

Usability bonus

– people are not going to buy or recommend products which they cannot operate

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Examples of Guidelines for Inclusion of

People with Special Needs

Centre for Universal Design at North Carolina State University (USA)

Trace Centre in University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA)

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)

– "The power of the Web is in its universality. Access

by everyone regardless of disability is an essential

aspect."

Ordinary and Extra-Ordinary HCI (Dundee)

City University (e.g. ageing guidelines)

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“Universal Design”

Universal design

– goes beyond the design of interactive systems and applies to all design endeavours.

– grounded in a certain philosophical approach to design encapsulated by an international design community

Inclusive design is more pragmatic

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Principles of Universal Design (Cont.)

PRINCIPLE ONE: Equitable Use– The design is useful and marketable to people with diverse abilities

PRINCIPLE TWO: Flexibility in Use– The design accommodates a wide range of individual preferences and

abilities.

PRINCIPLE THREE: Simple and Intuitive Use– Use of the design is easy to understand, regardless of the user's

experience, knowledge, language skills, or current concentration level.

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Principles of Universal Design (Cont.)

PRINCIPLE FOUR: Perceptible Information– The design communicates necessary information effectively to the user,

regardless of ambient conditions or the user's sensory abilities.

PRINCIPLE FIVE: Tolerance for Error– The design minimizes hazards and the adverse consequences of accidental

or unintended actions.

PRINCIPLE SIX: Low Physical Effort– The design can be used efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of

fatigue.

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Principles of Universal Design (Cont.)

PRINCIPLE SEVEN: Size and Space for Approach and Use– Appropriate size and space is provided for approach, reach, manipulation,

and use regardless of user's body size, posture, or mobility

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Design for all

Is just good design.

Aim is to design to cater for the widest range of human abilities.

By considering access issues early in the design process, the overall design will be better for everyone.

– new computer ‘architectures’ that can accommodate different interfaces for different users

– better requirements generation processes

– consideration of alternative input and output devices

– adoption of international standards.

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Design for all

A difficult, if not often impossible, task.

Conflicts of interest with:– Less disabled people

– Those with other types of disability

May not be required by the product.

“Universal Accessibility” - a barrier to greatly improved Accessibility by Most?

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Inclusive Design

The British Standards Institute (2005)British Standard 7000-6:2005. Design management systems -Managing inclusive design - Guide defines inclusive design as

"The design of mainstream products and/or services that are accessible to, and usable by, as many people as reasonably possible ... without the need for special adaptation or specialised design."

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Inclusive Design

IS:

• An extension of User Centred Design

• Experimental methodology

• New forms of communication of results

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Inclusive Design

IS NOT:

• Simply a stage that can be added in the design process

• Adequately covered by a requirement that the product should be easy to use

• Solely about designing products for a particular capability loss

• Naively implying that it is always possible (or appropriate) to design one product to address the needs of the entire population

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Approaching

“Inclusive Design”

as an extension of

conventional

“User Centred Design” methodology

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Challenges to UCD

Users with very wide range of characteristics and functionalities

– Specialised and little known requirements,

– Different user groups with very different requirements,

Ethical problems:

– Informed consent, legal implications, communication dysfunction,extreme need.

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The Methodology must cover:

Much greater variety of user characteristics and functionality

Finding and recruiting “representative users”

Conflicts of interest between user groups(Including “temporarily able-bodied”)

The need to specify exactly the characteristics and functionality of the user group(s)

Tailored, Personalisable & Adaptive Interfaces

Provision for accessibility using additional components (hardware and software)

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Accessibility and Assistive Technology

Providing access and assistance to people with special needs (not just people with disabilities).

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Accessibility Versus Assistive

Sometimes more

commercially/practically viable

Removes the stigma of special

aids

Necessary for people with

multiple disabilities

Convenient (doesn’t require

people to own additional

device)

Assistive technologyAccessible technology

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Accessible TechnologyMaking is possible to find, reach, learn, use the system.Ability to connect device to alternative external peripherals, e.g.

microphone.Users do not lose information when using alternative

format/device/interface.Apply the principle of open systems, i.e. compliance with

international and de facto standards.Customisable user interface (e.g. mouse operation).

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Accessible TechnologyAccessibility in terms of Input: users should be able to

– find the devices.

– reach and operate devices.

– determine the status or setting of the interactive systems.

– understand how the modalities work.

– use the input devices.

– connect/use special alternative input devices if necessary.

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Accessible Technology

Examples of input device accessibility– Keyboard

• Detachable and have a sufficiently long cable.

• Tactile and audible feedback when pressing a key.

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Accessible TechnologyAccessibility in terms of Output: users should be able

to– benefit from important information even if they can't use

one or more of their senses (e.g. by using alternative output media)

– understand the output as a whole.

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Accessible TechnologyExamples of output device accessibility

– Display• No flicker or other forms of instability.

• Non-glare surface.

• Easily adjustable contrast and brightness.

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Accessible Technology

Accessibility in terms of hardware: users should be able to– physically insert/install and remove parts of the system

(e.g. graphics card).

– physically handle and/or open parts of the system (e.g. opening computer case, power switch).

– remove, replace, or reposition often-used detachable parts (e.g. zip drive).

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Accessible TechnologyExamples of hardware accessibility

– Storage (e.g. CD or disk drives) • operation should not require simultaneous use of two hands.

• the control setting can be easily identified by touch.

• placed in easily accessible place but minimize possibility of

activation by mistake.

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Assistive / Adaptive Technology

As defined by the Assistive Technology Act of 1998:

“…any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired

commercially, modified, or customized, that is used to increase,

maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with

disabilities.”

“…mediates and decodes the technology

for users with disabilities.”

“…make information devices more accessible.”

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Assistive Technology (AT)

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Multi-Sensory Systems

More than one sensory channel in interaction

– e.g. sounds, text, hypertext, animation, video, gestures, vision

Used in a range of applications:

– particularly good for users with special needs, and virtual reality

Will cover– general terminology– speech– non-speech sounds– handwriting

considering applications as well as principles

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Multi-modal vs. Multi-media

Multi-modal systems

– use more than one sense (or mode ) of interactione.g. visual and aural senses: a text processor may speak the words as well as echoing them to the screen

Multi-media systems

– use a number of different media to communicate informatione.g. a computer-based teaching system:may use video, animation, text and still images: different media all using the visual mode of interaction; may also use sounds, both speech and non-speech: two more media, now using a different mode

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Usable Senses

The 5 senses (sight, sound, touch, taste and smell) are used by us every day– each is important on its own

– together, they provide a fuller interaction with the natural world

Computers rarely offer such a rich interaction

Can we use all the available senses in computer interaction?

– ideally, yes

– practically – no

We can use • sight • sound • touch (sometimes)

We cannot (yet) use • taste • smell

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Users with disabilitiesvisual impairment

hearing impairment

physical impairment

speech impairment

learning impairment (e.g., dyslexia)

cognitive impairment (e.g. dementia)

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… plus …

age groups

– older people e.g. disability aids, memory aids, communication tools to prevent social isolation

– children e.g. appropriate input/output devices, involvement in design process

cultural differences

– influence of nationality, generation, gender, race, sexuality, class, religion, political persuasion etc. on interpretation of interface features

– e.g. interpretation and acceptability of language, cultural symbols, gesture and colour

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We’re all disabled

Environment: in a foreign country, in a bouncing vehicle, in the dark

Non-optimal health: lack of sleep, drunk, fever

Injury: hit a finger with a hammer

Ageing

Changing role of information technology: new products, unfamiliar

interface

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Persistence of Conditions

Transient– Noisy room

Temporary– Broken arm

Permanent– Paralysis of legs

– More likely this one is labeled a disability

Slide 44

Lecture 1 SummaryINM 313 Overview (My role, your role)

Why is inclusive design important ?

Definitions

Challenges in doing ‘Inclusive Design’

General Introduction to designing for people with Special Needs