Usability First » Accessibility

individualization

jls — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:30:02 +0000

modifying a system to suit the needs and preferences of a single individual user.

individual differences

jls — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:22:58 +0000

people vary in a number of ways that can have an impact on the design of a user interface, and rather than trying to design for “the average user”, it is often better to understand how people vary to design acceptably for a broad audience. Sometimes this may even mean designing separate user interfaces for different user populations, such as when extremely simplified drawing programs are made for young children versus sophisticated versions designed for graphic design professionals.

Some of the main categories of variations that are of interest to designers are:

user experience level – how well users know their subject domain, computing skills, internet skills, …
user preferences – users will choose settings according to their own tastes and work practices
market segment – such as age, gender, education, occupation, hobby, and income level
variation in ability – users often have relevant physical or cognitive limitations; for instance, near-sightedness and color blindness are extremely common, and these can usually be easily addressed when a designer is aware of the issues

indirect user

jls — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:18:24 +0000

someone who does not actually use a product but who is directly affected by the product’s usability. For instance, a telemarketer or customer service agent may work with software while interacting with a customer, and the customer would be an indirect user, affected by the use of the application.

human anthropometry

jls — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 21:39:53 +0000

anthropometrics; the measurement of the physical characteristics of humans, particularly length and weight measures, used for industrial design, especially the design of furniture, vehicles, and workspaces. In the domain of computer use, such measurements apply primarily in the design of input and output devices, computer desks and chairs, and in the application of recommended working postures. The typical goal is to understand not just the average measurements of, for instance, arm length and joint rotation angles, but to understand the range of possible variation within the target user populations to adequately support the full range of users, from children to aging adults, and including both male and female dimensions.

hearing impairment

jls — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 20:05:26 +0000

difficulty hearing or deafness. For those who are hard of hearing, volume controls can help them use a computer, as well as output devices that enable them to plug in headphones and control the position and direction of speakers. For deafness or partial deafness, provide an option to turn off sound in the interface and use alternative ways of displaying information, such as closed captions, and providing visual alerts instead of or in addition to audio alerts.

Many of these solutions for users with hearing impairments are quite useful to unimpaired users who work in noisy environments or wish to work without having audio disturb others around them.

internationalization

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 23:28:19 +0000

or i18n (the letter “i” followed by 18 letters, followed by “n”); the design or modification of software for an international audience.

Three approaches to internationalization are common:

globalization: making a monolingual interface more accessible for non-native speakers and international use. For instance, to make a website more accessible, use straightforward language avoiding jargon, make sure phone numbers include international country codes, and convert measurements to international units.
multi-lingual interfaces: allow users to choose a translation into their own language.
localization: customize the user interface for each local region in which it will be used, by using the local language and taking advantage of local conventions, assumptions, and common defaults.

language disorder

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 22:33:07 +0000

any of a variety of common cognitive impairments (that limit the production and understanding of language), such as dyslexia, and speech impairments. Many of these impairments can be assisted by reducing the linguistic complexity of the interface (which also helps international users, i.e. non-native speakers), increasing the legibility and readability of text, and removing the need for speech input and output.

locked-in syndrome

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:57:08 +0000

a level of paralysis where people can make no voluntary movements other than direction of eye gaze, despite their consciousness and awareness. Communication channels are thus extremely limited, and a brain-computer interface is one possible computer interface that can work.

low vision

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 21:38:43 +0000

limitations of eyesight short of complete blindness. Low vision may include myopia, blurred vision, limited visual angle, spotted vision, darkened eyesight, fractured images, and blindspots. Approaches to helping this situation include using large fonts and imagery, using screen magnification tools, and using high-contrast or allowing the user to adjust colors and contrast.

mobility impairment

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 19:00:08 +0000

physical limitations affecting walking and transportation. These impairments can be a factor when designing public terminals and kiosks, such as ATM machines, which can be inconvenient for wheelchair access. Technology can also be designed to assist with mobility problems by providing mobile access.

morse code

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:33:52 +0000

a method of text entry for those with severe motor impairments. A single working muscle can operate a switch to send a series of dots and dashes as a code for text input. This may be used to control a computer or output speech.

motor impairment

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:28:05 +0000

a loss or limitation of function in muscle control or movement or a limitation in mobility. This may include hands that are too large or small for a keyboard, shakiness, arthritis, paralysis, and limb loss, among other difficulties.

The wide variety of aids available include:

software such as Sticky Keys that make difficult keystrokes more accessible
voice recognition systems
pointers controlled by mouth or head movements
text entry systems to help enter messages with fewer keystrokes

MouseKeys

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:21:34 +0000

a feature that allows the pointer position to be controlled with keyboard keys instead of the mouse, intended especially for people with motor disabilities who have difficulty using a mouse.

mouthstick

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:21:07 +0000

a device for the physically disabled that enables them to control input through a stick they control with their mouth.

multilingualization

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 18:14:32 +0000

or m17n (m and n separated by 17 letters); the support in a product for multiple languages, especially support for other scripts, writing systems that don’t use the Roman alphabet supported in ASCII.

open captions

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:52:17 +0000

like closed captions, open captions present text that represents the audio portion of a video, except open captions are displayed explicitly on the screen.

orthotics

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 16:37:28 +0000

OOBE; the interactions and first impressions a user has with technology when first opening the box it comes in and installing it, as opposed to the point-of-sale experience or the interaction experience of an expert user.

The out-of-box experience affects one of the potentially most difficult and stressful interactions a user will have with the product, when the least is known about the product’s capabilities and interaction style. It can also be one of the most likely points at which a user will call customer support, so that improvements in this experience may result in significant cost savings in customer support and reduction in customer complaints.

participatory design

admin — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 00:10:07 +0000

a democratic approach to design that encourages participation in the design process by a wide variety of stakeholders, such as: designers, developers, management, users, customers, salespeople, distributors, etc. The approach stresses making users not simply the subjects of user testing, but actually empowering them to be a part of the design and decision-making process.

persona

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:55:21 +0000

a description of a specific person who is a target user of a system being designed, providing demographic information, needs, preferences, biographical information, and a photo or illustration. Typically, multiple personas are developed in the early stages of design that represent the spectrum of the target audience. Personas are one piece of a “scenario”, the other piece being a description of how this person would typically interact with the system being designed.

The point of developing personas is to avoid the trap of designing for the “average” user that doesn’t actually exist, and instead to make sure that the system will work for somebody specific rather than no one in particular.

pinyin input

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:37:54 +0000

Chinese-character input based on the pinyin alphabet. Pinyin is a method of writing Chinese in a roman alphabet. With pinyin input systems, users can type the Chinese words phonetically, and then select among a few alternative Chinese characters that represent alternative words with the given pronunciation. Similar phonetic input systems are also used for entering Japanese.

pluralistic walkthrough

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:27:54 +0000

a method of usability inspection where a diverse group of stakeholders in a design are brought together to review the design, including user interface designers, users, developers, and management. The walkthrough is conducted by identifying primary tasks for the system and stepping through those tasks, identifying usability problems along the way. The purpose of bringing together various stakeholders is that each one brings a certain perspective, expertise, and set of goals for the project that enables a greater number of usability problems to be found.

polymorphic artifact

admin — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 23:20:11 +0000

a software artifact (application, widget, dialogue) that can adapt its appearance and behavior to suit different users, uses, and technologies (e.g. I/O devices). The adaptation may be at the level of functionality, process of use, or appearance.

environmental profile

jls — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:41:36 +0000

a characterization of the environment in which a system will be used. Aspects may include ambient lighting and noise, temperature, humidity, smoke, chemical substances, vibrations, the visual environment, enclosures and furnishings, the user terminal, and other human activity.

environmental control

jls — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:38:02 +0000

technology to enable people with disabilities to control devices in their vicinity, such as lights, door switches, air conditioners, phones, and televisions.

end user

jls — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 22:23:39 +0000

the primary target user of a system, usually assumed to be the least computer-savvy among users. The system administrator, for instance, would be considered a valid user of the software, but wouldn’t generally be considered the end user except for system administration software.