Tim,You're right it would be more prone to errors and it's not the best solution from a design for all point of view. What makes it attractive is that it doesn't require anything more than the addition of voice outputs to the existing hardware and software. It would therefore be a cheap partial solution to a problem that has been created by an approach to design that does not fundamentally take into account the diversity of people. Unfortunately, this is often the most that companies or other organisations are prepared to do - cheap augmentation. What is attractive about touchscreens to these companies is that because they don't need hardware for buttons, they are cheaper, more reliable and less open to vandalism.
Mark On 23 May 2008, at 11:27, Tim Culhane wrote:
Hi mark,In theory this sounds good, but it would be far too slow and much more prone to errors such as the person lifting their finger too soon, and thustriggering an option they didn't really want.Remember the sighted person only has to keep their fing on 1 spot for a fraction of a second. A blind person might have to take a minute or more of fumbling around the screen, first finding where the buttons where (are they down the right of the screen, the left, across the top, in a fancy diamondpattern or god knows what).During this process you lift your finger for just the tiniest instant andyou are gone on to another menu, and you then have to repeat thewholeprocess again in order to find the cancel or back button (assumingthere even is one).The current approach used by talking ATM machines uses the phone style keypad to enter options. You are told hit 1 for cash, 2 for statement etc.You only have to put your hand on the keypad and you can instantly find the right button and press it, without having to wait for all the rest ofthe options to be read.I admit that these two approaches might take roughly the same time the very first time you use a machine, but on subsequent visits to the old style interface you would be far quicker simply because you can distinguish the buttons tactilely. Also, no matter how many times you use a touch screen the chance of inadvertently choosing the wrong option would alwaysremain.If as you say these public service touch screen machines are so simple and basic, then why the sudden urge to use them? What is wrong with thecurrent interface? Tim -----Original Message----- From: vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:vicsireland-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Mark Magennis Sent: 23 May 2008 11:12 To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx Subject: [vicsireland] Re: the way of the future I've not done any work on public touchscreen terminals but they're pretty simple devices from an interaction point of view and I wouldn't think it would be difficult to make them accessible. Touchscreen terminals like the one Claude describes and also ticket machines in rail stations or bank ATMs basically only do a few things. They present some written instructions, provide some buttons and output some written results and/or hard copy items. They only respond to three types of inputs - a finger going onto the screen, the finger being taken off the screen and some money being put into the machine. That's all there is to them. All the written information could be output in audio as well and it would be completely useable without sight. The finger on/off bit could be left exactly the same and it still wouldn't require sight, even to find and distinguish the buttons. Let me explain how this would work in practice. If you're a sighted person, you read the instructions on the screen, find the button you want, put your finger on it which selects it, it highlights so you know you've selected the right one, you lift your finger off it which activates it, and you get the resulting outputs - some information, a ticket or another round of instructions and buttons. All the information could be spoken as well as written so that's not a problem. The only issue for non-sighted users is locating the buttons and knowing what they are when you press them. This could be done by tracing your finger over the screen because buttons are already selected and highlighted when a finger goes over them. All you'd need to do is have the highlighting spoken as well as shown. So as you go over each button, it's name would be spoken. You'd hear a running commentary of your finger's progress and you would stop when you get to the one you want. This is essentially the same thing that the sighted person is doing when they scan the screen with their eyes to find which button they want, except that the blind person is combining the scanning action and the button selection action. As you select each button in turn, none of them get activated because the screens only activate a button when you lift your finger off it, not when you put your finger onto it. That's the way they're designed because that allows for the highlighting feedback and correcting mistakes. Lifting the finger off would work the same for everyone. So by simply augmenting the written instructions and outputs with audio and by augmenting the highlighting with an audio reading of the button name, you've made it completely accessible without requiring sight. The only downside is that it would take longer to scan with a finger listening to the buttons as you run across them than it takes to scan with your eyes, but that's no different from the situation you have anyway with using a screen reader to scan a web page. In theory it appears to be quite easy, though I'd want to user test it before coming to any firm conclusions. It might, for example, be easy for people who aren't naturally good at feeling their way around a two dimensional surface to miss buttons completely and be unable to find them. Some people are just better at this kind of thing than others because they have better spatial awareness. You notice it with users of screen magnifiers like ZoomText. Some people always seem to miss out certain areas of the screen because they think they've explored the whole thing but they haven't. Other people are just better at systematically covering the whole area. Mark On 22 May 2008, at 23:20, Tony Sweeney wrote:Hi Tony, You might think perhaps that I am being a bit flippant but if touch screens are here to stay well could we have some audio installed to direct us around them? Difficult I'd imagine, but one never knows!! Don't like the idea of separate queues for the visually-impaired! After all some people may argue that we have had them long enough, figuratively at any rate!! Thanks Claude and keep in touch with Vics & the List. Good luck to you Tony! Tony. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tony Murray" <tony@xxxxxxxx> To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 8:55 PM Subject: [vicsireland] Re: the way of the futureHi Claude, "One way around it would be to have a specific counter for blind people." I don't like that solution at all. It certainly is not Inclusive Design. Touch screens are coming (in fact they've arrived), so let's hope there isasolution! I've just been to my new gym, sticking bump-ons all over the equipment there... Even the weight machines now have touch screens, on which you can monitor your technique! Of course, the CV machines are completely drivenbytouch screens too. Nightmare. Guess what, even the locks to secure your kit in the changing rooms are inaccessible! It would be interesting to hear what your designer friend comes back with; keep us posted. Best wishes, Tony ----- Original Message ----- From: "Claude Saulnier" <claude.saulnier@xxxxxxxxxxxx> To: <vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, May 22, 2008 4:05 PM Subject: [vicsireland] Re: the way of the future I have emailed the comments to a designer friend of mine to get a feel for ideas to see what he suggests to solve this touch screen challenge. I understand from a business point of view, the benefits of touch- screens, since it is simple to change the interface, and you have morepossibilitiesthan without, but I like the accessibility challenge. To every problemthereis a solution (I hope). Regarding the train station, the irony is that there was someone at thecounter, but no way to get to the counter since you could not get theticketto the counter, nor read it if you got someone to print it for you. Onewayaround it would be to have a specific counter for blind people. Claude -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG. Version: 7.5.524 / Virus Database: 269.23.21/1458 - Release Date:21/05/200807:21 -- I am using the free version of SPAMfighter for private users. It has removed 9053 spam emails to date. Paying users do not have this message in their emails. 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Dr. Mark Magennis Director of the Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT) National Council for the Blind of Ireland Whitworth Road, Dublin 9, Republic of Ireland www.cfit.ie mark.magennis@xxxxxxx tel: +353 (0)71 914 7464 ********************************************************************NOTICE: The information contained in this email and any attachments is confidential and may be privileged. If you are not the intended recipient you should not use, disclose, distribute or copy any of the content of it or of any attachment; you are requested to notify the sender immediately of your receipt of the email and then to delete it and any attachments from your system.
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Please note that the statements and views expressed in this email and any attachments are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of NCBI
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