[vicsireland] Re: the way of the future

  • From: Mark Magennis <Mark.magennis@xxxxxxx>
  • To: vicsireland@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
  • Date: Fri, 23 May 2008 11:51:37 +0100

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 thus
triggering 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 diamond
pattern  or god knows what).

During this process you lift your finger for just the tiniest instant and
you are gone on to another  menu,  and you then have to repeat the
wholeprocess again in order to find the cancel or back button (assuming
there 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 of
the 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 always
remain.

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 the
current 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 future


Hi 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 is
a
solution!

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
driven
by
touch 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 more
possibilities
than without, but I like the accessibility challenge. To every
problem
there
is a solution (I hope).

Regarding the train station, the irony is that there was someone at
the
counter, but no way to get to the counter since you could not get the
ticket
to the counter, nor read it if you got someone to print it for you.
One
way
around 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:
21/05/2008
07:21



--
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.
Get the free SPAMfighter here: http://www.spamfighter.com/len







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.

NCBI endeavours to ensure that emails and any attachments generated
by its staff are free from viruses or other contaminants.  However,
it cannot accept any responsibility for any such which are
transmitted.  We therefore recommend you scan all attachments.

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


********************************************************************









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.

NCBI endeavours to ensure that emails and any attachments generated by its staff are free from viruses or other contaminants. However, it cannot accept any responsibility for any such which are transmitted. We therefore recommend you scan all attachments.

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


********************************************************************




Other related posts: