10 an approximation simulator for designing and developing accessible java swing applications
DESCRIPTION
Failure to determine the requirements for accessibility support in rich Internet applications (RIA), and to verify that such support meets the needs of people with disabilities will result in the continued poor or non-existent levels of access for these applications. Developers and designers face a real challenge when implementing software that has to cope with a lot of interaction situations, as well as specific directives for ensuring an accessible interaction. In this paper we propose an approximation simulator for JavaTM Swing applications. The proposed tool will assist developers and designers to explore user-centred design and incorporate important accessibility features for their JavaTM Swing software implementations.TRANSCRIPT
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Dr. Dimitrios TzovarasInformatics and Telematics Institute
Centre for Research and Technology Hellas Greece
An Approximation Simulator for Designing and Developing Accessible
Java Swing Applications
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Introduction
Implemented Impairments
Approximation Simulator
Conclusions and future work
Demo
Overview
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event Introduction
ICT based products are used by older people or people with disabilities
Non-accessible software applications cause productivity losses
Lack of accessibility support tools for developers lead to non fully usable applications by design
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event Introduction
Tools for Web accessibility assessment◦ aDesigner◦ Color Doctor◦ Visual Impairment Simulator for Microsoft Windows◦ Vischeck◦ WebAIM low vision simulator◦ Cambridge University vision impairment simulator
Tools for Java Swing accessibility assessment◦ Sun Java Accessibility Utilities◦ Sun Java Accessibility Helper
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Existing development tools give little assistance or make it impossible to design and develop accessible ICT Java solutions
Approximation Simulator can be used for achieving accessibility design for developing Java Swing applications
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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The tool approximately simulates the difficulties someone with vision or other disabilities face when interacting with Java Swing Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)
Through the tool the developer is alerted for any accessibility errors/warnings the implemented GUI may have
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Implemented Impairments
Cataract◦ Affecting approximately 18 million of the world
population
Macular degeneration◦ Affecting approximately 9% of the world population
Glaucoma◦ Affecting approximately 10% of the world
population
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Implemented Impairments
Uncorrected refractive errors◦ Affecting approximately 153 million world-widely
Night blindness◦ Affecting approximately 1% of preschool-age
children and 8% of pregnant women world-widely
Color blindness◦ Affecting approximately 8.5% of male and 0.5% of
female of the world population
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Implemented Impairments
Retinitis pigmentosa
Parkinson’s disease
Extreme light sensitivity
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event Approximation
Simulator
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event Approximation
Simulator
The tool gives useful information on any GUI component with possible accessibility problems
The tool inherits the Look and Feel (L&F) that was set to the application by the developer
The tool can adapt to the high contrast appearance scheme as well as the mouse pointer scheme set by the developer
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event Approximation
Simulator Windows L&F, “High contrast white”, “Windows Standard (extra large)”
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event Approximation
Simulator Two Netbeans IDE plugins have been implemented
as an extension of the approximation simulator◦ DIAS Preview plugin
provides a visual design preview feature that allows developers and designers to realize how their implemented GUI forms are being displayed
presents all the detected accessibility errors and warnings of the simulated GUI form
presents appropriate description of the potential problems as well as specific guidelines and recommendations on how to solve the detected problems
◦ DIAS Run plugin gives the ability to execute and run in real time a Java
Swing applications and verify if the included functionalities and components contain any accessibility constraint
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Conclusions and future work
The approximation simulator would assist developers, throughout the phases of the whole development process, in creating accessible Java Swing GUI applications
Improve approximation simulator capabilities ◦ Enhance the simulation outcome◦ Support more impairments◦ Cover more impairments with information and
recommendations about problematic GUI components
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Demo