12 designing mobile applications for all: accessible contact manager
DESCRIPTION
Mobile phones are becoming increasingly popular and are already the first access technology to information and communication. As these devices are improving with faster processors, better operating systems and other features, they are integrating more technologies and applications, such as e-mail, media player, camera, instant messenger, access to Internet, social networks, etc. However, accessibility has not been part of most of the application and system designs on these platforms. Users are reporting barriers and problems in their access and usage of the mobile devices. This situation is even more critical for the most common mobile phone applications, such as a phone dialler and contact manager or a messengering application, because they allow accessing the core and most fundamental functionality of the mobile devices. To integrate accessibility in mobile devices, it should start focusing on the main and most used applications. In this paper we present a phone dialler and contact manager application that is designed to be used by all users with disabilities. A special emphasis has been placed on users with cognitive impairments and with learning disabilities because they are usually not considered in the application designs. There are several accessibility design principles that are usually taken into account when designing accessible applications; good colour contrast, adjustable font size, search fields, limit the depth of the menus, etc. However there are two basic features that do not receive the same attention and that are basic for users with disabilities, and especially for cognitive impairment users and the elderly: personalization and multimodality. Personalization allows accommodating the application to the differences between individuals. In the case of a phone dialler and contact manager, it does not make sense to offer a user that due to his/her impairment uses the mobile device only to make calls, options of sending SMS/MMS/e-mails messages or even visiting the web site of the selected contact. Very often there are several options that users never utilise but create a lot of confusion to them. If the options that are displayed to the users are configurable, the application can be fully adapted to the user needs and be simplified to match their preferences. It can even give a user with severe cognitive impairment the only option of making a call when a contact is selected. Another basic aspect for developing accessible applications is to provide equivalent alternatives. Contact managers of conventional mobile phones usually provide the possibility of adding images to each contact as an alternative of the textual information of the contact’s name. For cognitive impairment users it would be very useful to include a second alternative via voice information. This way, when a contact is selected the application will reproduce a specific sound that could be the recorded voice of the selected contact (e.g. saying “Hi, do you want to call me”). With this approach users with cognitive impairment perceive the information of the contacts through three different and complementary ways: text, photos and voices, facilitating the users to recognize each contact with minor efforts.TRANSCRIPT
FOSS-AMASatellite event
Jon AzpirozVodafone Spain Foundation
Spain
Designing Mobile Applications for All:
Accessible Contact Manager
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event
Accessibility for mobile devices is still way behind compared to desktop computers
Difficulties integrating accessibility in a very fragmented market
Few and expensive solutions available Time urgency: Increasing number of mobile
applications (Apple App Store: Over 100,000,000 downloads in just 60 days)
Motivation, Problem area
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event
Identify the barriers in the use of mainstream ICT applications
Identify the specific Restrictions of mobile devices
Research Objectives
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Research Approach, Methodology
Identify the barriers in the use of mainstream ICTs
Specific Mobile restrictions
Design guidelines for accessible mobile applications
Example application: Contact Manager
Validation and Refinement
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
FOSS-AMASatellite event
Barriers for:◦ Visual impairment users:
Screen readers and/or screen magnifiers incompatibility with dynamic or graphical apps
Not emotional voices Lack of sufficient contrast
◦ Motor impairment users: Not able to use keyboards and/or mouse Difficulty to work with dynamic interfaces Poor quality of voice recognition
Barriers of mainstream ICTs
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Barriers for:◦ Cognitive impairment users:
Need for constant adaptation and learning Complex and overloaded menus Confusing or not standardized icons
◦ Hearing impairment users: Poor quality of sound and/or interferences Poor quality of images in video calls Lack of subtitles and sign language adaptations
◦ Speech / Communitation impairment users: Difficulties typing messages Complex menus and constant learning required
Barriers of mainstream ICTs
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Screen size◦ Very limited but increasing◦ Orientation: Square, landscape, portrait,…◦ Not standardized aspect ratio
User input◦ Not standardized. Different methods available:
T9 keypad Extended QWERTY keyboards Touch-screen virtual keyboards Voice commands
◦ Can be improved with spell checkers and predictive text
Limited Processor speed and memory available to run applications and ATs
Mobile Restrictions
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Two fundamental factors:◦ Target a mobile platform that is capable of
running ATs◦ Adaptability, personalization and customization of
mobile applications
Designing Accessible Mobile Applications
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Targeting mobile platforms that are capable of running ATs:◦ Without accessibility APIs:
Designing Accessible Mobile Applications
“Name:” label +text box
ATs should replace or chain the video driver
Off-screen model
On-screen
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Targeting mobile platforms that are capable of running ATs:◦ With accessibility APIs:
Designing Accessible Mobile Applications
Accessible slider:◦ Name: Age_slider◦ Role: Slider◦ Current Value: 30◦ Minimum Value: 0◦ Maximum Value: 100◦ Background Color:
White◦ Foreground Color: Light
Gray
ATs
User presentation
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Designing Accessible Mobile Applications
Mobile platforms with accessibility APIs: ◦ BlackBerry OS◦ Android OS◦ iPhone OS◦ (Next year) JavaFX
Mobile platforms without accessibility APIs: ◦ Symbian OS◦ Windows Mobile OS
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Designing Accessible Mobile Applications
Optimization of user experience◦ Input of information:
Design of menus Text prediction Spell-checking Short-cuts (when possible)
◦ Output of information Provide visual alternatives: text, icons, audio Make it configurable
◦ Naming and labeling Unique and meaningful names
◦ Theme support
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Designing Accessible Mobile Applications
Optimization of user experience◦ User preferences
Look and feel Font adjustment Number of options or icons
◦ Compatibility with accessibility services◦ Documentation and help menu
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Example Application
Example application: Accessible Contact Manager and Phone Dialler
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Validation and Refinement
Accessible solutions should always be validated by the end users
What do first users think about it?◦ Cognitive impaired users:
Satisfaction with the redundant information: text + image + voice
◦ Visual impaired users: Text-only vertical contact list Translate UI frequently used settings to the home page
(image and font size adjustment) Separate applications for Contact Manager and the phone
dialler◦ Motor impaired user:
Search field Scroll bar with alphabet letters shortcutsVisual impairment
users feedback
27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus
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Conclusion and outlook
Accessibility is more than providing compatibility with ATs
User needs are quite different: Adaptability and configuration are key parameters
Application design should focus on each accessibility group, looking for specific solutions
Continuous refinement and validation of the solutions should by the users is required to obtain a “design for all”