web accessibility for older users: a southern argentinean view

Web Accessibility for Older Users: A Southern Argen8nean View

!

Viviana Saldaño1, Adriana Mar8n1,2, Gabriela Gaetán1, Diego Vilte1 1GIFIS Research Group, National University of Patagonia Austral (UNPA), Santa Cruz, Southern Patagonia, Argentina 2GIISCo Research Group, National University of Comahue (UNComa), Neuquén, Northern Patagonia, Argentina

emails: { vivianas / amartin / ggaetan} @uaco,unpa.edu.ar ; [email protected]

… the computer ask me to close the window… but, how does it know that I have the window of my dining open?

Older Popula8on Evolu8on •  Popula8on ageing is unprecedented, without parallel in human history, and the twenty-‐first century will witness even more rapid ageing than did the century just past.

Popula8on aged 60 or over: world and development regions, 1950-‐2050

Context and Motivation

Older Popula8on Evolu8on •  Popula8on ageing is pervasive, a global phenomenon affec8ng every man, woman and child.

Propor8on of popula8on aged 60 or over: world and development regions, 1950-‐2050


Older Adults Characteriza8on •  Popula8on ageing has profound implica8ons for many facets of human life.

ABILITY IMPACT DIFFICULTIES

VISION

Screen Keyboard

1.  Decreasing ability to focus on near tasks 2.  Changing color perception and sensitivity 3.  Pupil shrinkage and decreasing contrast

sensitivity

HEARING Audio

Multimedia

1.  Increasing inability to hear higher-pitched sounds

MOTOR SKILLS Mouse

Keyboard

1.  Slowness of movement, trembling

COGNITIVE

Overall Web Use

1.  Short term memory problems, concentration difficulties, distraction, change blindness

FUNCTIONAL IMPAIRMENTS AFFECTING OLDER WEB USERS


Standards and Guidelines

World Wide Web Consor8um (W3C)

Web Accessibility Ini8a8ve (WAI)

•  Guidelines: ATAG, UAAG, WCAG

WAI-‐AGE Project: Ageing Educa,on and

Harmoniza,on

Background

DIFFICULTY WCAG 2.0 GUIDELINE

1.  Decreasing ability to focus on near tasks 1.4

2.  Changing color perception and sensitivity 1.4

3.  Pupil shrinkage and decreasing contrast sensitivity 1.4

4.  Increasing inability to hear higher-pitched sounds 1.2 – 1.4

5.  Slowness of movement, trembling 2.1 – 2.2


2.2 – 2.4 – 3.2 – 3.3

OLDER WEB USERS DIFFICULTIES AND CORRESPONDING WCAG 2.0 GUIDELINES

Background


DIFFICULTY WCAG 2.0 GUIDELINE

1.  Decreasing ability to focus on near tasks 1.4

2.  Changing color perception and sensitivity 1.4

3.  Pupil shrinkage and decreasing contrast sensitivity 1.4

4.  Increasing inability to hear higher-pitched sounds 1.2 – 1.4

5.  Slowness of movement, trembling 2.1 – 2.2


2.2 – 2.4 – 3.2 – 3.3

OLDER WEB USERS DIFFICULTIES AND CORRESPONDING WCAG 2.0 GUIDELINES

Background


Guideline 2.2 Enough Time: Provide users enough 8me to read and use content.

Guideline 2.4 Navigable: Provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are.

Guideline 3.2 Predictable: Make Web pages appear and operate in predictable ways.

Guideline 3.3 Input Assistance: Help users avoid and correct mistakes.

Older Users’ Experience in Patagonia •  We are here…

Our Proposal

Older Users’ Experience in Patagonia •  Our Experiment… – Par8cipants – Materials – Procedure – Tasks •  Read an email •  Reply an email • Write a new email •  Delete an email •  Close user session

Our Proposal

Older Users’ Experience in Patagonia Problems found…

1) Adver8sements 2) Visual presenta8on difficul8es 3) Not understandable buaons

Our Proposal

Older Users’ Experience in Patagonia

How we solved… 1)  Adver8sements

GreaseMonkey Script: CleanUp 1.1

2)  Visual presenta8on difficul8es Solu8ons provided by the Opera8ng System

3)  Not understandable buaons We develop a Script: Oldie 1.0

Our Proposal

Older Users’ Experience in Patagonia How we solved…

Our Proposal


Results comparison…

TASK COUPLES ERROR RATIO a) Read an email 0/9

b) Reply an email 6/9 c) Write a new email 0/9

d) Delete an email 2/9

e) Close user session 8/9

Task Id Task Description Couples Error Ratio

a) Read an email 0/7

b) Reply an email 1/7

c) Write a new email 0/7



Discussion of Results














remains the same …














Improves a liKle …














Oldie 1.0 made a

Good Job!


Conclusions and Future Work

• Certain needs were detected while teaching computing courses to our seniors We gained experience to develop our proposal and to test it on the field …

• The proposed UI helped improving the performance of our seniors We provided a comfortable way to use Yahoo email, so our seniors can feel more confident when interac7ng with the applica7on …

• These solutions (existing and ours) do not cover all needs and they are not usable enough for elderly Web users, since require assistance to configure (or install) the appropriate add-ons

So, many elderly ci7zens miss the chance to relax and enjoy using the Web …


• We have to increase quality of life of our Patagonian seniors, avoiding hesitation and frustration

We are going to con,nue our work (applying a pragma,c research approach + an itera,ve incremental process) to develop a tool that includes all the adapta,ons and provides help to elderly Web users

Conclusions and Future Work

• Because the geographical location and extreme weather conditions, our seniors have limitations to enjoy outdoor activities and require ways to stay connected with their families and friends

We are going to con,nue exploring difficul,es experienced by our seniors with other Web applica,ons, like as social networks, to find appropriate solu,ons.

An accessible Web can help to grant our seniors one of their main wishes: “independence”

Thanks for your attention!

!

Viviana Saldaño, Adriana Mar8n, Gabriela Gaetán, Diego Vilte

GIFIS Research Group, National University of Patagonia Austral (UNPA), Santa Cruz, Southern Patagonia, Argentina emails: { vivianas / amartin / ggaetan}@uaco.unpa.edu.ar; [email protected]

… luckily, my granddaughter sent us her birthday

invitation via facebook!

web accessibility for older users: a southern argentinean view

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