Measuring and comparing the reliability of the structured walkthrough evaluation method with novices and experts

Effective evaluation of websites for accessibility remains problematic. Automated evaluation tools still require a significant manual element. There is also a significant expertise and evaluator effect. The Structured Walkthrough method is the translation of a manual, expert accessibility evaluation process adapted for use by novices. The method is embedded in the Accessibility Evaluation Assistant (AEA), a web accessibility knowledge management tool. Previous trials examined the pedagogical potential of the tool when incorporated into an undergraduate computing curriculum. The results of the evaluations carried out by novices yielded promising, consistent levels of validity and reliability. This paper presents the results of an empirical study that compares the reliability of accessibility evaluations produced by two groups (novices and experts). The main results of this study indicate that overall reliability of expert evaluations was 76% compared to 65% for evaluations produced by novices. The potential of the Structured Walkthrough method as a useful and viable tool for expert evaluators is also examined. Copyright 2014 ACM

Accessibility of websites of the European national tourism boards

Purpose: The aim is to find out the current state of accessibility of the websites of European national tourism boards. Furthermore, the identification of the most common errors in terms of accessibility as well as recommendations leading to their correction is aimed for. Design/methodology/approach: The study is based on methods of testing the availability of web systems. The testing included automated tools, namely AChecker and Accessibility Evaluation Tool, as well as the WCAG 2.1 checklist developed by WebAIM initiative. Findings: The research has shown a relatively high accessibility of those websites. Nevertheless, some accessibility violations have been identified that can significantly complicate the accessibility of those websites for users using various assistive devices or other alternative hardware or software means. The most commonly identified errors include: failure to use alternative text for content-relevant images, the absence of text or audio transcripts for videos shared via Youtube, missing descriptions for text form elements and missing label for search form. Practical implications: The results of the research can be used in the evaluation of web presentations at the level of tourism boards and destination management. Originality/Value: The main output of this article is the application of web testing methodology on a comprehensive set of national tourist boards.peer-reviewe

Evaluating web accessibility and usability for totally blind users at Thailand Cyber University

Thesis (Ed.D.)--Boston UniversityResearch suggests that web-based education increases opportunities for underserved populations to be integrated into educational activities (Schmetzke, 2001; Burgstahler, 2002; Opitz, Savenye, & Rowland, 2003). This may be true for students with disabilities because they have more flexibility to participate in formal education. However, Moisey (2004) found that people with disabilities had lower rates of enrollment and educational achievement than people without disabilities. These findings raise the question of whether or not web-based = education helps increase students with disabilities' access to learning opportunities and improve their learning outcome. This study investigated the degree of difficulty blind persons had in accessing and using web-based educational resources provided by Thailand Cyber University (TCU). Based on a mixed methods design, the data were collected in two phases. Quantitative data were collected first, in order to identify accessibility problems and conformance levels reported by automated web accessibility evaluation tools. Qualitative data was collected from interviews with blind participants in the second phase to expand the understanding of the accessibility problems and usability issues that were not discovered in the quantitative phase by the automated web accessibility evaluation tools. The findings indicate that all of the 13 selected web pages failed to meet a minimum requirement of WCAG 2.0. This means those selected web pages would be inaccessible for the blind. However, the findings indicate blind participants rated only one of the 13 pages as inaccessible. Moreover, their ratings of difficulty on "usability" were higher than their ratings of difficulty on "accessibility" on the same web page. On six out of 22 tasks, blind and sighted user groups agreed on the ratings. Nevertheless, the time that it took to complete each task varied greatly between the two user groups.2031-01-0

Validation Tool for E-government Portals in Malaysia Based on MAMPU Guideline

The importance of web usability in the new age of World Wide Web cannot be denied. World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) organization has come out with guideline on how the web should be to convenience of all the people including the disable. However, web usability problem still be a pressing problem. Tons of website published on the web does not comply with the W3C standard. In this new era, Government is going paperless. This is the concept of E-government. It is a concept where Government made contacts with their customers (citizens) online. With website being the main source of communication on the web and to make sure that this concept runs well, it is important that the E-Government websites are convenient to the users. Usability testing has become an important aspect of website development currently, but most of the companies do not include usability testing in their website iteration time whether because of the cost of hiring usability professional or the time just does not allow them to hold a usability testing session. Thus, come the idea of automated testing using web tools. In this study, the author will develop an automated web usability tools specifically for Malaysia’s E-government website. The rules of usability are referred to guideline created by Malaysian Administration, Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (MAMPU) an organization responsible for the modernisation of the country. The study will help the E-government portals to achieve user friendly website hence improving Malaysia’s position in Global E-Government ranking. The method use in this project is rapid programming where all small functions are developed first and at the end, the system will be combined. The result will be the website showing all the errors in usability contained in the website and it is up to the developer to fix the error and to maintain the website. Finally, this project is hoped to be the first of many other evaluation tools with greater functions ahead