Social Accessibility in Multiplayer Games: Theory and Praxis

In recent years, we have seen growing efforts towards facilitating the accessibility of games to people with disabilities. When it comes to multiplayer games, however, such efforts require not only facilitating the technical accessibility of the game (e.g., accessibility features) but also social inclusion in the game, what we refer to as social accessibility. Accessibility of multiplayer games is, hence, complex and multifaceted. While some advances have been made in terms of technical accessibility, much work is needed to facilitate social accessibility. This study had two goals 1) to propose a definition for social accessibility in multiplayer games, and 2) to present practical examples of how social accessibility can be facilitated in multiplayer games since these aspects were not showcased in the reviewed literature. The study suggests that social accessibility in multiplayer games is a combination of inclusive game design, in-game features, and social guidelines that aim to foster inclusive social structures, and multimodality in communications amongst players, while gaming or socially interacting with aspects of game culture. The study presents various in-game-features that could be used to facilitate social accessibility, such as pausing the game, co-piloting, and individualizable settings.Peer reviewe

E Pluribus Unum: Using Conceptual Metaphor Theory to Explore and Support Mixed-Ability Workplaces

Even when they are able to secure employment, people with cognitive disabilities typically encounter significant difficulties in the workplace. In this paper, we focus on Mixed-Ability workplaces: work settings in which people without disabilities and with different types of disabilities collaborate on a daily basis. The case study for our exploratory research is a university library that has been able to support a mixed-ability work setting for over four years. We describe how a theory from cognitive linguistics (Conceptual Metaphor Theory) can be used to explore the challenges that people encounter in mixed-ability workplaces, identify the cognitive processes that differ between neurotypical team leaders and workers with cognitive disabilities, and translate these findings into design recommendations for embodied technologies that support mixed-ability workplaces

UAUDG-VI : diretrizes para o design da acessibilidade, usabilidade e experiência do usuário em aplicações móveis para pessoas com deficiência visual

Orientadora: Profa. Dra. Natasha Malveira Costa ValentimDissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Exatas, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Informática. Defesa : Curitiba, 10/02/2022Inclui referênciasÁrea de concentração: Ciência da ComputaçãoResumo: Acessibilidade, Usabilidade e User eXperience (UX) são conceitos de qualidade de software que impactam diretamente na utilização de aplicações móveis por usuários que possuem alguma deficiência, como a deficiência visual. Esses três conceitos em conjunto abrangem aspectos relacionados a inclusão, à qualidade do uso das aplicações móveis e as emoções que os usuários têm quando interagem com essa aplicação. Sendo assim, a utilização destes aspectos em conjunto se torna importante para garantir a aceitação deste tipo de aplicação por Pessoas que possuem um determinado nível de Deficiência Visual. O uso de tecnologias como diretrizes, abordagens, heurísticas que integram a Acessibilidade, Usabilidade e UX durante as fases iniciais do desenvolvimento tornam-se um importante aliado para melhorar o design de aplicações móveis para as Pessoas com Deficiência Visual. Através de um Mapeamento Sistemático da Literatura (MSL) realizado nesta pesquisa, apenas uma tecnologia de design apresentou de forma unificada os conceitos de Acessibilidade, Usabilidade e UX em conjunto, de forma a auxiliar os designers. No entanto, esta tecnologia identificada possui como foco o design apenas de dispositivos híbridos (como Smart TV). Além disso, um estudo exploratório com Pessoas com Deficiência Visual utilizando diferentes aplicações foi realizado com o intuito de identificar quais problemas de Acessibilidade, Usabilidade e UX as Pessoas com Deficiência Visual enfrentam ao longo de sua interação com a aplicação móvel. A partir dos resultados do MSL e do estudo exploratório, foi proposta uma técnica chamada Usability, Accessibility and User eXperience Design Guidelines about Visual Impairment (UAUDG-VI), contendo diretrizes para auxiliar o design de aplicações móveis para Pessoas com Deficiência Visual com os conceitos de Acessibilidade, Usabilidade e UX de forma unificada. Foram realizados estudos experimentais com o propósito de analisar e avaliar a viabilidade de uso da técnica proposta, investigando se a mesma permite ou não projetar estes três conceitos de qualidade de forma conjunta durante a fase de design de aplicações móveis para Pessoas com Deficiência Visual. Os resultados indicaram que a técnica auxiliou os participantes a criarem protótipos de aplicações móveis, considerando a Acessibilidade, Usabilidade e UX para Pessoas com Deficiência Visual. Os resultados também sugerem oportunidades para aprimoramento, e avanços da técnica e próximas etapas para a integração da Acessibilidade, Usabilidade e no contexto de design de aplicações móveis.Abstract: Accessibility, Usability and User eXperience (UX) are software quality concepts that directly impact the use of mobile applications by users who have a disability, such as visual impairment. These three concepts together cover aspects related to inclusion, the quality of use of mobile applications and the emotions that users have when interacting with this application. Therefore, the use of these aspects together becomes important to guarantee the acceptance of this type of application by Visually Impaired People (VIP). The use of technologies such as guidelines, approaches, heuristics that integrate Accessibility, Usability and UX during the early stages of development becomes an important ally to improve the design of mobile applications for VIPs. Through a Systematic Mapping Study (SMS) carried out in this research, only one design technology presented in a unified way the concepts of Accessibility, Usability and UX together, in order to help designers. However, this identified technology is focused on the design of only hybrid devices (such as Smart TV). In addition, an exploratory study with VIPs using different applications was carried out in order to identify which Accessibility, Usability and UX problems the VIPs face during their interaction with the mobile application. Based on the results of the SMS and the exploratory study, a technique called Usability, Accessibility and User eXperience Design Guidelines on Visual Impairment (UAUDG-VI) was proposed, containing guidelines to help design mobile applications for VIPs with the aspects of Accessibility, Usability and UX in a unified way. Experimental studies were carried out with the purpose of analyzing and evaluating the feasibility of using the proposed technique, investigating whether or not it allows designing these three quality aspects together during the design phase of mobile applications for VIPs. The results indicated that the technique helped the participants to create prototypes of mobile applications, considering Accessibility, Usability and UX for VIPs. The results also suggest opportunities for improvement, and technical advances and next steps for the integration of Accessibility, Usability and in the context of mobile application design

The Impact of Medical Device Usability and Accessibility Information on Purchasing Decisions of People Without Disabilities

The disparity between people with and without disabilities in timely diagnosis and appropriate treatment is exacerbated by inaccessible medical devices. The industry appears reluctant to address the shortcomings or provide usability and accessibility information to enhance the purchasing decisions of people with disabilities. This reluctance is mainly caused by the lack of market motivation based on perceptions of market size and the profitability of investments in accessibility evaluation and improvement. This study aims to challenge this notion by demonstrating that usability and accessibility information do not solely benefit what may be considered a “niche market,” and the purchasing decisions of people without disabilities may also hinge on medical device usability and accessibility information. A total of 194 people without disabilities participated in this study, and their preferences in purchasing blood pressure monitors were examined through a Discrete Choice Experiment. The findings revealed that usability and accessibility information not only appeal to a broader audience than only people with disabilities but also significantly impact the likelihood of purchase for people with no disabilities. These insights have the potential to provide the additional market motivation necessary to instigate a paradigm shift in the industry, thereby curtailing the differential in health outcomes between people with and without disabilities and fostering a more equitable healthcare landscape for all

Web Content Management System and accessibility awareness: A comparative study of novice users and accessibility outcomes

Since its creation, the Web has progressively developed and become a vital source of information in every domain and for almost all people. It is crucial to guarantee that the information contained on the Web is available for everyone, especially for people with special needs. Removing accessibility barriers is fundamentally based on tools, skills and support of all contributors, particularly the content creators, to ensure information is navigable and usable in the context of the end users experience. Web Content Management Systems play a significant role in structuring, storing and provision content to the Web and have evolved to address the difficulties of manually coding web pages versus the convenience of manipulating their content without any programing skills. Web Content Management Systems have gradually evolved to contain features and functions that allow content authors to shape their content in ways that address web content accessibility expectations, though only if the content author knows how to use these features to maximum effect. This thesis explores such usage by participants deemed to be novices, in that they have limited technical skills in the context of web coding and have limited expose to Web Content Management Systems or the application/awareness of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). This research places an emphasis on the outcome of these novice users when provided with some basic training and awareness raising of WCAG principles and the use of a modern Web Content Management System. This is explored in the literature as an area of some importance as organisations with significant web presence cannot simply tell their content authors to ‘oh, and make sure it is accessible’ and hope that the end product will somehow achieve that goal without an investment in some form of accessibility education. For web managers and developers in all public sector organisations. “Make sure that all content commissioners and authors are fully trained in the importance of accessible content, and in the means that are made available for them to achieve this . (p. 58) The purpose of this research was to explore to what level the use of accessible Web Content Management System and novice users’ training impacted accessibility outcomes. This study emerged from the widespread role that Web Content Management Systems play in terms of storing and managing web content and the growing usage of these systems by experts or novices at an organisational or personal level. Through a selection process, this study identified a Web Content Management System that had a number of accessibility features, developed some training and ‘awareness raising’ materials and then asked novice users across two groups to apply what they had learned in order to develop an accessible website. The goal of the study was to ascertain if the two groups performed differently according to the training and awareness raising materials they received, and if even basic accessibility outcomes were achievable with just a few hours of training and from what was essentially an accessibility ‘cold start’. The study used a mixed methods approach encompassing three research methods; experimental method, survey method and observational method, to compare qualitative and quantitative data obtained from ‘accessibility awareness’ and ‘accessibility unaware’ participant groups. Thirty university students participated in this research and received accessibility awareness raising sessions, with additional accessibility-related examples for the accessibility awareness group. All participants undertook pre and post-tests that were designed to collect data allowing the researcher to compare the learning performance before and after the participants’ awareness session. At the end of the awareness session, the participants of both groups completed a survey which was designed to provide further data on the participant’s perception of web use and experience, the concept of web accessibility, web content accessibility guidelines, the system used, and their opinion of the accessibility awareness session. Data collected from the survey, pre and post-tests and the recording provided a holistic set of data from which the primary and supporting research questions were addressed. The results of the research indicated that the accessibility awareness group demonstrated measurably better accessibility outcomes than the unawareness group; these results being attributed to the awareness training session, participants’ searching behaviour, time spent on tasks, and effort made to implement accessible features and complete the required tasks. The participants in both groups had some prior knowledge in the use of the Web but limited or no skills in HyperText Markup Language (HTML) or the use of a Web Content Management System. While performing tasks, the participants in the awareness group attempted to apply the accessibility concepts learnt during the training session and spent more time in searching those concepts on the Web in order to provide accessible web page content. Conversely, most of the participants in the unawareness group were concerned by the “look” of the web page, rather than focusing on actual accessible content; they only mimicked the exemplar website they have been provided as an ‘end product’, but did not explore the how and why of accessible content. All the participants at the end of this study were aware of the significance of web accessibility and were favourable to consider it in any future website development they may be involved in. The outcome of the study shows that the use of accessible Web Content Management System with example-based accessibility awareness sessions can lead to improved accessibility outcomes for novice web content authors. This research strongly suggests that even small, focussed and example-based training/awareness raising session can drive an accessibility mindset in web content authors, even those with limited or no technical, accessibility or web authoring experience

A competencies framework of visual impairments for enabling shared understanding in design

Existing work in Human Computer Interaction and accessibility research has long sought to investigate the experiences of people with visual impairments in order to address their needs through technology design and integrate their participation into different stages of the design process. Yet challenges remain regarding how disabilities are framed in technology design and the extent of involvement of disabled people within it. Furthermore, accessibility is often considered a specialised job and misunderstandings or assumptions about visually impaired people’s experiences and needs occur outside dedicated fields. This thesis presents an ethnomethodology-informed design critique for supporting awareness and shared understanding of visual impairments and accessibility that centres on their experiences, abilities, and participation in early-stage design. This work is rooted in an in-depth empirical investigation of the interactional competencies that people with visual impairments exhibit through their use of technology, which informs and shapes the concept of a Competencies Framework of Visual Impairments. Although past research has established stances for considering the individual abilities of disabled people and other social and relational factors in technology design, by drawing on ethnomethodology and its interest in situated competence this thesis employs an interactional perspective to investigate the practical accomplishments of visually impaired people. Thus, this thesis frames visual impairments in terms of competencies to be considered in the design process, rather than a deficiency or problem to be fixed through technology. Accordingly, this work favours supporting awareness and reflection rather than the design of particular solutions, which are also strongly needed for advancing accessible design at large. This PhD thesis comprises two main empirical studies branched into three different investigations. The first and second investigations are based on a four-month ethnographic study with visually impaired participants examining their everyday technology practices. The third investigation comprises the design and implementation of a workshop study developed to include people with and without visual impairments in collaborative reflections about technology and accessibility. As such, each investigation informed the ones that followed, revisiting and refining concepts and design materials throughout the thesis. Although ethnomethodology is the overarching approach running through this PhD project, each investigation has a different focus of enquiry: • The first is focused on analysing participants’ technology practices and unearthing the interactional competencies enabling them. • The second is focused on analysing technology demonstrations, which were a pervasive phenomenon recorded during fieldwork, and the work of demonstrating as exhibited by visually impaired participants. • Lastly, the third investigation defines a workshop approach employing video demonstrations and a deck of reflective design cards as building blocks for enabling shared understanding among people with and without visual impairments from different technology backgrounds; that is, users, technologists, designers, and researchers. Overall, this thesis makes several contributions to audiences within and outside academia, such as the detailed accounts of some of the main technology practices of people with visual impairments and the methodological analysis of demonstrations in empirical Human Computer Interaction and accessibility research. Moreover, the main contribution lies in the conceptualisation of a Competencies Framework of Visual Impairments from the empirical analysis of interactional competencies and their practical exhibition through demonstrations, as well as the creation and use of a deck of cards that encapsulates the competencies and external elements involved in the everyday interactional accomplishments of people with visual impairments. All these contributions are lastly brought together in the implementation of the workshop approach that enabled participants to interact with and learn from each other. Thus, this thesis builds upon and advances contemporary strands of work in Human Computer Interaction that call for re-orienting how visual impairments and, overall, disabilities are framed in technology design, and ultimately for re-shaping the design practice itself

A competencies framework of visual impairments for enabling shared understanding in design

Existing work in Human Computer Interaction and accessibility research has long sought to investigate the experiences of people with visual impairments in order to address their needs through technology design and integrate their participation into different stages of the design process. Yet challenges remain regarding how disabilities are framed in technology design and the extent of involvement of disabled people within it. Furthermore, accessibility is often considered a specialised job and misunderstandings or assumptions about visually impaired people’s experiences and needs occur outside dedicated fields. This thesis presents an ethnomethodology-informed design critique for supporting awareness and shared understanding of visual impairments and accessibility that centres on their experiences, abilities, and participation in early-stage design. This work is rooted in an in-depth empirical investigation of the interactional competencies that people with visual impairments exhibit through their use of technology, which informs and shapes the concept of a Competencies Framework of Visual Impairments. Although past research has established stances for considering the individual abilities of disabled people and other social and relational factors in technology design, by drawing on ethnomethodology and its interest in situated competence this thesis employs an interactional perspective to investigate the practical accomplishments of visually impaired people. Thus, this thesis frames visual impairments in terms of competencies to be considered in the design process, rather than a deficiency or problem to be fixed through technology. Accordingly, this work favours supporting awareness and reflection rather than the design of particular solutions, which are also strongly needed for advancing accessible design at large. This PhD thesis comprises two main empirical studies branched into three different investigations. The first and second investigations are based on a four-month ethnographic study with visually impaired participants examining their everyday technology practices. The third investigation comprises the design and implementation of a workshop study developed to include people with and without visual impairments in collaborative reflections about technology and accessibility. As such, each investigation informed the ones that followed, revisiting and refining concepts and design materials throughout the thesis. Although ethnomethodology is the overarching approach running through this PhD project, each investigation has a different focus of enquiry: • The first is focused on analysing participants’ technology practices and unearthing the interactional competencies enabling them. • The second is focused on analysing technology demonstrations, which were a pervasive phenomenon recorded during fieldwork, and the work of demonstrating as exhibited by visually impaired participants. • Lastly, the third investigation defines a workshop approach employing video demonstrations and a deck of reflective design cards as building blocks for enabling shared understanding among people with and without visual impairments from different technology backgrounds; that is, users, technologists, designers, and researchers. Overall, this thesis makes several contributions to audiences within and outside academia, such as the detailed accounts of some of the main technology practices of people with visual impairments and the methodological analysis of demonstrations in empirical Human Computer Interaction and accessibility research. Moreover, the main contribution lies in the conceptualisation of a Competencies Framework of Visual Impairments from the empirical analysis of interactional competencies and their practical exhibition through demonstrations, as well as the creation and use of a deck of cards that encapsulates the competencies and external elements involved in the everyday interactional accomplishments of people with visual impairments. All these contributions are lastly brought together in the implementation of the workshop approach that enabled participants to interact with and learn from each other. Thus, this thesis builds upon and advances contemporary strands of work in Human Computer Interaction that call for re-orienting how visual impairments and, overall, disabilities are framed in technology design, and ultimately for re-shaping the design practice itself