Chapter 9- A New Normal in Inclusive, Usable Online Learning Experiences

The most obvious consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic in higher education has been more students accessing their classes remotely without having the technology and other resources readily available on their local campuses. Students from underrepresented groups have been disproportionately affected as a result of COVID-19, particularly students of color (Alvarez, 2020) and students with disabilities (Hill, 2020; National Center, 2020). This neglect of underrepresented groups in higher education is not unique to the pandemic, of course, and sadly is nothing new to higher education, but COVID-19 has made this problem more apparent

Examining the Usability of Content in Canvas: HTML vs. PDF

The mission statement of Utah State University (USU) includes “serving the public through learning, discovery and engagement.” In order to engage the diverse 27,932 students (Fall 2018 headcount including regional campuses), USU produces accessible content. Although accessible content is available to USU’s students, it is presented as an alternative to the original product rather than as a product itself. Thus, students must seek out this alternative, accessible content in order to engage with it. This pilot study indicates that content in Canvas should be made accessible from the beginning of its creation as is specified by the Theories of Universal Design. This pilot study researched if these Universal Design Theories are true in the context of inaccessible Portable Document Format (PDF) files vs more accessible Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) content files. The research was conducted in two parts: an online survey and a literature review. For the online survey, student participants (a pool of USU students) were shown two excerpts, one as a PDF file and the other as an HTML file, and asked a series of questions about their experience reading the two formats. The literature review discusses Theories of Universal Design, which argue that products should be designed for maximum usability regarding everyone, despite differing ability levels. In other words, products designed for people with disabilities are overall better for everyone. The results of this study indicate that HTML content is both preferred and more usable compared to PDF files and that it would be advantageous to conduct further research regarding this topic

Web Usability Guidelines for Air Force Knowledge Now Web Site

The Department of Defense Net-Centric Data Strategies number one key attribute is to ensure data is visible, available, and usable when and where needed to accelerate decision-making. The Internet provides opportunities for quick and efficient disseminating of information to the public, distributing information throughout the Air Force, and accessing information from a variety of sources. In 2002, the Air Force CIO designated the Air Force Knowledge Now (AFKN) as the center of excellence for Knowledge Management. The site is a one-stop resource, providing access to a great depth and breadth of information. This study seeks to determine how usable and accessible the web interface is to its customers. A literature review determined the usability inspection method called Heuristic Evaluation to be most favorable for this type of evaluation. The researcher conducted a case study using heuristic evaluation to determine the site usability compliance rate. A second case study using web content accessibility guidelines was then performed to determine the sites accessibility compliance rate. The study finally presented a comparative analysis of the usability and accessibility checklists to determine if any overlap occurred between the two or if one is a subset of the other. This exploratory research finds more emphasis on web usability and accessibility should be explored in the future for AFKN

Bridging the Gap: An Exploration of Visual Design Criteria Found in the "Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005" (AODA)

Information and communication technology such as World Wide Web have gradually become implanted in every aspect of individuals life such as education and training, employment, government, health care, and more. Web provides valuable resources and information for web users including people with disabilities and help them tackle several tasks that would otherwise need much more effort to be done. Accordingly, web accessibility creates a guideline with the aim of making the content of each web page available for a wider range of people with disability, has reached a new level of importance. For this importance, the government of Ontario passed a law titled the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005, in which all internet and digital services must comply with accessibility guideline by 2025. Several researchers show a gap between professional design work and technically driven accessibility design guidelines. One of the reasons for this gap is an absence of concern for visual design during the process of implementing accessibility guidelines. The aim of this paper is to bridge the existing gap between accessibility and visual design to improve the overall usability and functionality of the system. In order to achieve this, I first identify and explain the visual design related criteria of AODA guidelines, their requirements and their impact on accessibility design. Then I demonstrate my experiment with utilizing visual design elements through the implementation of visual design principles on two selected websites to create an accessible web page that is not only usable but also has an aesthetically appealing interface

Distributed Cognition as a framework for accessible design

In order to navigate the world, humans have historically made tools that allowed them to exploit their environment in ways beyond their natural physical and mental capacities. This continues to be true in the information age. Being able to use digital tools in this age affords the individual agency to influence and participate in the world and so it is critical that this capacity is equally available to all people. Current standards of accessibility attempt to create accommodations for overlooked populations in the form of guidelines, but these rely on a flawed approach to accessibility that is surface-level and lacks understanding of the populations to which it caters. However, distributed cognition offers an approach through which we can understand users through their interaction strategies with technology and through which we can understand technology as an extension of the mind. This paper explores the short-comings of current approaches to accessible design, how distributed cognition has been used to describe human-computer interactions and how this can be extended to understand accessible design. A case study of how a distributed cognition approach may transform accessible design for individuals with Autism Spectrum Condition is developed and discussed

Identification of attributes for evaluating the content of e-government websites: a systematic literature review

In the last twenty years, e-government has become a strong complement to traditional public services. This study involved a systematic literature review to select studies enabling the identification of the attributes used to evaluate how content is delivered to users. The search strategy was limited to four databases to cover egovernment multidisciplinary areas. The sources of information used were books, book chapters, conference papers, and articles in peer-reviewed journals, written in English or Portuguese, and which subjects included e-government research, published since 2000. The PRISMA statement has guided the research methodology. The lack of explanation of the role of the attributes found in the studies and the diversified terminology used, can be pointed as the main limitations of the study. On the other hand, since the interpretation was based on author past experiences and convictions, there may be a bias in the understanding of the less clear attributes with consequences on their description and the interpretation of similarities among attributes. The research resulted in the identification of 139 attributes, from which 56 are considered main attributes, and 83 similar attributes. Attributes such as quality, interface, content, information, user experience, usability, and accessibility appear as the most relevantinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The Impact of variable data print on usability in design

In a world where people see, process and remember information differently, the question arises: Is technology being used in a manner that acknowledges and addresses user differences to the fullest extent? Currently, new print technologies like Variable Data Printing (VDP) are only being used to create customized direct mailing pieces and personalized products for the purpose of marketing, sales and promotion. However, VDP introduces the ability to change data and design elements in printed documents on an individual basis, making it possible to address differences in visual and cognitive abilities, language and culture, and situational considerations. Applying this concept of customization to educational or informational documents would allow a small amount of input from a user to influence unique output (different sequences or layouts, typographic decisions and appropriate content choices) that are more relevant, usable and engaging. While using VDP as a means to explore and achieve this customization, the focus of this thesis study is not the technology, but the development of a graphic design strategy that also accommodates this customization goal to make information more accessible and usable on an individual basis

Investigation of interaction design principles, for use in the design of online galleries

This research is the culmination of a four-year investigation and analysis into the principles of Interaction Design, particularly those that are found to be most suitable when designing and developing interactive navigation systems. The research was undertaken as a Masters degree by project. The project consists of a CD containing an online gallery showcasing works of art and an accompanying exegesis. The exegesis is structured into seven chapters, which consider, analyse and define what the key characteristics of Interaction Design are, where it comes from, and how it improves the quality of interactive multimedia applications. The exegesis includes four case studies that look at how other practitioners in the digital realm have created systems for showcasing narrative or creative content online. I examine alternative artworks and how they have shaped the development of creative media. I investigate what experts in the field define as good Interaction Design and what guidelines and principles they recommend. I show how these guidelines conflict with more creative approaches and how good design and creativity can be merged to be usable and friendly to users. I also look at the history of opponents of guidelines and principles and how their contribution helps make design better. By creating the example gallery I aim to help designers working within the field of ID to understand the principles behind good design in order that they may deliver higher-quality user experiences relevant to the content they are displaying. By creating this gallery I also hope to help artists understand the principles behind good design in order that they may showcase their artworks in ways appropriate to their artwork. By designing and building an example I aim to provide a better understanding of how to construct a feature-rich application in an easy to use and understandable environment