Skip to main content

Designing Accessible Course Registration for Users with Visual Impairments

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
  • 1538 Accesses

Part of the book series: Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing ((AISC,volume 486))

Abstract

Visually impaired (VI) and blind users use accessibility features like type-to-speech software or Zoom Text, to navigate the internet. Accessibility features do not compensate for fundamental browsing experiences of understanding visual and informational hierarchy, skipping around, or skimming sections, leading to cognitive burden on the user. Despite growing interest in accessibility research, many websites are difficult for blind and VI users to navigate. With number of students in universities increasing, key processes, such as registration, have become web-based. Over 500,000 blind and VI students are enrolled in universities so it’s imperative that they be able to register for classes efficiently and independently. The goal of this study is to improve the experience of adding, dropping, and changing grading format of classes, for blind and VI users. The new design will be tested against the existing one for usability, accessibility, and ease of use.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Buying options

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  1. National Federation of the Blind.: Blindness statistics. September 2015 [cited 1 Nov 2015]; Statistical Facts about Blindness in the United States]

    Google Scholar 

  2. Sue, S.: Test distance vision using a Snellen chart. Commun. Eye Health J. 20(63)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bailey, I.L., Lovie, J.E.: The design and use of a new near-vision chart. Optom. Vis. Sci. 57(6), 378–387 (1980)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Group, E.T.D.R.S.R.: Early photocoagulation for diabetic retinopathy: ETDRS report number 9. Ophthalmology 98(5), 766–785 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  5. Chris Danielson, M.M.: A guide to visual disabilities: how colleges help visually impaired students succeed, 1 Sept 2015. Available from http://www.affordablecollegesonline.org/colleges-helping-visually-impaired-students/

  6. Paisios, N.: Mobile accessibility tools for the visually impaired. Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  7. Mankoff, J., Fait, H., Tran, T.: Is your web page accessible? A comparative study of methods for assessing web page accessibility for the blind. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  8. Babu, R., Singh, R.: Evaluation of web accessibility and usability from blind user’s perspective: the context of online assessment. In: AMCIS 2009 Proceedings, p. 623 (2009)

    Google Scholar 

  9. Herrman, J.: Giz explains: how blind people see the internet. 2010 August 24, 2010; Available from www.gizmodo.com/5620079/giz-explains-how-blind-people-see-the-internet

  10. Di Blas, N., Paolini, P., Speroni, M.: Usable accessibility to the web for blind users. In: Proceedings of 8th ERCIM Workshop: User Interfaces for All, Vienna, Citeseer (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  11. Sullivan, T., Matson, R.: Barriers to use: usability and content accessibility on the web’s most popular sites. In: Proceedings on the 2000 Conference on Universal Usability. ACM (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Takagi, H., et al.: Accessibility designer: visualizing usability for the blind. In: ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing. ACM (2004)

    Google Scholar 

  13. Register, O.: Electronic code of federal regulations. 2014 September 14, 2015 September 10, 2015]; Available from http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?node=pt36.3.1194&rgn=div5

  14. Robin, B.R., McNeil, S.G.: Creating a course-based web site in a university environment. Comput. Geosci. 23(5), 563–572 (1997)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  15. Raue, K., Lewis, L.: Students with disabilities at degree-granting postsecondary institutions. First Look. NCES 2011-018. National Center for Education Statistics (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  16. Joynt, M.: Data for visually impaired students. In: Saboo, P. (ed.) (2015)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Home, H.C.: Use of Braille Displays. RNIB Centre for Accessible Information, Birmingham (2011)

    Google Scholar 

  18. Joey. G.: Advantages and disadvantages of using a screen reader instead of braille. Blind Street (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  19. Anderson Fran Mary, M.S., Current technology solutions for students who are blind/visually impaired. Blind and Visually Impaired Student Fund (BVIS), Oregon

    Google Scholar 

  20. Sánchez Sierra, J., de Togores, J.S.R.: Designing mobile apps for visually impaired and blind users, p. 6

    Google Scholar 

  21. Hassenzahl, M., Tractinsky, N.: User experienceA research agenda. Behav. Inf. Technol. 25(2), 91–97 (2006)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Koskinen, I., Battarbee, K., Mattelmäki, T.: Empathic Design. IT Press, New York (2003)

    Google Scholar 

  23. Albert, W., Tullis, T.: Measuring the user experience: collecting, analyzing, and presenting usability metrics. Elsevier Science, London (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  24. Standardization, I.O.F., ISO 9241-11.: 1998: ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs)—part 11: guidance on usability. International Organization for Standardization (1998)

    Google Scholar 

  25. Ben Caldwell, M.C.: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), 2.0, Loretta Guarino Reid, Gregg Vanderheiden (2008)

    Google Scholar 

  26. Nielsen, J.: Ten usability heuristics. (2005). http://www.nngroup.com/articles/ten-usability-heuristics/(acc-essed December 19, 2013)

  27. Nielsen, J.: Enhancing the explanatory power of usability heuristics. In: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems. ACM (1994)

    Google Scholar 

  28. Berkun, S.: The human factor in user interface design (2000)

    Google Scholar 

  29. de Souza, E.R., de Freitas, S.F.: Dosvox usability: recommendations for improving interaction of blind people with the web using the system. Work 41(Suppl 1), 3443–3448 (2012)

    Google Scholar 

  30. Dumas, J.S., Redish, J.: A practical guide to usability testing. Intellect Books, Glasgow (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  31. Lund, A.M.: Measuring usability with the USE questionnaire. STC Usability SIG Newslett. 8(2) (2001)

    Google Scholar 

  32. Corporation, T.: Morae 3. Morae 1995–2015 [cited 29 Feb 2016]

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tanaya Joshi .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this paper

Cite this paper

Joshi, T., Choi, Y.M. (2017). Designing Accessible Course Registration for Users with Visual Impairments. In: Soares, M., Falcão, C., Ahram, T. (eds) Advances in Ergonomics Modeling, Usability & Special Populations. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing, vol 486. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41685-4_43

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-41685-4_43

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-41684-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-41685-4

  • eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics