Universal Usability: Designing Computer Interfaces for Diverse User Populations

Description

Universal Usability is the concept of designing computer interfaces that are easy for all users to utilize. It is a concept which many decry as elusive, impossible, or impractical, but this book, which addresses usability issues for a number of diverse user groups, proves that there is no problem in interface design that cannot be solved, or at least improved upon. Individuals with cognitive, motor, and perceptual impairments, as well as older, younger, and economically disadvantaged users, face a variety of complex challenges when interacting with computers. However, with user involvement, good design practice, and thorough testing, computer interfaces can be successfully developed for any user population.

 

This book, featuring key chapters by Human-Computer Interaction luminaries such as Jonathan Lazar, Ron Baecker, Allison Druin, Ben Shneiderman, Brad Myers and Jenny Preece, examines innovative and groundbreaking research and practice, and provides a practical overview of a number of successful projects which have addressed a need for these specific user populations. Chapters in this book address topics including age diversity, economic diversity, language diversity, visual impairment, and spinal cord injuries. Several of these trailblazing projects in the book are amongst the first to examine usability issues for users with Down Syndrome, users with Amnesia, users with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and users with Alzheimer's Disease, and coverage extends to projects where multiple categories of needs are addressed.

 

These chapters represent real-world projects, being carried out on different continents. The authors of the chapters also represent diversity—interface researchers and software developers in university, industrial, and government settings. In the practical spirit of the book, chapter authors provide guidelines and suggestions for those attempting similar projects, as well as implications for different stakeholders such as policymakers, researchers, and designers. Ideal for students of HCI and User Interface Design, and essential reading for usability practitioners, this fascinating collection of real-world projects demonstrates that computer interfaces can truly be designed to meet the needs of any category of user.

Table of Contents

Editor's Note.

Preface - Ben Shneiderman.

1. Introduction to Universal Usability - Jonathan Lazar.

2. Designing Searching and Browsing Software for Elementary-Age Children -  Hilary Hutchinson, Allison Druin & Benjamin B. Bederson.

3. The Why and How of Senior-Focused Design - Teri O'Connell.

4. Online Redesign of a Web Site's Information Architecture to Improve Accessibility for Users Who are Blind - Vanessa Evers and Hans Hillen.

5. Listening to Choropleth Maps: Interactive Sonification of Geo-Referenced Data For Users With Visual Impairment -Haixia Zhao, Ben Shneiderman & Catherine Plaisant.

6. Improving Screen Readers for Blind Users - Jonathan Lazar & Aaron Allen.

7. Web Fun Central: Online Learning Tools for Individuals with Down Syndrome - Matt Myers, Assadour Kirijian & Sylvie Charland.

8. Using Virtual Peer Technology as an Intervention for Children with Autism -
Andrea Tartaro & Justine Cassell.

9. Evidence-based computer-assisted instruction for Autism Spectrum Disorders - Christina Whalen, Brooke Ingersoll, Lars Liden & Sven Liden.

10. Making Software Accessible for Users with Dementia - Norman Alm, Richard Dye, Arlene Astell, Maggie Ellis, Gary Gowans & Jim Campbell.

11. Designing a Cognitive Aid for and with People who have Anterograde Amnesia - Mike Wu, Ron Baecker & Brian Richards.

12. Memories of a Life: A Design Case Study for Alzheimer's Disease -
Tira Cohene, Ron Baecker & Elsa Marziali, and Simona Mindy.

13.  Interaction Techniques for Users with Spinal Cord Injuries: A Speech Based Solution - Jinjuan Feng and Andrew Sears.

14. Adding Gestural Text Entry to Input Devices for People with Motor Impairments - Jacob Wobbrock & Brad A. Myers.

15. The Creating Community Connections Project: Social and Cultural Approaches for Engaging Low-Income Communities - Randal Pinkett.

16. Implementing Community-Based Participatory Research to Reduce Health and Technology Disparities Among Low Income African-American Women -
Diane Maloney-Krischmar, Eleanor Walker, David Bushnell & Sadanand Sirvastava.

17. Evaluating the Usability and Accessibility of an Online Form for Census Data Collection - Elizabeth D. Murphy, Lawrence A. Malakhoff and David A. Coon.

18.Internationalizing Greenstone: A Multi-Lingual Tool for Building Digital Libraries - David M. Nichols, Te Taka Keegan, David Bainbridge, Sally Jo Cunningham, Michael Dewship & Ian H. Witten.

19. Making Universal Access Truly Universal: Looking Towards the Future -
Jennifer Preece.

描述

通用可用性是設計易於所有使用者使用的電腦界面的概念。許多人認為這是一個難以捉摸、不可能或不切實際的概念，但這本書證明了界面設計中沒有問題是無法解決或至少改善的。認知、運動和知覺障礙的個體，以及年長、年輕和經濟弱勢的使用者，在與電腦互動時面臨各種複雜的挑戰。然而，通過使用者參與、良好的設計實踐和全面的測試，可以成功地為任何使用者群體開發電腦界面。

這本書由人機交互界的知名人士Jonathan Lazar、Ron Baecker、Allison Druin、Ben Shneiderman、Brad Myers和Jenny Preece等撰寫的重要章節，探討了創新和突破性的研究和實踐，並提供了一個成功應對這些特定使用者群體需求的項目的實際概述。本書的章節涵蓋了年齡多樣性、經濟多樣性、語言多樣性、視覺障礙和脊髓損傷等主題。本書中的一些開創性項目是首次研究使用者患有唐氏綜合症、失憶症、自閉症譜系障礙和阿茲海默症的可用性問題，並且涵蓋了同時滿足多個需求類別的項目。

這些章節代表了在不同大陸進行的實際項目。章節的作者也代表了多樣性，包括大學、工業和政府機構中的界面研究人員和軟件開發人員。在本書的實踐精神中，章節作者提供了對那些嘗試進行類似項目的指南和建議，以及對政策制定者、研究人員和設計師的影響。這本書非常適合人機交互和用戶界面設計的學生，對於可用性從業人員來說是必讀之物，這本引人入勝的實際項目集合展示了電腦界面真正可以根據任何類別的使用者需求進行設計。

目錄

編者的話。

前言 - Ben Shneiderman。

1. 通用可用性簡介 - Jonathan Lazar。

2. 為小學生設計搜索和瀏覽軟件 - Hilary Hutchinson、Allison Druin和Benjamin B. Bederson。

3. 面向老年人的設計的原因和方法 - Teri O'Connell。

4. 改善盲人使用者的網站信息架構的在線重設計 - Vanessa Evers和Hans Hillen。

5. 聆聽著色地圖：用於視覺障礙使用者的地理參考數據的交互式聲音化 - Haixia Zhao、Ben Shneiderman和Catherine Plaisant。

6. 改進盲人使用者的屏幕閱讀器 - Jonathan Lazar和Aaron Allen。

7. Web Fun Central：面向唐氏綜合症患者的在線學習工具 - Matt Myers、Assadour Kirijian和Sylvie Charland。

8. 使用虛擬尿```