Brianna J. Tomlinson

Exploring Auditory Graphing Software in the Classroom: The Effect of Auditory Graphs on the Classroom Environment

Students who are visually impaired make up a population with unique needs for learning. Some tools have been developed to support these needs in the classroom. One such tool, the Graph and Number line Input and Exploration software (GNIE), was developed by the Georgia Institute of Technology Sonification Lab. GNIE was deployed for use in a middle school math classroom at the Georgia Academy for the Blind (GAB) for 2 years starting in fall 2012. We interviewed the middle school math teacher throughout the deployment to learn about the challenges faced when teaching: lesson planning, execution, and review. We also observed how these changed when using GNIE compared to traditional teaching materials. During these 2 years, we conducted interviews and focus groups with students to learn about their attitudes toward tactile graphs compared to auditory graphs. With these in mind, we present lessons learned from the use of GNIE in a real-world classroom and implications for design of software to aid graphical learning for students with vision impairments.

BUZZ: An Auditory Interface User Experience Scale

Auditory user interfaces (AUIs) have been developed to support data exploration, increase engagement with arts and entertainment, and provide an alternative to visual interfaces. Standard measures of usability such as the SUS [4] and UMUX [8] can help with comparing baseline usability and user experience (UX), but the overly general nature of the questions can be confusing to users and can present problems in interpretation of the measures when evaluating an AUI. We present an efficient and effective alternative: an 11-item Auditory Interface UX Scale (BUZZ), designed to evaluate interpretation, meaning, and enjoyment of an AUI.

Design and Evaluation of a Multimodal Science Simulation

We present a multimodal science simulation, including visual and auditory (descriptions, sound effects, and sonifications) display. The design of each modality is described, as well as evaluation with learners with and without visual impairments. We conclude with challenges and opportunities at the intersection of multiple modalities.

Universal Design of Mobile Apps: Making Weather Information Accessible

Mobile weather apps are just one class of products that ought to be developed under a Universal Design rubric. However, despite the large number of mobile weather apps available, most have not been developed from the ground up to be more universally accessible. This paper discusses a universally designed weather app that demonstrates how effective universal design can be for a commonly used service.