Evelyn Eika

Authoring WCAG2.0-Compliant Texts for the Web Through Text Readability Visualization

Texts on the web need to be readable in order to be accessible to a wide audience. WCAG2.0 states that tests should not exceed the reading level of upper secondary education. Several readability measures have been proposed over the last century. However, these measures give an accumulated measure of the text and do not help pinpoint specific problems in the text. This paper proposes a text visualization approach that emphasizes readability issues in texts. The texts are visualized in the textual domain. The intention of the visualization approach is to draw the attention of the author towards the aspects of the text that potentially are hard to read, allowing the author to revise the text and consequently making the text more readable.

Assessing the Reading Level of Web Texts for WCAG2.0 Compliance—Can It Be Done Automatically?

Readability of text on the web is a key prerequisite for achieving universal accessibility. The World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Content Accessibility Guidelines state that general text should not require reading levels more advanced than lower secondary education. The subsequent research into readability on the web is limited. However, the literature on measuring readability and reading level is vast, but limited to simple measures of sentence length and word difficulty. This study explores the value of using other features that are harder to acquire manually, but are now readily available through computer technology. Our results indicate that the proposed features are not as accurate predictors to readability as the classic measurements. There may thus be some way to go before we have reliable automatic means of assessing texts on the web for readability.

Head-Mounted Augmented Reality Displays on the Cheap: A DIY Approach to Sketching and Prototyping Low-Vision Assistive Technologies

Several wearable augmented reality devices have emerged in recent years. Although these devices target users with 20/20 vision, they have also been explored as low vision aids. However, such devices are still relatively inaccessible and expensive. This study explores one of the inexpensive commercial head-mounted see-through display, google cardboard, and a simple homemade wearable augmented reality display. The experimentation reveals that, although not perfect, the homemade device built using a smartphone and common household scrap items is the most promising platform for experimenting with visual aids.

A Simple MVC-Framework for Local Management of Online Course Material

Managing online materials for large classes can be time-consuming and error prone. In particular, it can be challenging to manage long lists of students, lecture progress, and auditorium schedules as these often change on a daily basis. We therefore introduce a simple Model-View-Controller (MVC) framework implemented in Excel that can help teachers handle daily tasks more efficiently. Examples include how to generate lecture plans, student presentation schedules, and peer-review plans for students. The authors have successfully used the system for more than five years in several courses. The framework simplifies the task of reusing material from one teaching semester to another. Teachers only need to focus on the content and not the visual appearance.

Multi-switch Scanning Keyboards: A Theoretical Study of Simultaneous Parallel Scans with QWERTY Layout

Scanning keyboards can be useful aids for individuals with reduced motor function. However, scanning input techniques are known for being very slow to use because they require waiting for the right cell to be highlighted during each character input cycle. This study explores the idea of parallel scanning keyboards controlled with multiple switches and their theoretical effects on performance. The designs explored assume that the keyboard layouts are familiar to users and that the mapping between the switches and the keyboards are natural and direct. The results show that the theoretical performance increases linearly with the number of switches used. Future work should perform user tests with parallel scans to assess the practicality of this approach.

Towards a Framework for the Design of Quantitative Experiments: Human-Computer Interaction and Accessibility Research

Many students and researchers struggle with the design and analysis of empirical experiments. Such issue may be caused by lack of knowledge about inferential statistics and suitable software tools. Often, students and researchers conduct experiments without having a complete plan for the entire lifecycle of the process. Difficulties associated with the statistical analysis are often ignored. Consequently, one may end up with data that cannot be easily analyzed. This paper discusses the concept sketch of a framework that intends to help students and researchers to design correct empirical experiments by making sound design decisions early in the research process. The framework consists of an IDE, i.e., Integrated (statistical experiment) Development Environment. This IDE helps the user structures an experiment by giving continuous feedback drawing the experimenter’s attention towards potential problems. The output of the IDE is an experimental structure and data format that can be imported to common statistical packages such as JASP in addition to providing guidance about what tests to use.

Hostage of the Software: Experiences in Teaching Inferential Statistics to Undergraduate Human-Computer Interaction Students and a Survey of the Literature

Students’ knowledge of inferential statistics is lacking in many computer science study programs. Yet, the needs for inferential statistical skills have emerged with new fields of study such as human-computer interaction involving observation of human activity. This paper presents experiences teaching inferential statistics to undergraduate computer science students with a focus on the actual goals of the investigations and not the mechanisms and mathematics of statistics. The teaching framework involves teaching statistics as a set of systematic black-box tools.

Statistics-IDE: Supporting the Design of Empirical Experiments for Non-experts During Early Stages of Research Projects

Empirical experimentation and inferential statistics are often perceived as challenging among students and researchers. Yet, empirical experiments are highly relevant and appropriate methods in several areas of ergonomics and human computer interaction. This paper argues that the traditional research proposal written in prose is an ineffective mechanism for ensuring sound experiments. This paper discusses the idea of tool-based support for the design of quantitative experiments. The objective of an experimental design tool is to help the experimenter make correct and wise decisions early in the process by providing feedback on ideas at early stages. We discuss the benefits of the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) paradigm as a platform for designing quantitative experiments.

Reducing Scanning Keyboard Input Errors with Extended Start Dwell-Time

Some individuals with reduced motor function rely on scanning keyboards to operate computers. A problem observed with scanning keyboards is that errors typically occur during the first group or first cell of a group. This paper proposes to reduce such errors by introducing longer dwell-times for the first element in scan sequences. The paper theoretically explores several designs and evaluates their effect on overall text entry performance.

Modelling 3D Objects Using 2D Sketches Through Radial Renderings of Curvature Maps

Modelling 3D objects is challenging; often special software skills are required. This paper explores a new method for experimenting with 3D modelling using two-dimensional drawings. These drawings use coloured areas to dictate the rate of curvature. The curvature images are rendered in a radial manner from the centre to the sides. The method allows complex 3D shapes to be modelled. There is no need to employ any new software program as any arbitrary 2D painting application can be used to sketch objects.