Rakesh Babu

Blind Users Searching Digital Libraries: Types of Help-seeking Situations at the Cognitive Level

Universal access is the objective of digital library development. However, it is a challenge for blind users to search information effectively in digital libraries because of their dynamic design and multimedia collections. Serving as the preliminary study of a large scale project, this study focuses on the identification of types of help-seeking situations unique to blind users at the cognitive level. Based on the analysis of 15 blind users’ pre-questionnaires, pre-interviews, think-aloud protocols, transaction logs and post-interviews, the authors identified blind users’ typical help-seeking situations in relation to cognitive overload, comprehension and reasoning. Implications for how to design better help features for blind users to overcome these situations are also discussed.

Blind Students' Challenges in Social Media Communication: An Early Investigation of Facebook Usability for Informal Learning

Social Networking Sites (SNS) are increasingly used in academia to facilitate informal learning, knowledge co-creation, and collaborative problem-solving. Deriving these pedagogic benefits requires SNS usability for all. This paper reports results of an early investigation into SNS usability for blind students. Think-aloud observations generated verbal evidence of six participants Facebook interaction experiences. Verbal protocol analysis revealed where and how challenges arose in online social interactions. Design standards analysis identified responsible interface elements and potential remedial measures. Results show that locating Friends profile and Timeline, reading, writing, and posting messages were significantly challenging. Participants needed additional time and effort, and occasionally sighted help, to perform these basic SNS functions that are integral parts of informal learning activities. Feasible design improvements are proposed that merit further investigation. Implications for educators, learning technologists, cognitive scientists, and usability experts are discussed.

Identification of factors associated with blind users' help-seeking situations in interacting with digital libraries

A sight‐centered digital library (DL) design with complex structures and multimedia formats poses significant challenges for blind users. This study is the first attempt to investigate the top three help‐seeking situations as well as associated factors in blind users DL interactions. A mixed‐method approach was adopted for this study. Multiple methods were applied to collect data from 30 blind subjects: questionnaires, presearch interviews, think aloud protocols, transaction logs, and postsearch interviews. The paper identifies the top three help‐seeking situations, and associated factors in relation to user, system, task, and interaction. Moreover, different types of main‐level factors were tested to investigate if they are correlated to each type of top situation, and qualitative data of sublevel factors offer insight into how these factors are associated with various situations. Without a clear understanding of these situations and factors, the objective of universal access to information in DLs cannot be achieved. DL design implications are further discussed with the goal of providing system design recommendations for reducing blind users help‐seeking situations.

Haze in the digital library: design issues hampering accessibility for blind users

Purpose n n n n nThe purpose of this study is to explore design issues hampering the accessibility of digital libraries (DLs) for first-time blind users. n n n n nDesign/methodology/approach n n n n nA combination of questionnaire, pre-interview, think-aloud and post-interview methods was used to collect data on non-visual interaction experiences with American Memory Digital Collection (AMDC) from 15 blind participants. Qualitative analysis via open coding revealed recurring themes on design problems and consequent difficulties for blind users in accessing DLs. n n n n nFindings n n n n nIt was found that AMDC is not blind-friendly. Five categories of design problems were identified. Participants faced difficulty perceiving, operating and understanding content and controls needed for information retrieval. n n n n nResearch limitations/implications n n n n nThis paper does not offer a comprehensive set of design issues prevalent across DL design models, instead it focuses on design problems observed in a publicly available DL. n n n n nPractical implications n n n n nThis paper raises awareness of design choices that can unintentionally bar blind information seekers from DL access, and further suggests solutions to reduce these design problems for blind users. n n n n nOriginality/value n n n n nThe paper’s originality is its identification of unique design problems that prevent blind users from effectively interacting with DLs.

Developing Digital Library Design Guidelines to Support Blind Users

ABSTRACT This study investigates the types of help-seeking situations affecting 32 blind users in interacting with five digital libraries (DLs). Multiple methods were applied to collect data: pre-questionnaires, think aloud, transaction logs, and post-questionnaires. The paper identifies 43 types of situations under three categories of physical situations and five categories of cognitive situations. Most important, DL design guidelines are created to support blind users overcoming these situations.

Addressing barriers to engaging with marginalized communities: Advancing research on information, communication and technologies for development (ICTD)

Researchers inability to address challenges related to planning, collecting or interpreting data collected from marginalized communities is one of the main reasons for the failure of projects using information, communication and technologies for the development (ICTD) of marginalized communities. This panel consists of information science experts who have conducted research with marginalized communities like women earning less than a dollar a day in slums in India, farmers, Latino community in the Midwest, racial minorities and visually impaired population. Panelists will share various challenges that they encountered while planning, collecting and interpreting data collected from marginalized communities; they will also provide guidance, advice, lessons learned and tips for addressing the challenges encountered during data collection with marginalized communities in the developing and developed world. This panel will inform information science researchers, who work at the intersection of information technologies and social justice, for better engaging with marginalized communities.