An empirical investigation of the situationally-induced impairments experienced by blind mobile device users

Thumbnail Image

Files

W4A2016.pdf (194.93 KB)

Links to Files

https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2899475.2899482

Permanent Link

https://doi.org/10.1145/2899475.2899482
 http://hdl.handle.net/11603/19889

Collections

UMBC Information Systems Department
UMBC Faculty Collection

Author/Creator

Author/Creator ORCID

Date

2016-04

Type of Work

conference papers and proceeding preprints
Text

Department

Program

Citation of Original Publication

Abdolrahmani, Ali; Kuber, Ravi; Hurst, Amy; An empirical investigation of the situationally-induced impairments experienced by blind mobile device users; W4A '16: Proceedings of the 13th Web for All Conference, April 2016, Article No.: 21, Pages 1–8; https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/2899475.2899482

Rights

This item is likely protected under Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Unless on a Creative Commons license, for uses protected by Copyright Law, contact the copyright holder or the author.
© 2016 ACM

Subjects

Abstract

In this paper, we describe a study specifically focusing on the situationally-induced impairments and disabilities (SIIDs) which individuals who are blind encounter when interacting with mobile devices. We conducted semi-structured interviews with eight legally-blind participants, and presented them with three scenarios to inspire discussion relating to SIIDs. Nine main themes emerged from analysis of the participant interviews, including the challenges faced when using a mobile device one-handed while using a cane to detect obstacles along the intended path, the impact of using a mobile device under inhospitable conditions, and concerns associated with using a mobile device in environments where privacy and safety may be compromised (e.g. when using public transport). These were found to reduce the quality of the subjective interaction experience, and in some cases limiting use of mobile technologies in public venues. Insights from our research can be used to guide the design of future mobile interfaces to better meet the needs of users whose needs are often excluded from the design process.