Accessible collaborative writing for persons who are blind

Abstract

In order to establish the current state of the accessibility and the usability of collaborative technologies, a literature review, several focus group studies and field studies were conducted. The collaborative technologies examined were email, Chat, group calendars, and collaborative writing. As a result of these examinations, collaborative technologies were determined to be inaccessible and unusable, often leading to end-user frustration and discontinued use of the technology. The participants of the focus group studies and field studies reported that collaborative writing was necessary on a daily basis, but was inaccessible and unusable. Therefore, as a consequence of the accessibility and usability issues found with collaborative writing applications, a proposed accessible and usable Microsoft Word Add-In prototype was developed for Microsoft Word. The interface design included such features as a context-sensitive menu and hot-keys for easy access and use. Utilizing an iterative design approach, the prototype was examined in two rounds of usability study with participants' suggested improvements included in-between each round. The resulting prototype was considered easy to learn and use, clear and understandable, improved the participants' performance, and would be utilized by the participants on a regular basis to do similar tasks.