Evaluating the Advantages of Braille Display Technology in Software Development

Presenter Information

Flint Million, Minnesota State University Mankato

Location

CSU 202

Start Date

18-4-2016 1:05 PM

End Date

18-4-2016 2:05 PM

Student's Major

Computer Information Science

Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Mentor's Name

Guarionex Salivia

Mentor's Department

Computer Information Science

Mentor's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Description

People who are blind or have visual impairments face unique challenges as software developers. Screen reading technology is often unable to represent properly the complex and dynamic nature of modern application interfaces. To help alleviate this problem, a developer may choose to use electronic, refreshable Braille displays in addition to screen readers, which provide access to user interfaces in Braille. We explore the use of a combination of both speech and Braille interfaces as opposed to a screen reader only interface, to improve the performance and user experience of visually impaired individuals while performing common entry-level software development tasks. A single-subject longitudinal study shows gains in performance and improved user experience for the participant.