Accommodating Human Diversity

1
Accommodating Human Diversity

• Laura Leventhal
• Bowling Green State University

2
Reference

• Chapter 15

3
Introduction

• Contemporary usability engineers confront a
  significant challenge designing for diverse user
  groups and supporting universal usability.
• Diversity may arise from gender, culture, age,
  ethnicity and/or physical ability.
• Examples include
• multilingual/international interfaces
• Interfaces to support globalization
• interfaces for children or older users
• culturally diverse interfaces
• interfaces for users with physical or mental
  restrictions
• Interfaces for users whose physical, mental or
  social situation is dynamic
• Interfaces for users with slow connections, low
  bandwidth or other restrictions imposed by the
  situation (e.g. driving and using the internet)
• Designing multiple interfaces for multiple user
  groups adds to the cost of interface design BUT
  can greatly improve the usability especially for
  underserved groups.
• Interface designers need to know when it is
  appropriate to design multiple interfaces, what
  characteristics are relevant and important to
  different groups, how to identify those
  characteristics, what the rules are and what
  tools are available.

4
Universal Usability

• Shneiderman (2000, p. 85) defines universal
  usability as ...having more than 90 of all
  households as successful users of information and
  communications services at least once a week.

5
Why is UU important?

• It is in our code of Ethics
• In a fair society, all individuals would have
  equal opportunity to participate in, or benefit
  from, the use of computer resources regardless of
  race, sex, religion, age, disability, national
  origin or other such similar factors. (from the
  ACM Code of Ethics, Section 1.4 Be fair and take
  action not to discriminate. lthttp//www.acm.org/co
  nstitution/code.htmlgt

6
Why is UU important?

• Its the Law
• Section 508 - Workforce Workforce Investment Act
  1998
• Includes a set of specific standards to enhance
  accessibility for everyone. The standards
  address software, computers and electronic office
  equipment.
• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990- ADA
• The act specifically prohibits discrimination in
  employment and job training, commercial
  infrastructure, transportation and other
  facilities and services involving individuals
  with disabilities.

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Why is UU important?

• Market pressures
• For example, older users are a fast growing
  market for computing technologies and
  internet-delivered information.
• Hanson (2001)
• "...Recent evidence indicates that elderly
  citizens constitute the fastest growing
  demographic group of Internet users..." (p.14)
• Garthwaite, T. (2001)
• "...It is very clear that between 2010 and 2030,
  the rate of growth of the elderly population will
  be exponential..."

8
Why is Universal Usability often overlooked?

• Not seen as cost-effective.
• Perceived as an expensive add-on
• Lack of awareness by developers.
• Developers using themselves as standards
• Failure to practice user-centered design.

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What is a UI designer to do?

• Where does one go for guidance?
• W3C WCAG guidelines and Section 508 guidelines
  offer guidelines for web development.
• Other guidelines, see handout.
• What is characteristic of guidelines?
• Emphasize the separation of content from
  presentation.
• Idea is that individuals can tailor interaction
  to their own needs

10
What tools are available?

• Static Analyzers
• Bobby
• Lift Online
• Development Tools
• Lift Online for Dreamweaver
• Other tools allow you to see a simulation of your
  website as if if was in another browser or was
  being viewed in a different mode.
• W3C Offers a website for a tools list.

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Benefits of UU

• Version 1.0 Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
  (WCAG 1.0) - 1999 identifies usage situations in
  which access may be limited and improved
• users with disabilities.
• users who do not have a keyboard or mouse.
• users with a text-only screen or a slow Internet
  connection.
• users who do not speak or read the presentation
  language fluently.
• users in a situation where their hands or eyes
  are busy.
• users with an older browser.