Universal and inclusive design Human Computer Interaction

1
Universal and inclusive design Human Computer
Interaction

• New technology and products have the potential
  to improve quality of life.
• However, unless technology is made available to
  everyone it also has the opportunity to
  alienate.
• As many products are designed to appeal to
  younger people, the lucrative older market sector
  is being ignored and large sections of the
  population are being excluded.
• The global ageing population is growing
  inexorably.
• Hence, there is an urgent need for design
  methods, based on a better understanding of age
  and ability related factors, which will lead to a
  minimising of the impact of impairments and
  thereby extend quality life.

2
Driving forces Human Computer Interaction

• A number of forces are being exerted on designers
  to adopt conventions of universal or inclusive
  design other phrases used include design for
  all, or accessible design.
• These forces are (largely)-
• Market pull e.g. Population ageing
• Technology push e.g. Mobile technology
• Legislation e.g. Disability Discrimination
  legislation.
• The UKs Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)
  (1995)and the USs Section 508 both now require
  that software be accessible. Additionally, ISO
  Guide 71 gives advice to developers on addressing
  the needs of older persons and persons with
  disabilities whilst ISO 20282 addresses ease of
  operation of everyday products.

3
Inclusive design Human Computer Interaction

• All this means that we should be developing
  technologies and interfaces which are, as a
  matter of course, inclusive.
• The British Standards Institute has a definition
  for inclusive design
• It has also been said many times that if you can
  design products, interfaces and technologies that
  are usable for, for instance, older people, then
  by default your system will be usable by everyone.

An approach to the design of mainstream products
and services that are accessible and usable by
as many people as reasonably possible, without
the need for adaptation or specialist design.
BS 7000 Part 6. British Standards
Institute, 2005
4
Design exclusion Human Computer Interaction

• Design exclusion arises when product demands
  exceed the actual capability of targeting
  users for interacting with the product.
• Why does design exclusion exist? 1, 62 of
  designers are under 40, 30 of designers are in
  their 20s and 61 of designers are men.
• In contrast if we look at consumers 2 21 of
  the UK population is over 60, half of the UK
  population is now over 46 and there are fewer men
  than women at all ages over 21.

1. Source Design industry research 2005 2.
Source UK census 2001
5
Design exclusion Human Computer Interaction
6
Universal Design Human Computer Interaction

• This is a term originating in the US and
  underpinned by 7 principles set out by architect
  and designer Ron Mace (see next slide) in the
  late 1990s.
• Taken up enthusiastically in Japan and extends
  the concepts of Barrier-Free Design and Universal
  Access to include access to products and
  services.
• Barrier-free design was the original focus of
  disability campaigners and architects for access
  to buildings and public environments.
• Universal access/access for all to information
  and communications technology (ICT). Also used in
  assistive technology to refer to specialist
  interfaces and control devices to make ICT
  products accessible to people with high levels of
  impairment.

7
7 Universal Design Principles Human Computer
Interaction

• Equitable Use The design is useful and marketable
  to people with diverse abilities.
• Flexibility in Use The design accommodates a wide
  range of individual preferences and abilities.
• Simple and Intuitive Use Use of the design is
  easy to understand, regardless of the user's
  experience, knowledge, language skills, or
  current concentration level.
• Perceptible Information The design communicates
  necessary information effectively to the user,
  regardless of ambient conditions or the user's
  sensory abilities.
• Tolerance for Error The design minimizes hazards
  and the adverse consequences of accidental or
  unintended actions.
• Low Physical Effort The design can be used
  efficiently and comfortably and with a minimum of
  fatigue.
• Size and Space for Approach and Use Appropriate
  size and space is provided for approach, reach,
  manipulation, and use regardless of user's body
  size, posture, or mobility.

These well known principles have been compiled by
the The Center for Universal Design, North
Carolina State University. See http//www.design.n
csu.edu/cud/
8
The inclusive design cube Human Computer
Interaction

• This is a model developed by the idesign team
  which shows how a specific design approach is
  needed to accommodate the needs of the whole
  population.
• The idesign team consisted of people from the
  Design Council, the Engineering Design Centre at
  Cambridge Univ, the Design for Ability unit of
  the London Institute, and the Helen Hamlyn
  Research Centre at Royal College of Art.

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Inclusive design lifecycle Human Computer
Interaction
10
The accessible web Human Computer Interaction

• In 1999, the Sydney Organizing Committee for
  the Olympic Games (SOCOG) were ordered by the
  Australian Human Rights Commission to redesign
  the Olympic website following a complaint by a
  user who said that the site was inaccessible to
  him as a blind person.
• SOCOG refused to redesign the site, but lost the
  resultant court battle, and were forced to
  (partially) redesign the site and pay A20,000
  damages.
• A nice summary is at http//www.contenu.nu/socog.h
  tml

11
The accessible web Human Computer Interaction

• Making websites accessible is deemed important,
  because the Web is embodies the availability of
  information for all. People with disabilities
  may use technologies such as speech-browsers and
  braille displays.
• Below are some common problems however
• No text alternatives (ALT) for images.
• Structural elements (e.g. tables) used clumsily
  for aesthetic reasons.
• Streamed media with no captions or text
  transcript.
• Poor labelling of forms and frames.
• Script and/or programming code that is not
  recognised by assistive technologies (such as
  speech-browsers).
• Colour is also a key issue, with 1 in 12 people
  suffering from colour blindness. Some colour
  combinations that are clear to many of us are
  totally indistinguishable to somebody who is
  colour blind.

Source http//www.amber-light.co.uk/resources/pri
mer_accessibility.htm
12
The accessible web Human Computer Interaction
see http//www.w3.org/WAI/

• The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)'s Web
  Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is an effort to
  improve the accessibility of the World Wide Web
  (WWW or Web), especially, but not only, for
  people with disabilities.
• This Web Content Accessibility Guideline 1.0
  (known as WCAG) was developed in 1999. The WCAG
  are a set of guidelines on making content
  accessible, primarily for disabled users, but
  also for all user agents, including highly
  limited devices, such as cell phones.

13
The accessible web Human Computer Interaction

• This Web Content Accessibility Guidelines can be
  found online at http//www.w3.org/TR/1999/WAI-WEB
  CONTENT-19990505/
• There are three levels of conformance
• Level "A" all Priority 1 checkpoints are
  satisfied
• Level "Double-A" all Priority 1 and 2
  checkpoints are satisfied
• Level "Triple-A" all Priority 1, 2, and 3
  checkpoints are satisfied
• However, anyone can put these logos on their site
  the W3C.org will not check up on you so why
  not? Will you get taken to court? Will they win?
  Who is responsible anyway you your service
  provider your designer?

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WCAG Human Computer Interaction

• Here are the guideline headings-
• Each of these headings has a list of prioritised
  plain english descriptions of guidelines.

15
WCAG Example Human Computer Interaction

• Checking all these is hard though some
  automated tools exist (and are often criticized).
• The guidelines are OLD (1999 for goodness sake!)
  some people (eg the French!) have developed
  their own .

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Ageing Human Computer Interaction

• By 2020, the new consumer will be the 50 year
  old.
• Demographic predictions illustrate that by 2020,
  50 of the UK population will be over 50.
• These people will be the wealthiest 50
  generations that the UK has ever seen, commanding
  a substantial disposable income and hence control
  a large proportion of the countrys wealth and
  savings.

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Ageing Human Computer Interaction
18
Ageing Human Computer Interaction

• This wealth needs to be put back into circulation
  in order to generate jobs and keep the economy
  healthy.
• Retired people also have time to spend more money
  and also the time to shop around and compare
  products.
• Products that are physically inaccessible to them
  will not be on their shopping lists.
• In order to maximise market potential for a given
  product, manufacturers should ensure that they
  are accessible to the weakest person and by doing
  so, make it is accessible to all people.

design for the young and you exclude the old,
design for the old and you include the
young Bernard Isaacs Founding Director of the
Birmingham Centre for Applied Gerontology
19
Politics, Ageing TechnologyHuman Computer
Interaction

• Funding for research and development of
  technology for older people in the UK is not
  good.
• The House of Lords Select Committee on the
  Scientific Aspects of Ageing (2005) panned the
  funding climate in the UK and, to a large extent
  anyway, even the research that was going on.
• Excerpt from page 63

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SPARC (see www.sparc.ac.uk)Human Computer
Interaction

• SPARC is jointly funded by EPSRC/BBSRC and is
  managed by an executive of academics led by Peter
  Lansley from Reading and Richard Faragher from
  Brighton.
• It aims to promote and foster ageing related
  research in the UK research community via a
  number of initiatives one of which is the
  funding of small capacity building grants.
• Additionally it will organise regular events
  throughout the UK for the benefit of researchers,
  practitioners, health care professionals and
  end-users.
• Above it aims to foster bottom up enthusiasm in
  researchers to make a difference to the quality
  of life of older people.

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AR for ageing in place Human Computer Interaction

• One of the aims of the SPARC initiative is to
  re-apply strong area of existing research to
  ageing related problems.
• The grant I am involved with is to build on my
  own, and other, existing work in augmented
  reality (AR).
• The work is somewhat inspired by a position
  statement made by Stephen Intille at MIT

Ubiquitous computing and context aware
algorithms offer a new healthcare opportunity and
a new set of research challenges exploiting
emerging consumer electronic devices to motivate
healthy behavior as people age by presenting
just-in-time information at points of decision
and behavior.
S. S. Intille, "A new research challenge
persuasive technology to motivate healthy aging,"
IEEE Trans on Information Technology in
Biomedicine, vol. 8(3), pp. 235-237, 2004. 
22
Persuasive technology SHAUNS LUNCHTIME TALK,
FEB 2006

• Intille also goes on to say that
• In the context of ageing this might be to affect
  decisions relating to a healthier lifestyle,
  decisions related to diet, exercise, dental-care,
  stress management, and maintaining social
  relationships.

there are four components to an effective
strategy to motivate behavior change using
just-in-time information 1) present a simple,
tailored message that is easy to understand, 2)
at an appropriate time, 3) at an appropriate
place, 4) using a non irritating strategy (even
after possibly hundreds of presentations).
S. S. Intille, "A new research challenge
persuasive technology to motivate healthy aging,"
IEEE Trans on Information Technology in
Biomedicine, vol. 8(3), pp. 235-237, 2004. 
23
Our project SHAUNS LUNCHTIME TALK, FEB 2006

• Our project, entitled Multimodal augmented
  reality to support ageing-in-place a pilot study
  started on 1st Feb 2006 and will run for a year
  it has the following stated aim
• The reality will be a good deal of consultation
  with end-users (individuals and groups) and the
  short evaluations of some mock-up systems,
  employing visual and aural displays, using some
  form of WoZ methodology.

The proposed research in particular will
generate the capacity to develop flexible systems
which are affordable, tunable to individual
needs, discreet or attention-grabbing when
required, and are respectful of peoples social
interactions and activities
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Why AR? SHAUNS LUNCHTIME TALK, FEB 2006

• AR can make use of the home medium itself (walls,
  floors, ceilings, cookers, doors and etc) to
  provide a rich messaging service to users as they
  conduct their everyday, including social,
  activities throughout the home environment.
• A few researchers are already looking at visual
  AR displays, for instance in the kitchen (see
  pic).
• Essentially, we dont want to use ARQuake-style
  AR instead we areinterested in projectors and
  audio speakers, and in ambient and distributed
  displays,
• Personally Im also interested in studying AR in
  social settings will spectators increase or
  decrease the effect?

Bonanni, L., Lee, C.H., Selker, T. "Counter
Intelligence Augmented Reality Kitchen." Long
paper in Extended Abstracts of ACM CHI 2005. 
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Assistive technologyHuman Computer Interaction

• Assistive technology (also called rehabilitation
  design) is similar in many ways to the stuff we
  have looked at today.
• However AT is primarily focused on enabling
  social participation of people with severe
  impairments.
• Much work in this area has been concerned with
  developing one-off solutions and specialist
  equipment for small numbers of people.

Is this assistive technology?
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Extra Reading for this lecture Human Computer
Interaction

• None of the main HCI texts are much use for
  this!!
• Read one of the articles on the Inclusive Design
  Cube from Cambridge e.g. http//web.mit.edu/16.459
  /Keates.pdf.
• Read the article (from April 2006) From margins
  to mainstream why inclusive design is better
  design by Roger Coleman, from Helen Hamlyn
  Research Centre, at the Royal College of Art.
  Online at http//www.hhrc.rca.ac.uk/resources/pub
  lications/ErgSocLecture06.pdf
• Finally you must browse the Content
  Accessibility Guidelines can be found online at
  http//www.w3.org/TR/1999/WAI-WEBCONTENT-19990505
  / and then take a look at the University site
  does it conform? How about the Depts pages?
  Mine?