Usability evaluation of a resource to read mathematical formulae in a screen reader for people with visual disabilities

Abstract

The teaching of mathematics for visually disabled users still has limitations. One such limitation is related to limited reading of mathematical expressions by screen reading software. With the technological advances, the use of assistive technologies by these people became fundamental for the educational process. However, this technology still has gaps in the ability to read complex expressions and language support, especially in the Brazilian context. Thus, the present study presents usability tests involving visually disabled users on a prototype of screen reading software with reading of mathematical formulae in Brazilian Portuguese and intra-formulae navigation features, named ChromeVox-NavMatBR system. The tests involved 12 users. The evaluations involved the assessmenet of features related to navigation, reading and comprehension of mathematical expressions. Finally, quantitative and qualitative data were collected regarding the use of the system. The study encountered problems related to prosody aspects in formulae reading, response time, comprehension of specific technical terms, and reading of complex mathematical elements. The results in this paper are very important to direct continued development of interactive features to support reading and navigation in complex mathematical content on the Web for people with visual disabilities.