Do Conversational Interfaces Kill Web Accessibility?

Abstract

Conversational interfaces are making web accessibility studies obsolete. Long-time has passed since the introduction of graphical interfaces. They revolutionized the way people used the computer. The desktop metaphor popularized and made easy access to the software but did not consider the specific needs of people with some form of sight and/or motion impairments. Accessibility, at that time, was a minor issue. The web changed everything and empathized the need to include people. Researchers from around the world began working on accessibility, which is still an issue on the agenda of many scientific labs. Despite this, we observe that today, with the diffusion of conversational interfaces, there is less need to bother about colors, fonts, size and many other visual features. Indeed, people might access to web contents through voice interaction. No need to see the graphic interface or to use input devices requiring the use of hands. The voice is everything you need, and accessibility has never been easier. Conversational interfaces are about to revolutionize accessibility and in this provocative paper, we show benefits, problems, and open issues that happen when these interfaces meet accessibility requirements.