Usability testing with screen reading technology in a Windows environment

Abstract

Ever since applications with graphical user interfaces were introduced, individuals who are blind have experienced great difficulty accessing these applications. The quality of access provided through a combination of screen reading software and speech synthesizer is greatly dependent on the design of the mainstream application interface. In attempt to better understand the access strategies employed by users of screen readers, this study was designed to (a) examine the interaction between users of screen reading technology and graphical user interface (GUI) elements and (b) to identify the type and significance of obstacles encountered during these interactions. Fifty-eight unique obstacles encountered by participants were identified. These obstacles were encountered by the thirteen participants a total 534 times. Although many obstacles lead to minor delays, the cumulative effect of these obstacles was to significantly delay, and in many cases, prevent task completion.