From: "wendy constantine" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
:
: Does anyone have any ideas on how to ensure physical/navigational
: accessibility on a touch screen (Apple) display?
:
: I'm working on a design specification and accessibility plan for a
: museum in the UK that is particularly sensitive to access issues.
So
: far, my only thought has been to provide a keyboard or trackball
: device in addition to the touch screen.
<snip - more background info>
Touch screens are difficult for people who have motor control
problems, and providing a keyboard may help them, especially if the
keys are large, well-spaced, and the software is designed so that
pressing the key for a while produces just one keypress rather than a
repeat. For example, some people with spacity may take some time to
press the key down, and a long time to move their hand up again.
I've also seen trackballs used successfully for some other motor
control problems - the opposite type, i.e. for people who have
difficulty with large movements and can only make very fine movements.
Trackballs are often very sensitive so you can make a tiny movement
and have it respond easily to you.
Touch screens can be pretty much impossible for people with visual
impairments. If you can't see the screen very well or at all, how do
you know where to touch? This can be overcome by having huge target
areas and spoken instructions ("Touch the top of the screen").
A couple of years ago, UPA UK had a very interesting talk on museum
exhibit displays by someone who had done a lot of work on them for the
Science Museum. They had a lot of problems with touch screens because,
it turned out, young children have especially oily fingers (and, as an
aunt of young children, I imagine that plain dirt came into the
equation all the time). I'm afraid that I can't now remember how they
solved the problem (or, I'm afriaid, the name of the speakcer) but you
might want to ask the Science Museum about it, and about the use of
touch screens in general.
Best,
Caroline Jarrett
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
01525 370379
Effortmark Ltd
Usability - Forms - Content
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