People with disabilities are faced with several barriers to computer usage. Various companies provide assistive software that makes computer usage possible for the population with disabilities. While increased awareness of disability issues has resulted in the formulation of guidelines for developing accessible software, such guidelines do not guarantee that the end product will be optimal for a person with a disability [5]. During localization of software it is important to understand the needs and requirements and target culture of users, which is beyond mere translation of the interface language. This project was carried out to provide broad design guidelines which are driven by usability and accessibility issues that were uncovered during the evaluation of an assistive technology software package.
This research study explores cross-cultural differences and similarities of user preferences of mobile phone features. Product interactive focus groups were conducted in India and in the United States; groups included users without any apparent disabilities and users with a visual disability of legal blindness. The analysis of the focus group sessions and post-task usability questionnaires provided an insight to the preferences of mobile phone interface components and gave a deeper understanding of the mobile culture in the two countries. These results are summarized to provide guidelines for designing cross-cultural user interfaces which are nationality specific and disability specific. A pyramid model for a holistic process of designing cell phones for users with disabilities is proposed which integrated the findings of this study and Jordan's [1] pleasurability frameworkThe need for users participating in the design process has been realized, however, users with disabilities are not always included in the design process [4]. This study followed an inclusive design process, to compare and contrast the cell phone design preferences of users from two different countries, including users with no apparent disabilities and users with visual disabilities. This study was conducted to identify possible relationships between national culture, disability culture and design preferences of cell phone interfaces. The theoretical cultural framework used to guide this study was Hofstede's five dimensional cultural model [5].The globalization era that has lead to the exploration of cross-cultural design and the relationship of these cultural dimensions with interface design components has been established by several authors [6], [7].
Based on multiple year accessibility research experience, a set of design considerations was developed corresponding to the universal design guidelines to guide the development of more accessible mobile phones. The design considerations were intended to help designers who do not have much understanding of people with disabilities consider various possible use cases. Its usefulness was revealed during an evaluation with designers, and several possible improvements were identified: 1) more design considerations or use cases should be identified by disability types, and 2) it can be implemented as a multimedia tool that contains video clips of actual use cases.
We have utilized the principles of ecological psychology in general, and its concept of “direct perception” (Gibson, 1966) in particular, to develop the Ecological Aesthetics Design (EAD) framework to explain how the ecology of a consumer influences his aesthetic judgment of a product. In the EAD framework, we have identified three ecologies (physical, socio-cultural and experience), which together, inform and influence a consumer's aesthetic judgment. Furthermore, based on findings from affective sciences, we show that aesthetic judgment itself is a form of direct perception, which actually is a nonconscious mode of gleaning a product's attributes (quality, function, etc.) through its appearance. The EAD approach provides a much needed framework for product designers to systematically determine the aesthetic requirements of a product for a specific group of consumers whose tastes, dispositions and attitudes are shaped by their ecology.
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