Moving towards inclusive design guidelines for socially and ethically aware HCI

Abstract

Most people acknowledge that personal computers have enormously enhanced the autonomy and communication capacity of people with special needs. The key factor for accessibility to these opportunities is the adequate design of the user interface which, consequently, has a high impact on the social lives of users with disabilities.The design of universally accessible interfaces has a positive effect over the socialisation of people with disabilities. People with sensory disabilities can profit from computers as a way of personal direct and remote communication. Personal computers can also assist people with severe motor impairments to manipulate their environment and to enhance their mobility by means of, for example, smart wheelchairs. In this way they can become more socially active and productive. Accessible interfaces have become so indispensable for personal autonomy and social inclusion that in several countries special legislation protects people from 'digital exclusion'.To apply this legislation, inexperienced HCI designers can experience difficulties. They would greatly benefit from inclusive design guidelines in order to be able to implement the 'design for all' philosophy. In addition, they need clear criteria to avoid negative social and ethical impact on users. This paper analyses the benefits of the use of inclusive design guidelines in order to facilitate a universal design focus so that social exclusion is avoided. In addition, the need for ethical and social guidelines in order to avoid undesirable side effects for users is discussed. Finally, some preliminary examples of socially and ethically aware guidelines are proposed. q 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Interacting with Computers 17 (2005) 484-505 www.elsevier.com/locate/intcom 0953-5438/$ -see front matter q

Reflections on the role of the ‘users’: challenges in a multi-disciplinary context of learner-centred design for children on the autism spectrum

“…For example, Bleumers et al, (2012) discuss the idea of digital empowerment in relation to supporting social inclusion of marginalised groups through their use, as well as co-design and co-development, of technologies. This recognises the importance of power and involvement in inclusive design, and in societal inclusion more broadly, and aligns with the views of Abascal and Nicolle (2005) who emphasise that social and political will is required for inclusive design in HCI to be socially and ethically aware.…”

“…However, we would argue that we made attempts at greater democratization of user roles within the project, especially through being involved from the very early stages of the project (cf. Abascal & Nicolle, 2005). Therefore, we were inclusive -but only up to a point; user voices sometimes were not given due prominence (and maybe at times, given too much prominence) and this leaves us with many questions for the future.…”

“…However, in contrast to Abascal and Nicolle's (2005) argument aiming for universal design, Harrison et al (2011) suggest that more local, nuanced approaches to design are needed that provide detailed insights into the needs of particular users. In other words, their argument about inclusive design is for particularisation rather than universality.…”

A Review of Contemporary Work on the Ethics of Ambient Assisted Living Technologies for People with Dementia

“…According to Abascal and Nicolle (2005), instead of being rigid, the design should be adaptive, dynamically adjusting itself to the needs of its user, and consequently reducing potential user's anxiety. Bad design facilitates more handicaps through less accessible systems (Abascal and Nicolle, 2005).…”

Rethinking universal accessibility: a broader approach considering the digital gap

“…However, the guarantee of accessibility is only mandatory in countries with inclusive legislation (and in many cases only for a limited set of public websites). In any case, the current accessibility guidelines do not specifically include aspects of the problems mentioned above, as one can see in Abascal and Nicolle [2]. Therefore, universal accessibility to the Web still requires a coordinated international effort.…”