- From: David Poehlman <poehlman@clark.net>
- Date: Fri, 05 Nov 1999 17:10:22 -0500
- To: WAI Interest Group <w3c-wai-ig@w3.org>
-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Product Evaluations: HPR and PWWebspeak Date: Fri, 5 Nov 1999 16:23:20 -0800 From: Sam Troia <samtroia@MINDSPRING.COM> Reply-To: Sam Troia <samtroia@MINDSPRING.COM> To: VICUG-L@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU Product Evaluation A Review of IBM Home Page Reader and pwWebSpeak Crista L. Earl, Jay D. Leventhal, and Koert Wehberg Those shrieks coming from the computer room are not because of visiting Alfred's Haunted House on the Internet. It is just some frustrated users trying to get the baseball scores, find a local restaurant's address, or listen to some music without worrying about how each Web site was designed or remembering five sets of hot keys. Users frequently complain that screen readers combined with mainstream browsers are difficult to learn to use. In the following evaluation, we consider these questions: Do "special" browsers give more comprehensive access than that provided by a mainstream browser and a good screen reader? Are they easier to use or more efficient? Is the time spent learning the "special" software worth the lost time not spent learning to use the screen reader? Have special browsers kept up with the ever-changing technology of the Web? We also review Home Page Reader version 2.5 from IBM and pwWebSpeak version 2.5.14 from The Productivity Works, two Web browsers designed to make browsing easier and more effective for visually impaired users. After you read this review (and the sidebar, "Mainstream and Special Browsers"), you can decide for yourself if special browsers offer more efficient and comprehensive access and which product best suits your needs. Mainstream and Special Browsers A mainstream application with a screen reader can be a formidable tool to learn to use. Users who are inspired to take on the Internet with Netscape or Internet Explorer will need to learn conventional interface characteristics and screen reader commands. They will also need to develop strategies for deciphering the visual display. These skills transfer to all other aspects of computing and using the Internet and can be superb practice. One factor that greatly complicates the blind user's success in accessing information through a mainstream browser is the process by which information is delivered in braille or speech. When a mainstream application displays information, it converts it into a visual version. Then the screen reader must rearrange the visual version into an aural or braille version. In addition, because control of the mainstream application is designed purely around the visual interface, the blind user must use tricks and a great deal of knowledge to control the application. A "self-voicing" application (such as a special browser), by contrast, presents its information directly in a fashion understandable to the blind user, and the developers design the controls with the blind user in mind. No third-party need make any further interpretation of the information. This approach ought to lead to an efficient method of making the information intelligible to the blind user. However, historically, "special" applications have had technical problems, such as incompatibility with certain systems, and have lagged behind mainstream applications in the addition of innovative features. IBM Home Page Reader 2.5 The IBM Home Page Reader (HPR) functions in conjunction with Netscape Navigator, which handles many of the basic chores involved in connecting to Web pages. HPR converts the layout of a page to make it easier for a visually impaired user to navigate. When HPR is opened, Netscape stays primarily in the background, but moves to the foreground to download files and to present some error messages. Getting Started and Getting Help HPR's installation dialog boxes are read by a recorded human voice, so we were able to install the software without a screen reader. The last step of the installation explains the steps required to set up Netscape (if Netscape is not already installed), but the recorded voice was not available, so a screen reader or sighted assistance was needed for this last step. HPR's on-line help page is displayed in the form of a Web page, so users can familiarize themselves with how HPR formats Web pages while they are learning to use the program. Command Structure HPR's command structure is based on the PC keyboard's numeric keypad. Number keys are used for navigating a Web page, moving through menus, and changing speech settings. The commands, including the menu structure, differ from conventional Windows commands and from those of Windows-based screen readers. Thus, the beginning user has to learn a set of commands that will not transfer to any other Windows application. HPR uses the number keys 1-9 for navigating through items on a Web page. Commands exist for navigating by word, item, character, and link. HPR's settings menu contains all options that can be changed by the user. Here, too, the number keys are used to navigate and select the item to be changed. Browsing a Simple Web Page HPR displays Web pages in text format. The pages can also be displayed in the Netscape window, allowing a sighted user to see part of the text in the background. Opening a Web page, searching the Web, and searching for an item on the current page are all initiated with the same key combination. HPR's main display is divided into three sections: "Contents," which gives the text version of the Web page; "Location," which gives the URL of the current page and a history list; and "Links," a list of all items on a page with which the user is able to interact. The user can type a letter in the "links" list and jump to the first link that begins with that letter. HPR includes frames and form elements in the links list, as well. Keys on the numeric keypad can be used to navigate through links in the "Contents" window. Basic text pages, such as the New York Times page (www.nytimes.com), work very well with HPR. Browsing a Complex Web Page HPR does not support Javascript. Since Javascript is often used for online banking and other sites that allow users to buy items, this is a major shortcoming. For example, Citibank's online banking page, (https://home.da-us.citibank.com/signin/indexkiosk.htm), which is extremely easy to use with Internet Explorer and a good screen reader, did not work with HPR due to the lack of Javascript support. HPR allows the user to navigate frames by presenting them as separate sections, and a frame's content is made available only after a frame has been chosen. The user is given a display with the name of the frame and its number. If users want to see links associated with a frame, they can either click on the frame or press a key combination, which will expand the frames on the page. By contrast, with Internet Explorer 5.0 and a screen reader, the beginning user can hear the content of the Web page and then move from link to link without regard to frames. A more knowledgeable user can press Control-Tab to move to the next frame. HPR supports Web pages in several languages. A keystroke switches from one language to another. If the user sets the language to "automatic," HPR will read the page in the correct language as it opens. However, the list of links, forms, and messages such as "end of page" will be read in the default language--English in our case. IBM plans to release other versions of HPR with different default languages. Reading Tables HPR's most powerful feature is reading tables. HPR reformats tables and presents each cell as a separate item. The user can move easily through simple tables using normal navigation keys. For more complicated or larger tables, HPR has a special mode that allows the user to jump to the top of the column, the beginning of the row, and so on. It is very easy to move down any column, read specific entries, and to find the associated heading. This special mode also provides table summary information, so that users can ascertain the size of the table and their current position within it. Filling Out Forms Simple forms such as the search form at <www.webcrawler.com> work easily. Forms with list boxes and radio buttons can be tedious because each option in the list is presented as a separate item in the "Links" list. Downloading Files HPR allows users to navigate FTP sites, but when users try to download from an FTP site or Web page, HPR identifies the material as "special data" and opens Netscape so the file can be downloaded. Because HPR does not continue providing speech output while Netscape is handling this download, the user will require a screen reader or sighted assistance for this task. Although HPR uses the computer's sound card to produce its speech, audio files can be downloaded easily and opened with few problems. HPR does not speak while the audio file is playing. pwWebSpeak In addition to its speech capabilities, pwWebSpeak presents text in high contrast, uncluttered screens and provides options to change font size. These features make it more attractive than HPR for users with some usable vision. Getting Started and Getting Help Installing pwWebSpeak is simple and takes less than five minutes. A screen reader or sighted assistance is required, since the installation program does not speak automatically. Users have a choice of three synthesizers. Softvoice, the default, works well with pwWebSpeak. PwWebSpeak's user's manual is straightforward and is presented as a book with chapters in a contents list that can be navigated as a Web page. Links for technical support and to the Productivity Works home page are also helpful. Command Structure PwWebSpeak's command structure is basic and can be learned in a very short period of time. Many commands are assigned to function keys, and less frequently needed settings are accessed through one main menu. The arrow keys are used to navigate the page. New users will find the structure simple and easy to remember. The hot keys can be customized. Browsing a Simple Web Page PwWebSpeak displays a Web page in plain text. It reads the heading of a page when it opens and can be set to read the page automatically. Links are labeled with the word "link" next to them. Graphics are identified as "images." On text pages, such as the New York Times page, pwWebSpeak performs well. Its "search current page" command allows the user to find a specific line of text. Browsing a Complex Web Page Besides presenting the text of the Web page in one continuous window accessible by pressing the down arrow, pwWebSpeak has windows for links and forms. This feature makes it easy for the user to jump directly to a form without having to scroll through all preceding text. Pages with more complicated formats and advanced page elements proved difficult. PwWebSpeak does not support Javascript, which makes it impossible to use certain sites, such as Citibank's online banking system, or to purchase items, since the program does not support secure sockets that ensure the private, encoded transmission of data. PwWebSpeak also does not read the titles of frames when navigating through a page. The user may frequently have to guess at what links belong with which frame. Reading Tables By default, table cells are broken apart and displayed as separate lines of text within the pwWebSpeak window, the same approach used by HPR and by some screen readers with Internet Explorer. The user can simply press the down arrow to hear each cell of the table read. For simple tables, this approach is sufficient. For more complex tables, pwWebSpeak provides a short menu of commands to jump to the beginning of the row, the beginning of the table, the next table, or the next or previous cell. Unfortunately, it is necessary to jump to the menu and choose these commands, so browsing from one row of the table to the next involves six keystrokes. This approach makes it clear that the current item is the first cell of the new row, but is prohibitively tedious for meaningful reading. There is no command to move directly down a column other than the first. For example, in looking for a game with a particular opponent in the New York Knick's schedule (<www.nba.com/knicks/schedule2000.html>), there was no efficient way to move down the column of opponents. PwWebSpeak had one other minor problem with the U.S. Department of Labor's "The Economy at a Glance" page (<stats.bls.gov/eag.table.html>). One row listed a month name and year in each cell, but with the year below the month within the same cell. PwWebSpeak attached the first month's year to the second month's name, and so on, making it difficult to know which pair actually belonged together. Filling out Forms Filling out forms is quick and easy. PwWebSpeak creates a list of all links and forms on a page. The user presses Enter on the form and then fills it out. List boxes and radio buttons are presented as conventional controls that can be found in Windows dialog boxes. The user simply arrows up or down in a list box or uses the space bar to check a check box. This method provides maximum control in filling out forms. Downloading Files Downloading files from Web pages is easy with pwWebSpeak. However, we were unable to connect to ftp sites to download from them. Downloading audio files is simple and requires little effort. PwWebSpeak stops speaking when an audio file is open. What It All Means HPR's strength is its handling of tables. This feature alone makes it worth the price. If you want to keep your life on the Internet simple, the choice is pwWebSpeak. If you want the maximum access to the Web and are willing to learn a full set of screen reader commands, Internet Explorer 5.0 and a good screen reader are for you. Manufacturers' Comments IBM "We recognize the JavaScript issue, which is shared by all text browsers, and we are investigating ways to resolve this problem." The Productivity Works "E-commerce will be supported in the next release, and we are working hard to ensure that popular E-commerce sites function well with our product. We are working on supporting Java scripting present in Web content, although we cannot commit to a date since providing good accessibility to dynamic content is not a simple problem. PwWebspeak can read frame titles if Alt-Text (a text description) is present. FTP should be fully functional. We will investigate the difficulty the authors had." Product Information Product: IBM Home Page Reader Manufacturer: IBM Special Needs Systems; Building 901, Internal Zip 9171; 11400 Burnet Rd.; Austin, TX 78758; phone: 800-426-4832 or 512-838-4598; Web site: <http://www.ibm.com/sns> Price: $150. Product: pwWebSpeak Manufacturer: The Productivity Works, 7 Belmont Circle; Trenton, NJ 08618; phone: 609-984-8044; fax: 609-984-8048; E-mail: <info@prodworks.com>; Web Site: <http://www.prodworks.com>. Price: $150 with Softvoice, $50 without Softvoice. VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List. To join or leave the list, send a message to listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu. In the body of the message, simply type "subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations. VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html
Received on Friday, 5 November 1999 17:11:03 UTC