Re: Accessible HTML in Kiosk

At 12:04 AM 2002-12-16, Matthew Smith wrote:

>Hi All
>
>Before I started producing Accessible material, I developed a kiosk 
>system, the user interface of which is a touch screen displaying a 
>server-generated web page on a Mozilla browser.
>
>I need to re-engineer this system and would like to incorporate 
>accessibility features where possible.  I would appreciate any comments on 
>my ideas:
>
>1) All code to be valid XHTML with CSS formatting.
>2) Menu bar - available in "normal" and "huge" icon sizes and positionable 
>on either side of screen to cater for "handedness"; this would allow the 
>scrolling of pages (the Dark Demon of touch screens?) by existing in a 
>transparent layer above the displayed text.
>3) Additional visitor preferences of:
>      * Show pictures y/n
>      * Change text size
>      * Change language (subject to availability of translations)
>      * Change colour schemes [black & white, black & gold]
>4) Optional use of four physical buttons for those who find the touch 
>screen hard to use.

There is classic work at Trace.  I can't tell if you are aware of this as yet.

For your work, you have the luxury of adding functionality in the 
client.  So in a sense you should be looking at software or kiosk 
accessibility resources, not Web Content guides.  The latter are for stuff 
that has to play in a user-selected common denominator of WebTop Client.

An example:  the fundamental blind/touch mode in the EZ package of 
strategies is a single linear menu running up and down the left-hand margin 
of the touchscreen, such that if you rest your finger against the 
mechanical frame around the display surface you are touching the menu entries.

It does rely on a small mechanical button array for things like confirm and for
users with reach limitations.

What is new since that work was done is that there are actually cell phones 
that work like this with a one-dimensional touchbar for selection.  The 
point is that nowadays you will want to consider using one of the Device 
Independence single-authoring tool environments to develop your content and 
mode the html at the server, not entirely adapt it at the client.  Plus you 
will have the access modes supported with browser wrinkles in the software 
in the kiosk.

Best of luck.

Al

EZ Access from Trace:

  EZ Access Interface Techniques
  http://www.tracecenter.org/world/kiosks/ez/

Single-Authoring environments:

  W3C DIAT Workshop
  http://www.w3.org/2002/07/DIAT/

  XML Conference & Exposition 2002 / Exposition
  http://www.xmlconference.org/xmlusa/2002/expo.asp

>I plan to look at a speaking version, once IBM releases the ViaVoice 
>toolkit for Linux.  If anyone can suggest a working (preferably free, 
>since this is a not-for-profit project) TTS system for Linux that's 
>accessible through Perl and only requires a standard sound card - there's 
>a pint of beer waiting here for you ;-)
>
>Finally, does anyone know whether it is possible to make a JavaScript 
>mouse event emulate the tab key?  (Tabbing between links using touch screen).

Review the DOM Level 2 HTML module to see if there is a built-in TABINDEX 
iterator in this collection of services.  Otherwise, as Charles says, you 
can build the iterator yourself.

Al


>Cheers
>
>M
>
>--
>Matthew Smith            | Business: http://www.kbc.net.au
>IT Consultant            | PGP Key:  http://gpg.mss.cx
>Kadina, South Australia  | * Tivis Project * Community Connect *
>

Received on Monday, 16 December 2002 10:23:04 UTC