Computing Reviews

Improving the design of accessible Web pages through a study of user experience in order to define requirements
Villegas E., Sorribas X., Pifarré M., Fonseca D.  MSIADU 2009 (Proceedings of the 1st ACM SIGMM International Workshop on Media Studies and Implementations That Help Improving Access to Disabled Users, Beijing, China, Oct 23, 2009)1-6,2009.Type:Proceedings
Date Reviewed: 04/29/10

Villegas et al. propose a methodology for creating Web pages that meet accessibility requirements for handicapped users. The methodology proposed has two phases.

In the first phase, users assess, through a task-based test, the accessibility of a registered page, based on the framework provided by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and the terms of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines and the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). From this assessment, behavior patterns of users are extracted, in terms of their satisfaction with the content and graphic design of the Web page. These patterns are used as requirements for the construction of a new Web page that addresses the needs expressed by the users.

Next, accessibility is evaluated and compared across different tasks with varying degrees of difficulty. Subsequently, the results of the evaluations are validated through automatic validation, by expert consultants, and by users.

This approach, based on evidence formally obtained, determines accessibility problems in certified Web pages and then addresses these issues with further development. It may be a good approximation for improving the accessibility and usability of applications.

The paper lacks bibliographic references about software evaluation and software usability. This is perhaps due to the evaluative character of the research. Even so, Villegas et al. should have justified their choice of evaluation method and measurement instrument.

Reviewer:  Marianella Aveledo Mayz Review #: CR137944 (1104-0406)

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