1. User Interface Evaluation and Design for Deaf-Blind Users Daniel Cutler, Pollyane Carvalho, André Felipe, and Prof Tatiana Aires Tavares SUNY Oswego and Federal University of Paraiba ConclusionReferencesAcknowledgements IntroductionTesting Objectives Results During my time in Brazil I was tasked with assisting the graduate students with the design and evaluation of two different online interfaces to be used by Deaf and Blind users. These interfaces provided alternative methods for the users to interact with the content available to them. The purpose of my assistance was to provide feedback and design changes in order to improve upon the current designs to make them more effective than they were before. The user interfaces were separated into two different project. The first interface was the WikiLibras online database. The purpose of this interface is to allow deaf users to input the various signs that they use to communicate with in order for the website to generate a virtual simulation of the sign to be used for closed captioning for deaf users. The second interface called EduLivres is an educational tool for young children and students to use as a means of learning and interacting with online videos as well as communicating with one another. The EduLivres was designed with all types of users in mind ranging from an average user to blind and deaf users using various usability principles and design elements. For the WikiLibras website we design and performed a usability test with 8 users to determine the effectiveness of the interface design. We provided the 8 users with the same series of actions to perform and we did not provide any assistance to any of the users. The goal of this test was to test the learn ability of the interface as well as the usability. For the EduLivres website we designed a test for 8 total users, 4 blind and 4 deaf in order to test the different design aspects of the usability of the interface. The 8 total users were given the same set of instructions and the same tasks to complete on the interface. The goal of this test was to determine if the universal design elements of the interface were effective with the various users who will be using the website. To evaluate and critique the usability and effectiveness of the user interfaces. To modify and adjust the interfaces to improve their design based off of the usability testing results. In conclusion we were able to say that the interface design was effective for the average user but the challenges we faced from the deaf and blind users were based off of their own experience and knowledge of interfaces, and not the interface itself. At the conclusion of the two tests we were able to evaluate the effectiveness of the two interfaces as well as review the feedback we received from the users in order to improve upon the design. The two interfaces had very different tests due to the different nature of the content. What we discovered about the interface designs from the results of the test was a positive feedback in regards to the design of the interface. The ability of the users to accomplish the tasks we asked of them during the usability tests was not negatively impacted by the design of the interface. The users were able to complete all of the tasks asked of them, however it did involve assistance from the various translators. What we discovered about the interfaces actually involved the users more than the design of the interface. The data that was analyzed showed that the users were able to navigate the interface once they were able to understand it. The problems we encountered came from the experience of the user as well as their knowledge of the languages. It wasn’t a matter of the interface being poorly designed but rather the user were unaware of how to use the interface. The interface design was effective for the average user to accomplish their tasks but the problems we came across with blind and deaf users was that they were having problems with design challenges that we had not originally considered. The deaf users had very little to no experience with computers or the internet and were unable to read. This led to problems with them not understanding the interface as a whole. The blind users again had little to no experience working with computers or the internet so despite our work and effort to design the interfaces to be universally used, the users had no knowledge of how to use them. The users required additional help from their translators in order to understand what it was they were seeing or hearing on the screen. After they were told what it was they had to do and how to do it, they had no problems accomplishing the tasks with the interfaces. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Rig htsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/DisabledPeople/Rig htsAndObligations/DisabilityRights/DG_4001068 http://www.ap.buffalo.edu/idea/ http://mpeg2.lavid.ufpb.br:8080/eduLivre/ http://librastv.lavid.ufpb.br/ http://www.lavid.ufpb.br/pt