1. Adoption and Configuration of Assistive Technologies: A Semiotic Engineering Perspective Katherine Deibel Computer Science & Engineering University of Washington, Seattle Semiotic Engineering AT Discontinuance and Rejection –What does this AT do? –Why will this AT help people with my disability? –Will this AT help me specifically? –How do I configure this AT? –How do I use this AT? From a review of the literature, assistive technology (AT) discontinuance and rejection can be viewed as a user having problems finding answers to several questions: According to a semiotic engineering perspective, interfaces for assistive technologies should clearly convey the answers to these questions. Contact Information: E-mail: Katherine Deibel URL: http://www.cs.washington.edu/homes/deibel Semiotics is the study of the signs, symbols, and representations used in communicating meaning. An application’s interface (and its component signs) is viewed as a communication between the designer and the user. Usability issues and problems are the result of a miscommunication of the designer’s intent. Excerpts from an Example Run of the Expert System Implementing a Reading Assistant using Semiotic Engineering design intent Interface design intent Successful Communication ??? Unsuccessful Communication Users Designer design intent Individuals with reading disabilities exhibit a diverse range of needs and abilities. A single accommodation has limited applicability. Due to stigma issues, this population is often hesitant to seek outside help for finding appropriate accommodations. To address these issues, a document viewing application is paired with a collection of interoperable reading tools. An expert system is included that helps the user identify the type of reading support required and recommends tools that offer said support. Each tool provides a demonstration of its usage and a configuration wizard. These features help address the five questions relevant to adoption. Document Viewer Reading Tools User Expert System Screening Questionnaire Recommended Tools Tool Demo Configuration Wizard Tool A B C A. Overall application. B. Detail of expert system. C. Detail of a reading tool Screening Questionnaire Press to listen to a short conversation. You will be asked a few questions after it has completed. Words on a page begin to move around if I read for longer than 10 minutes. I remember more of what I hear than what I read. Agree Disagree Press to hear a word. What is the correct spelling of the word you just heard? apreachiate appreciateuhprecheait upreesheate User answers questions about typical reading behaviors and completes several automated skill assessments. System diagnoses the presence and strength of User’s reading difficulties. System presents diagnoses. User can ask for explanation of diagnoses. Assistive tools are recommended. User can view demonstrations and configuration wizards for the tools. Explain: Word Recognition Phonological Processing Score: 2 / 10 This score reflects your ability to process letters into sounds, such as in the question… System refers to User’s responses to provide transparency of assessment. Demo: Phonetic Speller Seeing how a word sounds can help you in identifying it. With this tool, you can click on a word to show how it is pronounced: Tool demonstrates what it does and explains why it could be helpful. The photograph showed the theft… Configure: Color Adjuster To determine a background color that best reduces visual stress, the system will perform an eye exam. You will need a… Configuration wizard works with User to properly tune reading tool. Recommended Tools Based on your responses, you experience some difficulty recognizing words when you are reading. Tools you might find helpful are: –Text Reader: Demo Configure Given your strong auditory skills, hearing the text read aloud… –Phonetic Speller: Demo Configure This tool helps with recognizing a word by showing how it is pronounced… Explain Your responses also suggest that you experience visual stress. Tools that you might find helpful are: –Color Adjuster: Demo Configure This tool adjusts the colors of text to be less stressful to your eyes… Explain