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Reviews

The literature-review database. Every paper Bob has reviewed (he has read many more), with a short summary, key findings, and tags. Browse, filter, search.

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  • Towards Testing the Accessibility of Dynamic Visual Changes in Android Mobile GUI with Multi-Modal LLMs

    Mengxi Zhang, Jianlin Yu, Chen Xu, Jiqun Li, Xinglong Yin, Huaxiao Liu · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

    This paper addresses a long-standing gap in mobile accessibility testing: dynamic visual changes in Android GUIs that communicate task status or feedback to sighted users but are invisible to blind users of screen readers such as TalkBack. Examples include an input field…

    Android · mobile accessibility · screen readers · TalkBack · automated testing

  • TaskAudit: Detecting Functiona11ity Errors in Mobile Apps via Agentic Task Execution

    Mingyuan Zhong, Xia Chen, Davin Win Kyi, Chen Li, James Fogarty, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

    This CHI 2026 paper introduces TaskAudit, an automated accessibility evaluation system for mobile apps that detects what the authors coin 'functiona11ity errors' — accessibility barriers that only manifest through interaction, where a UI's static state looks accessible but its…

    mobile accessibility · accessibility auditing · automated accessibility testing · generative agents · large language models

  • VisionAid: A Multimodal Assistive Application Supporting Safe Road Navigation for Visually Impaired People in Bangladesh

    Asif Mahbub, Nabil Bin Hannan · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

    VisionAid is an Android pedestrian-safety app for blind and low vision (BLV) users in Bangladesh, where road crossing is dangerous because traffic is unstructured: lane discipline is rare, drivers run signals, and crosswalks are inconsistent. The authors argue that…

    blind and low vision · pedestrian navigation · mobile accessibility · computer vision · haptic feedback

  • VisualAid: Enhancing Accessibility for Visually Impaired Users Through AI

    Wajdi Aljedaani, Sijo Rejigeorge, Priya Jha, Srija Yadavalli, Manikanta Kothakota, Marcelo M. Eler, Abdulrahman Habib · 2025 · Proceedings of the 22nd International Web for All Conference (W4A)

    This technical note presents VisualAid, an AI-powered Android application designed to help visually impaired users understand and navigate their physical surroundings. The app integrates multiple AI technologies into a single mobile interface: YOLO11x for real-time object…

    visual impairment · object detection · image captioning · OCR · voice interaction

  • Exploring Accessibility of Mobile Applications Through User Feedback: Insights from App Reviews in a Systematic Literature Review

    Alberto Dumont Alves Oliveira, Marcelo Medeiros Eler · 2024 · Proceedings of the XXIII Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems (IHC 2024)

    This systematic literature review examines how user reviews from app stores have been used to study the accessibility of mobile applications. The authors searched five major academic databases (ACM, IEEE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science) and identified 638 papers,…

    mobile accessibility · app reviews · user feedback · systematic literature review · user reviews

  • An Epidemiology-inspired Large-scale Analysis of Android App Accessibility

    Anne Spencer Ross, Xiaoyi Zhang, James Fogarty, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

    This paper presents the largest analysis of Android app accessibility to date, testing 9,999 free apps from the Rico repository for seven distinct accessibility barriers. Drawing on epidemiological methods, the authors frame accessibility barriers as "diseases" affecting the app…

    mobile accessibility · Android · TalkBack · screen readers · automated testing

  • DarkReader: Bridging the Gap Between Perception and Reality of Power Consumption in Smartphones for Blind Users

    Jian Xu, Syed Masum Billah, Roy Shilkrot, Aruna Balasubramanian · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

    This paper presents DarkReader, a modified Android screen reader that truly turns off the smartphone screen while preserving full touchscreen interaction for blind users, saving 24-52% of power compared to the default TalkBack screen reader. The work addresses two problems blind…

    blind · screen readers · TalkBack · VoiceOver · Android

  • The Current Status of Accessibility in Mobile Apps

    Shunguo Yan, P. G. Ramachandran · 2019 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

    This large-scale empirical study evaluated the accessibility of 479 Android apps from Google Play across 23 business categories using IBM Mobile Accessibility Checker (MAC), an automated tool that maps accessibility rules to GUI widget categories. The study examined over 610,000…

    mobile accessibility · Android · automated testing · accessibility evaluation · GUI accessibility

  • Application for the configuration and adaptation of the Android operating system for the visually impaired

    Bruna de Oliveira, Juliana Cristina Braga, Rafael J. Pezzuto Damaceno · 2018 · Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference (W4A 2018)

    This short paper presents the design and preliminary evaluation of an Android application that allows people with visual impairments (PVI) to configure their device’s accessibility settings using voice commands, bypassing the paradoxical problem that activating accessibility…

    Android · visual impairment · blind · low vision · TalkBack

  • Examining Image-Based Button Labeling for Accessibility in Android Apps through Large-Scale Analysis

    Anne Spencer Ross, Xiaoyi Zhang, James Fogarty, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '18)

    This paper presents the first large-scale analysis of mobile app accessibility, focusing specifically on label-based accessibility barriers in image-based buttons across 5,753 free Android apps. The researchers analyzed three classes of interactive image-based buttons —…

    mobile accessibility · Android · screen readers · image labeling · large-scale analysis

  • Epidemiology as a Framework for Large-Scale Mobile Application Accessibility Assessment

    Anne Spencer Ross, Xiaoyi Zhang, James Fogarty, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

    This paper introduces a novel conceptual framework for understanding mobile app accessibility by drawing an extended metaphor from epidemiology — the study of disease patterns, causes, and effects in populations. The core insight is that app accessibility is typically considered…

    mobile accessibility · accessibility testing · automated testing · Android · accessibility frameworks

  • An Evaluation of SingleTapBraille Keyboard: A Text Entry Method that Utilizes Braille Patterns on Touchscreen Devices

    Maraim Alnfiai, Srinivas Sampalli · 2016 · ASSETS '16: Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

    SingleTapBraille is a touchscreen keyboard that allows blind users to enter text by tapping braille dot patterns anywhere on the screen, eliminating the need to locate specific key positions. Unlike QWERTY keyboards that require users to slide their finger across the screen…

    braille · text entry · touchscreen accessibility · blind accessibility · mobile accessibility

  • Enhancing Android Accessibility for Users with Hand Tremor by Reducing Fine Pointing and Steady Tapping

    Yu Zhong, Astrid Weber, Casey Burkhardt, Phil Weaver, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

    This paper introduces Touch Guard, a system-wide Android accessibility service developed as a Google intern research project that helps users with hand tremor interact more accurately with touchscreen devices. The core problem addressed is that conventional touchscreen…

    mobile accessibility · touchscreen accessibility · hand tremor · motor impairment · Android

  • Breaking Barriers with Assistive Macros

    André Rodrigues · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

    This paper introduces Assistive Macros, an Android accessibility service that enables users with motor impairments to perform multi-step interactions with a single selection. The system addresses two critical problems: the extreme time consumption of sequential scanning…

    switch access · motor impairment · mobile accessibility · Android · macros

  • A System for Controlling Assisted Living Environments Using Mobile Devices

    Paulo A. Condado, Fernando G. Lobo · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

    This paper presents EasyHouse, a smartphone-based home automation system designed to be accessible for people with motor disabilities while remaining usable by all family members. The system addresses a gap in the smart home market: most domotic (home automation) products target…

    home automation · smart home · motor disabilities · cerebral palsy · mobile accessibility

  • Getting Smartphones to Talkback: Understanding the Smartphone Adoption Process of Blind Users

    André Rodrigues, Kyle Montague, Hugo Nicolau, Tiago Guerreiro · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

    This paper presents an eight-week longitudinal study investigating how novice blind users adopt touchscreen smartphones, transitioning from traditional feature phones. The researchers recruited five legally blind participants (ages 23-55) who had never used a touchscreen…

    blindness · screen readers · mobile accessibility · TalkBack · smartphone adoption

  • JustSpeak: enabling universal voice control on Android

    Yu Zhong, T. V. Raman, Casey Burkhardt, Fadi Biadsy, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

    This paper introduces JustSpeak, a universal voice control system for Android that works across all applications without requiring any developer intervention. Unlike Google Now or Siri, which only support pre-defined commands for specific apps, JustSpeak dynamically constructs…

    voice interface · mobile accessibility · blindness · motor accessibility · Android

  • Designing a Text Entry Multimodal Keypad for Blind Users of Touchscreen Mobile Phones

    Maria Claudia Buzzi, Marina Buzzi, Barbara Leporini, Amaury Trujillo · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

    This paper presents MTITK (Multimodal Text Input Touchscreen Keypad), a software-only text entry system for blind users of touchscreen phones that combines the familiar 12-key telephone keypad layout with multimodal audio-tactile feedback. The work is grounded in the personal…

    mobile accessibility · text entry · blindness · multimodal interaction · haptic feedback

  • VBGhost: A Braille-Based Educational Smartphone Game for Children

    Lauren R. Milne, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

    This short paper presents VBGhost, an accessible educational smartphone game for blind and low vision children that reinforces Braille literacy through gameplay. The game is based on Ghost, a word-building game where players take turns adding letters to a growing word fragment…

    braille · mobile accessibility · game accessibility · blind children · education

  • IDEAL: A Dyslexic-Friendly eBook Reader

    Gaurang Kanvinde, Luz Rello, Ricardo Baeza-Yates · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

    This demonstration paper presents the IDEAL eBook Reader, an Android application that displays ePub-formatted ebooks with a text layout specifically adapted for readers with dyslexia. The design is grounded in empirical research: layout guidelines were derived from experiments…

    dyslexia · readability · ebook · ePub · text-to-speech

  • Reusable Game Interfaces for People with Disabilities

    Javier Torrente · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

    This doctoral consortium paper proposes that creating specialized, reusable accessibility tools for game developers can significantly reduce the cost and effort of making games accessible to people with disabilities. The author argues that while games have expanded beyond…

    game accessibility · serious games · audio games · eyes-free interaction · 3D audio

  • Smartphone Application for Indoor Scene Localization

    Nabeel Younus Khan, Brendan McCane · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

    This demonstration paper presents a smartphone-based assistive technology that uses computer vision to determine a blind user's location inside a building where GPS is ineffective. The system operates on a client-server model running on an Android HTC Wildfire S phone. It…

    visual impairment · blind navigation · indoor localization · computer vision · smartphone

  • Learning Non-Visual Graphical Information Using a Touch-Based Vibro-Audio Interface

    Nicholas A. Giudice, Hari Prasath Palani, Eric Brenner, Kevin M. Kramer · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

    This paper evaluates a vibro-audio interface on a commercial Samsung Galaxy tablet that provides non-visual access to graphical information through synchronized vibration and audio feedback triggered by touch exploration. When users trace their finger over on-screen visual…

    visual impairment · blind users · tactile graphics · haptic feedback · vibro-audio interface

  • What is Wrong with This Word? Dyseggxia: A Game for Children with Dyslexia

    Luz Rello, Clara Bayarri, Azuki Gorriz · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

    This demonstration paper presents Dyseggxia, a free mobile game application for iOS and Android that provides word exercises designed specifically for Spanish-speaking children with dyslexia. The game's content design is grounded in two empirical foundations: linguistic and…

    dyslexia · serious games · educational technology · Spanish language · reading accessibility

  • Multi-View Platform: An Accessible Live Classroom Viewing Approach for Low Vision Students

    Raja S. Kushalnagar, Stephanie A. Ludie, Poorna Kushalnagar · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

    This paper presents a Multi-View Platform (MVP) that uses students' personal smartphones and tablets to provide low vision and deaf students with flexible, magnified views of classroom lecture visuals such as presentation slides and whiteboards. The system addresses a…

    low vision · education · classroom accessibility · mobile technology · magnification