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• How to design cognitively accessible digital design patterns for booking tickets: A participative study with Easy-to-Read users.

  Sabina Sieghart, Björn Rohles, Kim Corti, Trang Nguyen, Ann Bessemans · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Sieghart and colleagues tackle a persistent gap in cognitive accessibility research: digital design patterns are almost never validated with Easy-to-Read (ETR) users — adults with intellectual disabilities who can read at a basic level. The paper reports a participatory design…

  cognitive accessibility · Easy-to-Read · intellectual disability · participatory design · digital design patterns

• Beyond Accessibility: Understanding the Ease of Use and Impacts of Digital Collaboration Tools for Blind and Low Vision Workers

  Taslima Akter, Aparajita S Marathe, Darren Gergle, Anne Marie Piper · 2025 · ASSETS '25: Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents results from a large-scale online survey of 155 blind and low vision (BLV) screen reader users, evaluating the ease of use of 30 widely used digital collaboration tools across five categories: videoconferencing, asynchronous messaging, collaborative writing,…

  blind and low vision · workplace accessibility · collaboration tools · screen readers · employment

• Screen or No Screen? Lessons Learnt from a Real-World Deployment Study of Using Voice Assistants With and Without Touchscreen for Older Adults

  Zhenyu Chen, Yijun Lin, Jiaxin Li, Qiuchen Qian, Mingzhe Li, Jikun Peng, Yuhang Zhao · 2023 · ASSETS 2023: The 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a 40-day within-subjects deployment study examining how older adults interact with voice assistants (VAs) with and without touchscreen capability. Sixteen participants (mean age 82.5 years), all living independently, used an Amazon Echo Dot (voice-only) and…

  voice assistants · older adults · smart speakers · smart displays · touchscreen

• Screen Magnification for Readers with Low Vision: A Study on Usability and Performance

  Meini Tang, Roberto Manduchi, Susana Chung, Raquel Prado · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This study investigates how people with low vision use two common screen magnification modes — full screen and lens — when reading documents and exploring web pages on a laptop computer. The researchers recruited 20 participants with a range of low vision conditions (including…

  screen magnification · low vision · reading performance · usability · mouse interaction

• The Transparency of Automatic Web Accessibility Evaluation Tools: Design Criteria, State of the Art, and User Perception

  Marco Manca, Vanessa Palumbo, Fabio Paternò, Carmen Santoro · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper investigates a critical but often overlooked problem in web accessibility practice: the lack of transparency in automated accessibility evaluation tools. While these tools are widely used to identify WCAG violations, users frequently struggle to understand why…

  automated testing · accessibility evaluation tools · WAVE · axe · Lighthouse

• Video Conferencing Tools: Comparative Study of the Experiences of Screen Reader Users and the Development of More Inclusive Design Guidelines

  Barbara Leporini, Marina Buzzi, Marion Hersh · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This comprehensive study investigates the accessibility and usability of three major video conferencing platforms—Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams—for blind and visually impaired people using screen readers. Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic when video conferencing…

  video conferencing · screen readers · blind users · Zoom · Microsoft Teams

• Investigating Older Adults' Adoption and Usage of Online Conferencing Tools During COVID-19

  Hirak Ray, Ravi Kuber, Adam J. Aviv · 2022 · Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This qualitative study examines how 25 older adults (aged 60-89) in the United States adapted to online conferencing tools during the COVID-19 pandemic, with a particular focus on usability challenges, privacy and security concerns, and the trade-offs made between the two. The…

  older adults · aging · technology adoption · privacy · usability

• Distance Meetings During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Are Video Conferencing Tools Accessible for Blind People?

  Barbara Leporini, Marina Buzzi, Marion Hersh · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper evaluates the accessibility of three major video conferencing platforms — Zoom, Google Meet, and Microsoft Teams — for blind users who rely on screen readers and keyboard navigation. Conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic when video conferencing became essential for…

  screen readers · video conferencing · blind and low vision · keyboard accessibility · COVID-19

• Evaluation of Assistive Technologies from the perspective of Usability, User Experience and Accessibility: a Systematic Mapping Study

  Tatiany Xavier de Godoi, Guilherme Corredato Guerino, Natasha Malveira C. Valentim · 2021 · Proceedings of the XX Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems (IHC)

  This systematic mapping study (SMS) investigates how assistive technologies (ATs) are evaluated from the perspectives of usability, user experience (UX), and accessibility — three interrelated but distinct software quality factors. The authors searched Scopus, ACM Digital…

  assistive technology · usability · user experience · accessibility evaluation · systematic review

• Immersive Virtual Reality for Older Adults: Empirically Grounded Design Guidelines

  Vero Vanden Abeele, Brenda Schraepen, Hanne Huygelier, Celine Gillebert, Kathrin Gerling, Raymond Van Ee · 2021 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper establishes empirically grounded design guidelines for immersive virtual reality (IVR) experiences targeting older adults. The researchers conducted two complementary studies: first, a systematic literature review that compiled 67 design guidelines from 13 prior…

  virtual reality · older adults · aging · design guidelines · accessibility

• Effect of Sign-recognition Performance on the Usability of Sign-language Dictionary Search

  Saad Hassan, Oliver Alonzo, Abraham Glasser, Matt Huenerfauth · 2021 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper investigates how the performance of sign-language recognition technology affects user satisfaction with ASL dictionary search systems. Unlike written languages where users can type unfamiliar words to look them up, ASL learners who encounter an unfamiliar sign cannot…

  American Sign Language · ASL · sign language recognition · dictionary search · information retrieval

• Blind Leading the Sighted: Drawing Design Insights from Blind Users towards More Productivity-oriented Voice Interfaces

  Ali Abdolrahmani, Kevin M. Storer, Antony Rishin Mukkath Roy, Ravi Kuber, Stacy M. Branham · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates how people who are blind use voice-activated personal assistants (VAPAs) like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri, arguing that blind users are expert voice interface users whose insights can improve VAPA design for everyone. The research…

  voice user interface · voice-activated personal assistant · blindness · visual impairment · smart speakers

• TableView: Enabling Efficient Access to Web Data Records for Screen-Magnifier Users

  Hae-Na Lee, Sami Uddin, Vikas Ashok · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper addresses a significant usability challenge faced by people with low vision who use screen magnifiers to browse the web: the difficulty of comparing data records on websites such as job listings, flight search results, shopping products, and restaurant listings.…

  low vision · screen magnifier · web accessibility · usability · browser extension

• CareHub: Smart Screen VUI and Home Appliances Control for Older Adults

  Ningjing Sun · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This demonstration paper presents CareHub, a smart screen prototype that augments voice user interfaces (VUIs) with complementary visual output to help older adults control home appliances more effectively. The research was conducted at the Rhode Island School of Design and…

  voice user interface · older adults · smart home · aging in place · multimodal interaction

• "Maps are hard for me": Identifying How Older Adults Struggle with Mobile Maps

  Ja Eun Yu, Debaleena Chattopadhyay · 2020 · ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This short paper from the University of Illinois at Chicago examines how older adults (aged 60+) use Google Maps on their own mobile devices and identifies the specific accessibility challenges they encounter. While smartphone ownership among US adults aged 65+ grew from 18% in…

  older adults · mobile accessibility · mobile maps · touchscreen · cognitive accessibility

• Supporting Older Adults in Locating Mobile Interface Features with Voice Input

  Ja Eun Yu, Debaleena Chattopadhyay · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This demonstration paper presents a voice assistant system built on Android that helps older adults locate specific features on complex mobile interfaces by speaking natural language queries. The system addresses a well-documented challenge: older adults struggle to find…

  aging · mobile accessibility · voice interface · user interface design · assistive technology

• Effects of Extended Use of an Age-friendly Computer System on Assessments of Computer Proficiency, Attitudes, and Usability by Older Non-Computer Users

  Joseph Sharit, Jerad H. Moxley, Walter R. Boot, Neil Charness, Wendy A. Rogers, Sara J. Czaja · 2019 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper examines the impact of 12 months of extended use of PRISM (Personal Reminder Information and Social Management), a computer system specifically designed for older adults at risk of social isolation, on computer proficiency, attitudes toward computers, and perceived…

  older adults · computer proficiency · social isolation · usability · age-friendly design

• A Computer Anxiety Model for Elderly Users Interacting with the Web

  Thiago Donizetti dos Santos, Vagner Figueredo de Santana · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a model for automatically detecting Computer Anxiety (CA) levels in older adults through analysis of their interaction logs while browsing the web. Computer Anxiety — defined as negative emotions and cognition processes evoked during actual or imagined…

  computer anxiety · older adults · aging · interaction logging · machine learning

• Continuous Web Personalization using Selector-template Pairs

  Vagner Figueredo de Santana, M. Cecilia C. Baranauskas · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a continuous web personalization approach that automatically adjusts website user interfaces based on observed usage patterns to reduce accessibility barriers and usability problems. Built on the WELFIT (Web Event Logger and Flow Identification Tool)…

  web personalization · accessibility · usability · interaction logging · data mining

• Insights for More Usable VR for People with Amblyopia

  Ocean Hurd, Sri Kurniawan · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper investigates how to make virtual reality experiences more usable for people with amblyopia ("lazy eye"), the world's most common neurological eye disorder affecting approximately 2-3% of the population. The research is motivated by two converging trends: the…

  amblyopia · virtual reality · visual impairment · VR therapy · serious games

• Effect of Automatic Sign Recognition Performance on the Usability of Video-Based Search Interfaces for Sign Language Dictionaries

  Oliver Alonzo, Abraham Glasser, Matt Huenerfauth · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper investigates how the performance of automatic sign recognition technology affects user satisfaction when searching for unfamiliar words in an ASL-to-English dictionary. Looking up an unknown sign in ASL is fundamentally harder than looking up an unknown written word:…

  sign language · ASL · sign language recognition · dictionary · Deaf and hard of hearing

• ScratchThat: Supporting Command-Agnostic Speech Repair in Voice-Driven Assistants

  Jason Wu, Karan Ahuja, Richard Li, Victor Chen, Jeffrey Bigham · 2019 · Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies

  This paper presents ScratchThat, a command-agnostic speech repair system for voice-driven virtual assistants that allows users to naturally correct voice commands without repeating entire queries. Current voice assistants like Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri lack natural…

  voice interface · speech recognition · conversational agents · error correction · natural language processing

• Guidelines for Creating Senior-Friendly Product Instructions

  Meng Fan, Khai N. Truong · 2018 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper addresses the widespread challenge older adults face when using product instructions, which are typically designed for a general audience without consideration for age-related changes in cognition, vision, and motor skills. The authors developed 11 evidence-based…

  aging · product instructions · guidelines · usability · older adults

• Subjective Evaluation of Website Accessibility and Usability: A Survey for People with Sensory Disabilities

  Tahani Alahmadi, Steve Drew · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a novel subjective evaluation model for assessing web accessibility and usability from the perspective of students with sensory disabilities, applied to Australian university websites. The model integrates accessibility criteria from WCAG 2.0 and Section 508…

  accessibility evaluation · usability · university websites · education accessibility · sensory disabilities

• Cross-Cultural Web Design Guidelines

  Rukshan Alexander, David Murray, Nik Thompson · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper develops evidence-based cross-cultural web design guidelines that go beyond simple language translation to address culturally specific design preferences in layout, navigation, links, multimedia, visual representation, colour, and text. The authors argue that cultural…

  cross-cultural design · web design guidelines · cultural factors · internationalization · localization