Checking an Integrated Model of Web Accessibility and Usability Evaluation for Disabled People
By Federici, Stefano; Micangeli, Andrea; Ruspantini, Irene; Borgianni, Stefano; Corradi, Fabrizio; Pasqualotto, Emanuele; Belardinelli, Marta Olivetti; Disability and Rehabilitation, Vol. 27, No. 13, pp. 781-790Publication Date: July 2005
Study conducted to evaluate a combined objective-oriented and subjective-oriented method for evaluating the accessibility and usability of web pages for students with disabilities. The objective-oriented approach involves verifying the conformity of interfaces to standard rules stated by national and international organizations responsible for web technology standardization, such as W3C. The subjective-oriented approach is utilized in order to evaluate how the users interact with the artificial system, as it assesses levels of user satisfaction based on personal factors and environmental barriers. Upon evaluation, the objective-oriented and subjective-oriented methods each yielded different and frequently conflicting results. Both methods were found to demonstrate more consistency in evaluating levels of accessibility than of usability. Since usability is largely affected by individual differences, subjective-oriented measures played a role in the fact that blind students encountered much more web surfing difficulties. Implications for future research are discussed.
Published by: Taylor & Francis, Limited (Website:http://taylorandfrancis.org)
International Society of Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine (Web Site: http://www.isprm.org )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number J49360
