Efficiency of Spearcon-Enhanced Navigation of One Dimensional Electronic Menus
By Palladino, Dianne K.; Walker, Bruce N.; iCAD 08 - Proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Auditory Display,Publication Date: 2008
Study investigated navigation through a cell phone menu in the presence of auditory cues, visual cues, or both. Auditory cues used were text-to-speech and spearcons. A spearcon is defined as a spoken phrase that is compressed without modifying the perceived pitch of the sound and that is naturally briefer than the phrase it represents. Participants were 127 undergraduates, 55 men and 72 women with normal hearing and vision, who navigated through a 50-item alphabetically listed menu to find a target name. Participants using visual cues, either alone or combined with auditory cues, responded faster than those using only auditory cues. Performance was not found to be significantly different among the two auditory conditions. Although not significant, when combined with visual cues, spearcons improved navigational efficiency more than both text-to-speech cues and menus using no sound, and provided evidence for the ability of sound to enhance visual menus. The authors conclude that research results provide evidence applicable to efficient auditory menu creation to enhance the use of electronic devices for users with visual disabilities.
Published by: International Community for Auditory Display (ICAD) (Website:http://www.icad.org/)
International Community for Auditory Display (ICAD) (Web Site: http://www.icad.org/ )
This publication is included in the library of the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC), accession number O18068
