aDesigner
A disability simulator that helps Web designers ensure that their pages are accessible and usable by the visually impaired.
Date Posted: July 7, 2004
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Update: September 27, 2007
New version adds support for OpenDocument Format (ODF) and Flash content; presentation simulation function for ODF documents; and accessibility information (MSAA/IA2) inspection functions.
What is aDesigner?
aDesigner is a disability simulator that helps designers ensure that their content and applications are accessible and usable by the visually impaired.
Voice browsers and screen readers read aloud the text on Web pages and are used by visually impaired people. However, these devices are less effective with certain kinds of content, such as highly graphical material. Web developers can use aDesigner to test the accessibility and usability of Web pages for low-vision and blind people.
aDesigner also helps users to check accessibility of ODF documents and Flash content. It also has accessibility information (MSAA/IA2) inspection functions.
In Japan, aDesigner was bundled with the product Home Page Builder as a technology demonstration. In addition, aDesigner was a finalist in the Wall Street Journal's First Global Technology Innovation Awards, and it won the Nikkei Innovator Award in 2004. This technology has also received much industry recognition.
How does it work? The tool looks at such elements as the degree of color contrast on the page, the ability of users to change the font size, the appropriateness of alternate text for images, and the availability of links in the page to promote navigability. The tool also checks the pages's compliance with accessibility guidelines. The result of this analysis is a report listing the problems that would prevent accessibility and usability by visually impaired users. In addition, each page is given an overall score. With this information, Web developers get immediate feedback and can address these obstacles before the pages are published.
The tool also simulates how presentations will appear to audiences under various conditions, such as in small meeting rooms, in auditoriums, etc. Authors can confirm whether or not an audience can read the text or see the figures of their presentations.
With the MSAA/IA2 inspection functions, the accessibility information that the GUI controls inside an application or Web page can be checked automatically. In addition, the tool displays the visual content of the GUI in different ways, such as flat text or a tree outline or with detailed properties. Combinations of these functions are effective in helping application developers find problems.
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| | About the technology author(s):
This technology was developed by the following engineers at the IBM® Tokyo Research Laboratory:
Shin Saito's research interests include Web accessibility, Web usability, and static analysis of mark-up and programming languages. He is a member of the ACM and JSSST.
Kentarou Fukuda, Ph.D., is interested in Web accessibility, Web application development, and multimedia systems. He is a member of the Institute of Electronics, Information, and Communication Engineers (IEICE) and Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ).
Hironobu Takagi, Ph.D., has conducted research and development on nonvisual computer interfaces. He is a member of the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), IPSJ, and JSSST.
Junji Maeda was named a Master Inventor at IBM Research in 2003. His research interests include Web accessibility, image and video processing, and digital media. Mr. Maeda is a member of the IEEE Computer Society, ACM, IPSJ, and IEICE.
Hisashi "Himi" Miyashita works on XML processing, distributed computing, and accessibility. He has contributed many free software and open-source projects such as the Meadow project and the IIIMF project at OpenI18N WG.
Daisuke Sato's research interests include human computer interaction, Web accessibility, and Web usability. He is a member of the Information Processing Society of Japan (IPSJ).
Tatsuya Ishihara's research interests include Web accessibility, Web usability, and pattern recognition. He is a member of the ACM and IEICE.
Takashi Itoh is an advisory software engineer. His many years of software development experience include operating systems, device drivers, speech synthesis, Eclipse tools for WebSphere, and Home Page Reader.
Chieko Asakawa, Ph.D., is an IBM Distinguished Engineer. Since 1985, she has conducted research and development on nonvisual computer interfaces for the blind; these interfaces include the Home Page Reader (1997). Dr. Asakawa received recognition from the Japanese Ministry of Health and Welfare in 1999 and was inducted into the Women in Technology International Hall of Fame in 2003. She is a member of the IBM Academy of Technology, ACM, IEICE, and IPSJ.
IBM is a trademark of IBM Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both.
Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.
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