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5.2 Results
After all the meetings we had with both users, we
can summarize the following results as part of the
contribution of the UCD process to our research.
5.2.1 Initial Requirements
After the first couple of interviews with both users,
we established the next requirements for the user
interface of our TTS tool (see Table 2).
5.2.2 Improvements and Corrections
After several meetings in which we have analysed
the way both users responded and interacted with
every prototype designed, the following
improvements and corrections have been done (see
Table 3).
6 CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE
WORK
The existing TTS conversion tools present several
accessibility barriers for users with limited mobility
in upper extremities. The motor impairments causing
these mobility limitations sometimes cause also
speech disabilities. Therefore, there is a specific user
group who could greatly benefit from TTS
conversion tools if they were accessible. The
accessibility barriers detected in this research work
make user interaction difficult in many cases even
impossible in others.
User interface adaptation techniques have been
studied for creating alternative interaction
components and techniques for solving the detected
accessibility barriers. Several content adaptation
techniques, presentation adaptation techniques and
navigation techniques have been considered for the
development of MintzaTek user interface.
The development process of the TTS conversion
tool has been an iterative one and based on UCD.
Two real motor impaired users with large interaction
experience with this type of assistive technology
have been involved in the process. The initial
requirements were gathered with the aid of these two
users and applying techniques such as observations,
interviews and discussion activities. User interface
design have been tested and commented with both
users and prototypes of the system have been
evaluated. Feedback obtained from this UCD
activities have been always considered in the
iterative development process.
We are currently contacting more users with
motor impairments in order to conduct formal user
evaluation of the developed TTS conversion tool.
We also plan to apply eye-tracking methods for
obtaining additional information from user
interaction. This comprehensive user evaluation will
serve to demonstrate the utility of the adapted user
interface components included in the tool.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors gratefully acknowledge the support of
the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation
through Project ModelAccess (TIN2010-15549).
The EGOKITUZ Research Laboratory is supported
by the Department of Education, Universities and
Research of the Basque Government (Eusko
Jaurlaritza/Gobierno Vasco) through Grant# IT-395-
10.
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