Are you aged 18 or above? Are you a blind or visually impaired person who must rely on screen reader to interact with mobile devices? Do you have at least three years of experience searching for information on the Internet using any type of mobile device (e.g., iPhone, iPad, Android phone, or Android tablet)? [no external keyboard is allowed except entering search terms] Are you comfortable verbalizing your thoughts in English? [your verbal data will help the research team identify the problems of current digital library design] Are you willing to install the online meeting software (Microsoft Teams)? [need to have reliable Internet connection without using VPN because it will slow down the search speed] If your response is yes to all, you can earn $100 for participating in a research study.
Based on the current progress of the user study, the research team needs the following participants for the study:
Android tablet: All types of participants.
A research team comprising blind and sighted scholars at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is investigating the accessibility and usability of digital libraries for users who are blind and visually impaired. The goal is to create digital library design guidelines to improve digital library design in the mobile environment, supporting blind and visually impaired people to effectively search for information online via mobile devices.
Study participants will be invited to join the study via an online Microsoft Teams meeting. Participants will “think aloud” as they search for information using digital library mobile websites. The search process and verbalizations will be video-recorded and later analyzed to understand how well the mobile interfaces support a blind user’s information search. Participation may take up to three hours at a time convenient to participants. In addition, participants will be interviewed during and after the searches. Upon completion of the study, participants will receive a $100 gift card to compensate for their time and effort and as a token of appreciation.
If you are interested in participating in the research project, please fill in the screening questionnaire. If you have any questions, contact Shengang Wang (shengang@uwm.edu).
Please reference the project title: “Universal Accessibility and Usability of Digital Libraries in the Mobile Environment (IRB: 23. 191)” in the subject line of the email. Please pass along this information to other qualified candidates who might be interested.