Design of multimodal systems

Recently I found an interesting journal article titled Human Factors (HF): Multimodal interaction, communication and navigation guidelines. It has defined a set of metaprinciples and design principles for multimodal systems. For elaboration and examples of these see page 17-21 in the document.

Metaprinciples

1. Use multimodal presentation of information to allow users with different preferences and abilities to interpret data in their preferred way.
2. Use multimodal interpretation to allow users to interact with a system following their individual preferences and suited to their special needs.

Design principles

1. The range of available modalities should be offered in the different modalities.
2. It should be possible to choose different presentations modalities using any of the available interaction modalities.
3. Individual modalities should be activated optionally.
4. Individual modalities should be scalable by the user.
5. Completeness of functionality/controls should be ensured in all available modalities.
6. Modalities should only be switched at logically sensible situations in the dialogue.
7. The user-specific modality setting should persist.
8. Adequate prompts should be offered in the chosen modality.
9. The same information should be expressed in different modalities.
10. The same style should be expressed in different modalities.
11. Dialogues should be aesthetically consistent in each and every modality.
12. Multimodality should not be stigmatizing.

 

Shared Experience

W3C states that people with disabilities using computers have similar interaction limitations as people without disabilities who are using mobile devices. Both experience similar barriers when interacting with Web sites (source).

This is an comparison I haven’t thought about before, and that I find quite interesting! This means that by following the guidelines for mobile (MWBP) you will automatically avoid some issues regarding accessibility (WCAG) and vice versa.

 

Accessible mobile interfaces

Funka have designed and published a set of guidelines for developing of accessible mobile interfaces (in Swedish).

Funkas methodology was developed in close collaboration with the disability movement and all that we recommend is tested in reality. Our business is based on international guidelines for accessibility, Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0). Funkas long experience of the availability of work and testing with users with different needs and conditions, with and without aids, shows that WCAG 2.0 is not enough. We have therefore developed the test criteria for points that are complementary to international regulations and the public sector through the EU decision to follow.

This is very relevant to my thesis even though Feide, which is an internal system for students and people in the educational sector, not is affected by the EU regulations, it is a technology used by more and more people and should ideally be accessible to everyone.

 

Universal Design or Multimodal User Interface?

E.g. Multimodal User Interface (biometrics) Source: http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTxKdbyRiHlgAWHTgt69iefF3Miq0kcLGKZ1DR-fhbe-ijl5oKS3EmR87_2

There are several ways of making sure that people with disabilities are included and can use a product. Two approaches are Universal Design (UD) and multimodale user interafaces.

Universal Design aims to create products that are usable to as many users as possible without the need for addoption or specialized design (CUD, 1997).

A flexible multimodal user interface can meet different users needs, abilities, situations, preferences and devices by making it possible for users to adjust the product settings based on their needs (Fuglerud 2009; Helman 2008).