How people use presentation to search for a link: expanding the understanding of accessibility on the web

It is well known that many Web pages are difficult for visually disabled people to use. Without access to a rich, visual display, the intended structure and organisation of the page is obscured. To fully understand what is missing from the experience of visually disabled users, it is pertinent to ask how the presentation of Web pages on a standard display makes them easier for sighted people to use. Here, we report on an exploratory eye-tracking study that addresses this issue by investigating how sighted readers use the presentation of the BBC News Web page to search for a link. We compare the standard page presentation with a “text-only” version and observe both qualitatively and quantitatively that the removal of the intended presentation alters “reading” behaviours. The demonstration that the presentation of information assists task completion suggests that it should be re-introduced to non-visual presentations if the Web is to become more accessible. We also explore the e...

• Type: Conference
• Year: 2006
• Where: W4A
• Authors: Caroline Jay, Robert Stevens, Mashhuda Glencross, Alan Chalmers
• Keywords: Presentations, Standard Page Presentation, W4A 2006, Web Page