ButterflEye : supporting the development of accessible web applications for users with severe motor-impairment

Abstract

The major objective of this work is to propose an enhancement tool for developers that can be used to build cost-effective websites that are accessible to persons with severe motor disabilities (SMD). Eye-tracking Systems are traditionally expensive and this dissertation will propose a low-cost eye-tracking solution which extends an open source user interface framework, Bootstrap. This will facilitate the development and design process of accessible websites for severe motor impaired users through reliance on industry standards and bootstrapping on existing best practices. The proposed technology and tools, code-named ButterflEye, will be developed following an iterative prototyping methodology and evaluated through an empirical study. In the first part, previous work in the areas of accessibility, usability, eye-tracking studies and web standards is reviewed and critically analysed. The different available methodologies are then discussed, outlining the ones chosen for this research. The architecture of ButterflEye is then discussed followed by the experimental setup required to conduct an empirical evaluation of the proposed techniques. Participants for this study were a mix of able-bodied and severely motor impaired persons. Finally, results with respect to the objectives and research question are discussed. Different results were acquired through a series of lab-based and in-situ interventions, where the strengths and weaknesses of ButterflEye were elicited and reviewed iteratively. This study provides important insights on the positive impact that such technology has on SMD users. However, the lack of standards and availability of costeffective technology limits the adoption and proliferation of accessible services targeting this unique demographic. Developer-centric and open-sourced tools are proposed to improve this situation.