Involving Disabled Users in the Development of e-Services

1. Involving Disabled Users in the Development of e-Services Margita Lundman The Swedish Handicap Institute

2. User groups • Target group: approx. 10-20 % of the population in Europe • Disability groups, e.g. people with • visual impairments • hearing impairments • deafness • speech and language impairments • motor impairments • cognitive impairments

3. Using e-services • People with disabilities use e-services for the same reasons as everybody else • Potential problems using e-services: • Reading and writing • Using images • Perceiving sound based information • Handling input devices • Comprehension of complex, abstract information • Difficulties concentrating, navigating, locating information

4. Design for All • Designing mainstream products and services to be accessible by as broad a range of users as possible • Accessible websites according to WAI Content Guidelines • a practical application of DfA

5. Rationale for user involvement • Democracy • Influence and participation • Effectiveness, improved end results • Usable services, meeting user needs • Efficiency • Improved work process

6. UN rules and conventions • UN Treaty to protect the Human Rights of disabled people, 2006 • Ensure access to information, communications and other services, including electronic services and emergency services. • UN Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, 1993 • Consultation of disabled users

7. EU policies • EU Resolution on e-Accessibility, 2003 • Empower people with disabilities to take increased control • European Commmission i2010 eGovernment Action Plan, 2006 • No citizen left behind

8. Bättre tillsammans - a project on user involvement • 2002-2006 • The Swedish Handicap Institute (SHI), User organisations and Centre for Speech Technology, CTT and Centre for User Oriented IT Design, CID, at KTH, Stockholm • The Swedish Inheritance Fund

9. Goals • Strenghten the influence and participation of users with disabilities in the development and provision of ICT • A project on methods

10. Project activities • Dialogues with users • Experiences, expectations, potentials of technology • A workshop methodology • Reality based video prototypes • Studies • Involving disabled users in research work • Involving disabled users in product development • Users as a resource; Involving people with learning disabilities • Studies related to children and young people • Master’s theses • Guidelines, how to facilitate user participation

11. Methodology considerations • An approach • Professional, with respect, in an ethical manner • Preparations • Collecting information • Significant others • Elderly people

12. Workshops • Westerlund & Lindquist, CID • Participants • People with neuropsychiatric disorders • Deaf, sign language users of 3G • Meaningful solutions based on users’ perceptions of everyday life • Simple means for visualizing scenarios • DVD, including ”video prototypes” and reports on the methodology

13. Virtual focus groups • Henrik Ingrids, SHI and TEMO • Video conference via the Internet • Easy access, familiar environment • Two sessions • Young people with dyslexia • Deaf, sign language teenagers • Task oriented dialogue, less social interaction

14. The video conference system

15. Evaluation and dissemination • Project activities positively evaluated by the disabled participants • Results available, in Swedish, at the project website, www.hi.se • Ongoing dialogue on future products and services requested

16. Dissemination of results, recipients • Actors developing ICT products and e-services • Researchers at universities • Students at design schools, technical universities, and programmes on human-computer interaction • Market study actors • Governmental authorities(user studies, procurement)