The Usability SIG Newsletter
Usability Interface

Usability Interface is the quarterly publication of the Usability SIG. The purpose of the newsletter is to provide technical communicators with up-to-date and in-depth information on how they can apply usability design and testing techniques to their products. It is mailed to all SIG members.

April 2003 - Accessibility and Usability: Partners in Effective Design
Joint Issue with the Special Needs SIG

Observing Users Who Listen to Web Sites

by Janice (Ginny) Redish and Mary Frances Theofanos
The Communications Technology Branch at the United States National Cancer Institute has been conducting usability testing with blind and low-vision users. This article shares some of the fascinating findings about how vision-impaired users work with web sites.

Applied Theory:
Working Toward an Accessible Web Site

By Kim McConnell, Central Ohio Chapter
Accessibility is becoming a best practice, and in some cases a legal requirement, in Web development. This article shares the steps the author took to work toward transforming a Web site to one that is accessible according to the W3C recommendations. More...

Online Article:
Section 508 from the Hearing Loss Perspective

By David Baquis
Why is Section 508 important? Here is an explanation of Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act and how it ensures a minimum level of access in the federal workplace. It includes a summary of key Section 508 sections relevant to hearing loss. More...

Online Article:
Guidelines for Writing Accessible Online Help

by Will Reed, Everyl Yankee, and Wendi Fornoff, with Deborah Murray
This article describes how to write effective on-line help for blind and low vision users of text based readers. The authors draw on their collective experience in both using text (screen) readers like JAWS to access web applications as well as preparing accessibility help for web pages and applications. More...

Position Paper on the Suitability to Task of Automated Utilities for Testing Web Accessibility Compliance

by Bill Killam and Bill Holland
Automated tools can make our jobs significantly easier, more thorough, and more cost effective. But, they are only the first necessary step in addressing accessibility-removing the barriers. We must now address the special condition of usability related to handicapped users and accept that user-based evaluation is the only true test of success. More...

Online Article:
Bridging Usability and Aesthetic Design of Wheelchairs

by Betsy Fields
A wheelchair provides transportation for the disabled, independence and self-sufficiency to someone who would otherwise be completely dependent on others. But is functionality the only aspect of a wheelchair worth contemplation? Should we not evaluate the design aesthetic of wheelchairs to the same extent that we analyze the design of other useful and purposeful objects? More...

Online Article:
Stuckness and Low Vision

by Gloria Reece
Gloria discusses her low-vision condition, the problems it poses in her life and work and the accommodation strategies she has developed. More...

Online Article:
I Walk, I See, I Hear

by Jodi Shumway, University of North Texas
For 40 years I had taken no notice of the locations of ramps in public buildings, the height or number of stairs, or if pay phones had instructions in Braille. My, how things have changed for me since January when I took on the challenge of writing the Special Needs SIG's Conference Guide for People with Special Needs for the Society's 50th International Conference in Dallas More...

Cognitive Behavior:
Learning Disabilities: Being Different Shouldn't Mean Being Discriminated Against

By Karen Mardahl, Nordic Chapter
I view my son's early school years in the 90s as a nightmare. I asked if my son could submit homework done on the computer due to his awful handwriting - weren't his ideas the key issue? - and "NO!" was the reply. More...

Career Development:
Accessible Web Design Program Makes Debut at Northeastern University

by P.J. Gardner and Lori Gillen
Web accessibility is a hot topic, and now there is a brand new place to gain the knowledge and credentials you need to succeed in this increasingly important field. More...

Book Reviews

Reshaping Technical Communication: New Directions and Challenges for the 21st Century, by Barbara Mirel and Rachel Spilka, editors
book review by Jeff Staples, Houston Chapter

Don't Make Me Think by Steve Krug
book review by Mark Hall, San Diego Chapter

Resources

Links and Short Articles
This issue included a number of short articles with links to interesting resources in accessibility and usability. They are all collected here. More...

Web Accessibility Test Tool Available Free to K-12 Students
The HiSoftware Company has announced the availability of a free version of its popular Cynthia Says Web accessibility test tool for use by grade school and secondary school students. More...

See the topic on Accessibility for more resources

SIG News

Editorial: Is it Obligatory to Make Products Accessible?
Mike Murray, Achieve! and David Dick, Usability Interface weigh in on reasons to make your products accessible. More...

Pulse of the SIG: Satisfying Emotional Needs
By Karen Bachmann, Usability SIG Manager
Understanding and sympathizing with users' anxiety and fears can help us make products that limit anxiety and increase satisfaction. ... When users are already starting from a point of anxiety, the effort to produce a truly positive and effective user experience becomes much greater. More...

Special Needs SIG: These are Exciting Times
By Dan Voss, Special Needs SIG Manager
A report on the status of SNSIG membership drive, conference activities and other projects. More...

SIG News
Updates from both the Special Needs and Usability SIGs. More...