%A Jennifer Marie Smith
%T Exploring Human Computer Interaction and its Implications on Modeling for Individuals with Disabilities
%X Computers provide an interface to the world for many individuals with disabilities and without effective computer access, quality of life may be severely diminished. As a result of this dependence, optimal human computer interaction (HCI) between a user and their computer is of paramount importance. Optimal HCI for individuals with disabilities relies on both the existence of products which provide the desired functionality and the selection of appropriate products and training methods for a given individual. From a product availability standpoint, optimal HCI often depends on modeling techniques used during the development process to evaluate a design, assess usability and predict performance. Computer access evaluations are often too brief in duration and depend on the products present at the site of the evaluation. Models could assist clinicians in dealing with the problems of limited time with clients, limited products for the client to trial, and the seemingly unlimited system configurations available with many potential solutions. Current HCI modeling techniques have been developed and applied to the performance of able-bodied individuals. Research concerning modeling performance for individuals with disabilities has been limited. This study explores HCI as it applies to both able-bodied and individuals with disabilities. Eleven participants (5 able-bodied / 6 with disabilities) were recruited and asked to transcribe sentences presented by a text entry interface supporting word prediction with the use of an on-screen keyboard while time stamped keystroke and eye fixation data was collected. Data was examined to identify sequences of behavior, performance changes based on experience, and performance differences between able-bodied and participants with disabilities. The feasibility of creating models based on the collected data was explored. A modeling technique must support selection from multiple sequences of behavior to perform a particular type of action and variation in execution time for primitive operations in addition to handling errors. The primary contributions made by this study were knowledge gained relative to the design of the test bench and experimental protocol.
%D 2007
%K disability; eye tracking; HCI; models; word prediction
%I University of Pittsburgh
%L pittir9834