Usability and Accessibility of eBay by Screen Reader

Abstract

Abstract. The evolution of Information and Communication Technology and the rapid growth of the Internet have fuelled a great diffusion of eCommerce websites. Usually these sites have complex layouts crowded with active elements, and thus are difficult to navigate via screen reader. Interactive environments should be properly designed and delivered to everyone, including the blind, who usually use screen readers to interact with their computers. In this paper we investigate the interaction of blind users with eBay, a popular eCommerce website, and discuss how using the W3C Accessible Rich Internet Applications (WAI-ARIA) suite could improve the user experience when navigating via screen reader.

Conceptualization of a technical solution for web navigation of visually impaired people

“…Eighty-one percent of visually impaired users consider that the access to the Web is difficult, if not impossible [3]. Many authors have highlighted the numerous problems encountered by the blind when navigating on the web with a screen reader which transcribes the website content according to a standard and serial reading of HTML content (from left to right and from top to bottom) [4,5,6]. For example, information gathering results in a time-consuming reading because of the reading of a large number information which are often redundant.…”

Cultural considerations for designing crossover applications for the visually impaired

“…Buzzi [19] described the results of an electronic survey that they applied to two groups of 22 members each, one group is blind and the other group is sighted. Their goal was to understand the difficulties and obstacles that members experience when they were shopping online and specify their expectations and recommendations of simplifying and better interaction.…”

“…Usually screen readers allow users to read the screen either with a text-to-speech output or by a Braille display. Buzzi investigates the interaction of blind users with eBay, a popular e-commerce website [19] . His research was focused on how e-commerce websites have complex layouts with lots of active elements that hinder navigating them using a screen reader.…”

“…Certainly such principles apply to crossover applications as well. Szeto [19] recommended experts to meet people's expectations that will increase the probability of technology being welcomed and fully utilized. These principles are summarized as defining the user's expectations, studying technology based on the environment or distance, avoiding duplicating useful solutions, reflecting users' preferences and selection, customizing assistive technology for a certain area, training users and assistants or family members, showing its benefits and limitations, and making periodic reevaluation to assistive technology for reconfiguring it and updating as needed.…”

Um auxílio à navegação acessível na web para usuários cegos

“…Menus muito complexos: A página apresenta menus muito complexos, com muitos links, o que dificulta a navegação através do uso de um leitor de tela. Isso ocorre pois o usuário cego apresenta dificuldade em encontrar links relevantes em meio a grandes quantidades de links oralizados, resultado em desorientação (BUZZI et al, 2009 …”