This paper describes work to provide mappings between Xbased graphical interfaces and auditory interfaces. In our system, dubbed Mercator, this mapping is transparent to applications. The primary motivation for this work is to provide accessibility to graphical applications for users who are blind or visually impaired. We describe the design of an auditory interface which simulates many of the features of graphical interfaces. We then describe the architecture we have built to model and transform graphical interfaces. Finally, we conclude with some indications of future research for improving our translation mechanisms and for creating an auditory "desktop" environment.

This paper describes work to provide mappings between Xbased graphical interfaces and auditory interfaces. In our system, dubbed Mercator, this mapping is transparent to applications. The primary motivation for this work is to provide accessibility to graphical applications for users who are blind or visually impaired. In this paper, I describe the design of an auditory interface which simulates many of the features of graphical interfaces. Some of these features have been evaluated in a small user study. I will present lessons learned from this study as well as discuss areas for further work. KEYWORDS: Auditory interfaces, GUIs, X, visual impairment, multimodal interfaces. INTRODUCTION The goal of human-computer interfaces is to provide a communication pathway between computer software and human users. The history of human-computer interfaces can be interpreted as the struggle to provide more meaningful and efficient communication between computers and humans. One important breakth...

Interactive audio browsers provide both sighted and visually impaired users with access to the WWW. In addition to the desktop PC, audio browsing technology can be deployed that enable users to browse the WWW using a telephone or while driving a car. This paper describes a new conceptual model of the HTML document structure and its mapping to a 3D audio space. Novel features are discussed that provide information such as: an audio structural survey of the HTML document; accurate positional audio feedback of the source and destination anchors when traversing both interand intra-document links; a linguistic progress indicator; the announcement of destination document meta-information as new links are encountered. These new features can improve both the user's comprehension of the HTML document structure and their orientation within it. These factors, in turn, can improve the effectiveness of the browsing experience.

Abstract. One approach to providing affordable operator training in the workplace is to augment applications with intelligent embedded training systems (ETS). Intelligent embedded training is highly interactive: trainees practice realistic problem-solving tasks on the prime application with guidance and feedback from the training system. This article makes three contributions to the theory and technology of ETS design. First, we describe a framework based on Norman’s “stages of user activity ” model for defining the instructional objectives of an ETS. Second, we demonstrate a non-invasive approach to instrumenting software applications, thereby enabling them to collaborate with an ETS. Third, we describe a method for interpreting observed user behavior during problem solving, and using that information to provide task-oriented hints on demand.

It is known that blind children represent spatial environments with cognitive difficulty. This can be decreased if they are exposed to interactive experiences with acoustic stimuli delivered through spatialized sound software. A few studies have approached this issue by using interactive applications that integrate virtual reality and cognitive tasks to enhance spatial orientation skills. The aim of this research was to implement a field study to detect and analyze cognitive and usability issues involved in the use of an aural environment and the issues of representing navigable structures with only spatial sound. This experimental study has arisen from a challenging pilot research project to a full fledged field-testing research with eleven children during six months in a Chilean school for blind children. The research was implemented by using a kit of cognitive representation tasks, which includes exposure to the 3D acoustic environment, corporal exercises, and experiences with concrete representation materials such as sand, clay, storyfoam, and Lego bricks. The cognitive kit also included activities to represent the perceived environment, the organization of the space, and problem solving related to the interactions with the software. The usability testing of the environment

This paper describes work to provide mappings between X-based graphical user interfaces and auditory interfaces transparently to applications. The primary motivation for this work is to provide accessibility to graphical applications for users who are blind. We describe our architecture for capturing, modeling, and translating X-based interfaces. We conclude with some ideas for future work, a description of some aspects of the X Window System which caused difficulties in the design and implementation of our system, and some indications of possible solutions to the problems we encountered.

Software applications play a critical role in many work environments. These applications may be general purpose, such as word-processing and spreadsheet tools, or tailored to specific mission functions, such as systems for airtraffic management and military “command and control ” (C 2). End-user training is critical if these applications are to be adopted and used effectively. With OPTEMPO up, and training budgets under constant pressure to “do more with less, ” it is more important than ever to bring training to the users and enable them to learn whenever they have time, wherever they may be. One way to accomplish this is to embed a training system in the mission application itself. Such embedded training systems (ETSs) have been used to varying degrees throughout the military services, and the United States Army has mandated the use of embedded training techniques for all new systems it procures. Experience has shown that application-operation skills are learned best when trainees are given extensive “handson”, interactive coached practice on the mission application to be used on the job. Our research at MITRE focuses on developing ETSs that approximate the advantages of one-to-one expert human tutoring through the use of intelligent computer-assisted instruction (ICAI) techniques. For ICAI-based ETSs to support interactive coached practice, they must have some means of observing both the trainee’s actions on the mission application, and the application’s response(s) to those actions, and also a way to take control of the mission application for the purpose of demonstration

It is known that blind children represent spatial environments with cognitive difficulty. This can be decreased if they are exposed to interactive experiences with acoustic stimuli delivered through spatialized sound software. The aim of this research was to implement a field study to detect and analyze cognitive and usability issues involved in the use of an aural environment and the issues of representing navigable structures with only spatial sound. The research was implemented by exposing the children to a spatialized acoustic environment in a challenge-action game software and complementing this with a kit of cognitive representation tasks, which includes corporal exercises and experiences with the interaction with concrete representation materials such as sand, clay, styrofoam, and Lego ® bricks. The cognitive kit also included learning activities to represent the perceived environment, the organization of the space, and problem solving related to the interactions with the software. The usability testing of the environment was an explicit issue in the research by using both qualitative and quantitative methods including interviews, survey methods, logging actual use, still pictures, and video tape recording session analysis. The results of the study revealed that blind children can achieve the construction of mental structures rendered with only spatialized sound and that spatial imagery is not purely visual by nature, but can be constructed and transferred through spatialized sound delivered by a computer software. Our hypothesis was fully confirmed revealing that each blind child passes four clear cognitive stages in their interaction with the sound environment and performing cognitive tasks: entry, exploration, adaptation, and appropriation.