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The article reports that the websites act as a crucial link in the systems that enable to find information, connect to service providers, and meet work, education, health, and entertainment needs. Topics include considered websites become more central to lives as more acutely since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic the web is garnering increased attention.

This article describes a project at Baltimore County Public Library (BCPL) that aims to improve access for people who are blind or who have low vision. As public libraries move toward providing more digital-based resources, this is an opportunity to provide access for patrons who need resources in an alternative format. This project focused on website accessibility, digital databases, physical library accessibility, staff training, and marketing. The article describes the steps that BCPL will take to turn these research findings into practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article looks at the legacy of library science scholar and outgoing "Library Quarterly" editor John Carlo Bertot, focusing on his work in the area of research aimed at having an impact on public policy in areas such as library funding. It discusses Bertot's studies of the extent of Internet connectivity and access at public libraries beginning in the 1990s. Topics include how research used to affect policy decisions differs from research with purely academic purposes.

While most aspects of web accessibility are technically easy to solve, providing accessible equivalents of data visualizations for blind users remains a challenging problem. Previous attempts at accessible equivalents focused on sonification of population data. This paper describes the creation of two prototypes for providing real-time weather information in a sonified format for blind users. A structured requirements gathering using interviews and surveys led to the development of the first sonification prototype using both keyboard and touchscreen (with a tactile overlay) access to weather data on a PC and Mac. This prototype was evaluated for usability by five blind users. Based on the feedback from the usability evaluation, a second prototype on a new platform (Android tablet computer) was created. We discuss the development and evaluation process for the sonification prototypes, with a detailed description of the usability evaluations performed in the field. The studies show that when working at the intersection of users with disabilities and new technologies, it's important to be flexible and adjust quickly to get the most out of field studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which examines the usability of multi-touch tablet computer by adults with down syndrome for work-related tasks. It states that usability testing methodology was used during the investigation. Results show that adults with down syndrome can use multi-touch devices effectively for workplace-related tasks, formal computer training can influence the performance of the participant, and that password usability remains a challenge for Down syndrome patients.

When a website is not accessible for users with disabilities, there is a cost imposed on that user. This study quantifies the time disparity experienced by blind users when they encounter web accessibility barriers. The resulting data illustrates a significant reason why web accessibility is imperative, by highlighting and measuring the cost of inaccessibility through the lens of the inequity that accessibility barriers place on the time of users with disabilities in both personal and business settings. This data is needed for policymakers who are creating new regulations or statutes, as well as for informing future technical standards for web accessibility. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study on the usability and accessibility of job application web sites used by blind people. Participants include 16 blind users who are trying to apply online. Results showed the most common problems encountered by blind users while using such sites, which include confusing layout, searching for jobs link, and labeling problem. The study suggested the importance of ensuring the accessibility and usability of online applications sites for people with disabilities.

The article presents information on accessibility barriers for blind users who use screen readers like Window-Eyes and Access Systems to access websites. E-mail is an effective communication tool nowadays but websites can present certain barriers for blind people. To conduct the study, 15 blind users tested seven popular e-mail applications. The conclusion of the study was to improve e-mail applications including web-based interfaces, calendaring and the e-mail address book.

The article focuses on e-mail applications and evaluation of their usability by blind users. E-mail serves as an important tool for communication nowadays, but blind users using screen readers like System Acess to access websites can get barriers of accessibility and usability. To evaluate these problems, seven e-mail applications like Gmail and Yahoo Mail Classic were tested by 15 blind users. On basis of feedback, some changes to the testing process and questions were implemented.

Abstract: Numerous studies have investigated task performance times for selection from hierarchical menus, with structures containing many choices at each of a few levels (broad, shallow structures) generally outperforming structures containing fewer choices at each of many levels (narrow, deep structures). To see if these results applied to blind users who rely on screen reader software for computer access, we replicated an earlier published study, using 19 blind screen-reader users. Consistent with earlier studies, broader, shallow hierarchies outperformed narrow, deep hierarchies. Task performance times and hypertext lostness measures were correlated. Although further work will be needed to understand specific determinants of task performance rates, these results support the use of broad, shallow menus for blind as well as sighted users. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Three National Science Foundation (NSF) programs - Human-Computer Interaction, Universal Access, and Digital Society and Technologies - were recently combined into one new cluster called "Human-Centered Computing" (HCC). Two workshops were held to share information about this new cluster with researchers, provide guidance to researchers who are early in their research careers and have yet to receive NSF funding, and provide feedback to NSF from the affected research communities regarding topics that are considered particularly important by this community. Continuing and emerging research opportunities identified included privacy and security issues in HCC context, intelligent user interfaces, universal access including research for different populations such as children and older adults, mobile and ubiquitous computing, and social computing, among others. Various issues concerning interdisciplinary research opportunities were also raised, including understanding the disciplines, promotion and tenure concerns, administrative overhead, and where to publish. Education discussions produced a list of curricular recommendations and a number of opportunities to enhance the education of future HCC practitioners and researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Human-computer interaction (HCI) is much broader than the study of interface design and input devices. It includes considerations of the social, political, ethical, and societal implications of computer systems. Concerns such as privacy, accessibility, universal design, and voting usability have led to active HCI research. Our examination of HCI responses to these and other issues informs a model of social engagement based on societal influences that motivate various responses from the HCI community. This model provides suggestions for engagement with issues that are likely to grow in importance over the next several years. By focusing on these issues, HCI researchers may make still greater contributions toward addressing societal concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In previous research, the computer frustrations of student and workplace users have been documented. However, the challenges faced by blind users on the Web have not been previously examined. In this study, 100 blind users, using time diaries, recorded their frustrations using the Web. The top causes of frustration reported were (a) page layout causing confusing screen reader feedback; (b) conflict between screen reader and application; (c) poorly designed/unlabeled forms; (d) no alt text for pictures; and (e) 3-way tie between misleading links, inaccessible PDF, and a screen reader crash. Most of the causes of frustration, such as inappropriate form and graphic labels and confusing page layout, are relatively simple to solve if Webmasters and Web designers focus on this effort. In addition, the more technically challenging frustrations, such as screen reader crashes and conflicts, need to be addressed by the screen reader developers. Blind users in this study were likely to repeatedly attempt to solve a frustration, not give up, and not reboot the computer. In this study, the blind users reported losing, on average, 30.4% of time due to these frustrating situations. Implications for Web developers, screen reader developers, and screen reader users are discussed in this article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When hard-to-use computers cause users to become frustrated, it can affect workplace productivity, user mood and interactions with other co-workers. Previous research has examined the frustration that students and their families face in using computers. To learn more about the causes and measure the severity of user frustration with computers in the workplace, we collected modified time diaries from 50 workplace users, who spent an average of 5.1 hours on the computer. In this exploratory research, users reported wasting on average, 42 – 43% of their time on the computer due to frustrating experiences. The largest number of frustrating experiences occurred while using word processors, email and web browsers. The causes of the frustrating experiences, the time lost due to the frustrating experiences, and the effects of the frustrating experiences on the mood of the users are discussed in this paper. Implications for designers, managers, users, information technology staff and policymakers are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: User frustration with information and computing technology is a pervasive and persistent problem. When computers crash, network congestion causes delays, and poor user interfaces trigger confusion there are dramatic consequences for individuals, organizations, and society. These frustrations, not only cause personal dissatisfaction and loss of self-efficacy, but may disrupt workplaces, slow learning, and reduce participation in local and national communities. Our exploratory study of 107 student computer users and 50 workplace computer users shows high levels of frustration and loss of 1/3–1/2 of time spent. This paper reports on the incident and individual factors that cause of frustration, and how they raise frustration severity. It examines the frustration impacts on the daily interactions of the users. The time lost and time to fix problem, and importance of task, strongly correlate with frustration levels for both student and workplace users. Differences between students and workplace users are discussed in the paper, as are implications for researchers. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Although computers are beneficial to individuals and society, frequently users encounter frustrating experiences when using computers. This study represents an attempt to measure, in 111 participants, the frequency, the cause, and the level of seventy of frustrating experiences. The data show that frustrating experiences happen on a frequent basis. The applications in which the frustrating experiences happened most frequently were Web browsing, e-mail, and word processing. The most-cited causes of frustrating experiences were error messages, dropped network connections, long download times, and hard-to-find features. The time lust due to frustrating experiences ranged from 47% to 53% of time spent on a computer, depending on the location and study method. After extreme cases were discarded, the time lost was still above 38%. These disturbing results should be a basis for future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The rapid growth of personal email communication, instant messaging and online communities has brought attention to the important role of interpersonal trust in online communication. An empirical study was conducted focusing on the effect of empathy on online interpersonal trust in textual IM. To be more specific, the relationship between empathic accuracy, response type and online interpersonal trust was investigated. The result suggests both empathic accuracy and response type have significant influence on online interpersonal trust. The interaction between empathic accuracy and response type also significantly influences online trust. Interestingly, the results imply a relationship between daily trust attitude and online interpersonal trust. People who are more trusting in their daily life may experience more difficulty in developing trust online. There is also some evidence to suggest that different communication scenarios may have an influence on online trust. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large percentages of web sites continue to be inaccessible to people with disabilities. Since tools and guidelines are available to help designers and webmasters in making their web sites accessible, it is unclear why so many sites continue to be inaccessible. In this paper, we present the “Web Accessibility Integration Model,” which highlights the multiple points within web development where accessibility can be incorporated or forgotten. It is uncertain why webmasters do not use the various tools and guidelines that currently are available for making web sites accessible. A survey was created, and data was collected from 175 webmasters, indicating their knowledge on the topic of web accessibility and the reasons for their actions related to web accessibility. Findings and future directions for research are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Novice users frequently make errors when learning a new computer task and spend a large portion of their time trying to recover from errors. Three methods for helping novice users respond to errors have been presented in the literature: error management training, exploratory training, and conceptual models. In error management training, errors are presented as opportunities for learning, and users are instructed in strategies for coping with errors. In exploration, users are given an overview of their environment and are taught how to navigate through their task environment. Conceptual models are graphical or mathematical representations of a system that correspond closely to the real-world system. This experiment tested the effectiveness of these different approaches on training novice users to use the Internet. In this experiment, users received 3 hr of training on the World Wide Web and then were asked to perform a set of information retrieval tasks. Performance was measured in two ways: task performance and performance time. Participants who received exploratory training had significantly higher task performance. Participants who received exploration and conceptual models, both individually and together, were able to complete the tasks in less time. Error management had no significant effect on the performance of participants. In the task application of Web browsing, exploration seems to be the most appropriate training method for novice users. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including the use of sound and display data on weather maps for blind users, the use of a two-player gaming system for arm rehabilitation, and universal accessibility and assistive technologies.

Information about several topics discussed at the workshops sponsored by the National Science Foundation (NSF) held in September 2006 at NSF headquarters in Arlington, Virginia is presented. Topics discussed include privacy, security,e-government and human-centered computing (HCC). It highlights the discussion of the role of regulations and directives and the integration of usability-related concerns into security and privacy issues.

The article discusses the impact of the Internet on library research, public libraries, and public library research. It examines the methods of the Public Library Funding and Technology Access Study. The authors assert that the Internet has allowed libraries to add capacity to library research. The article briefly discusses the technological environment prior to the Internet and studies sponsored by the U.S. National Commission on Libraries and Information Science (NCLIS) and the American Library Association (ALA).

The SoundsRight Audio Completely Automated Public Turing tests to tell Computers and Humans Apart (CAPTCHA) was developed with the goal of providing a usable and secure audio CAPTCHA for people with visual impairments. Its design requires users to repeatedly identify a specific sound from a group of different sounds (e.g. baby crying and bird chirping) in real time. Adding background noise (sound masks) to the sounds may make it more difficult for automated software to recognise the sounds and therefore, improve security. However, the sound masks may also make it more challenging for human users to recognise the sound. We conducted a user study involving 20 blind participants and 20 sighted participants to investigate the effect of sound masks on the usability of the SoundsRight CAPTCHA. The results suggest that sound masks do have a significant impact on the failure rate and response time. Sighted participants had significantly a higher failure rate than blind participants and were more vulnerable to the negative effect of sound masks. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]