An exploratory study on blind users� mental model in computer accessibility

• Main Authors: Muniandy, M., Sulaiman, S.
• Format: Article
• Published: Springer Verlag 2015
• Online Access: https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-84915750439&doi=10.1007%2f978-3-319-07674-4_87&partnerID=40&md5=06c4d20c6faca0bb8ec79fe09db6a17f; http://eprints.utp.edu.my/26305/
• Institution: Universiti Teknologi Petronas

The growing needs in the area of HCI has led to many new researches focusing on user-centric design, investigating the problems faced by a computer user and ways to produce an effective yet efficient design. Often, designers need to acquire the knowledge and the experience of the users to produce a good interface design. This can be referred as a wise exploitation of user�s mental model. The paper serves as a preliminary study which explores the mental model of blind users as a contribution in improving the accessibility of computer applications. Based on the blind user�s perception, imagination and interpretation, the study indicates that touch sensation plays an important role in improving the representation of a computer application to them. Associating touch sensation with information familiar to the blind users enhances the learning process. © Springer International Publishing Switzerland 2015.