Workshop: Workshop 4

It is recognized that the use of digital media and self-services are becoming an important precondition for independent living and participation in the information society. Both television and mobile phones play an increasingly important role in this context. Practical guidelines and best practices for the interaction design of mobile devices and digital TV interface are therefore called for. The workshop was organised around the following points:

• State of the art of Design for All / Universal Design in different countries.
• Practical experiences and new services demonstrating the potential power of Design for All / Universal Design in the context of mobile devices and digital TV.

This workshop brought together researchers, designers, developers, practitioners and policy-makers. Participants were invited to contribute by submitting short position papers. These were reviewed by the workshop organizers. Up to 10 position papers were selected for presentation in the workshop plenum.

Objectives

The workshop brought to the table:

• Discussions concerning the state of the art of Design for All / Universal Design in different countries:
• Developments in the context of mobile devices and digital TV
• Roles and responsibilities with respect to the development and management of new knowledge
• Practical experiences and new services demonstrating the potential power of Design for All /Universal Design in the context of mobile devices and digital TV.

The participants shared their knowledge, opinions and experiences in this area and explored the opportunities, challenges and potential value that Design for All / Universal Design introduces to the HCI with mobile devices and digital TV.

Structure

The workshop was composed of:

• Workshop keynote.
• Position paper presentations. These were followed by short comments by other selected participants.
• Group discussions.
• Synthesis: creation of poster on group findings by each group.
• Wrap-up: The concluding activities for the workshop were the definition of follow-on activities (e.g. publications, seminars or post-workshop e-mail discussions)

The following presentations were given in Workshop 4, day 1 (26.6.):

-Hellman, R.: Accessible electronic services on digital-TV (Download Hellman)

-Fuglerud, K. S.: Audio Information in Mobile Services (Download Fuglerud)

-Hellman, R. and Fuglerud, K. S.: Workflow on Mobile Phones (Download Hellman and Fuglerud)

-Holone, H., Misund, G. and Holmstedt, H.: Mobile Challenges: From Universal Access to Universal Participation (Download Holone)

-Nigardsøy, Å.: Mobile phones with text-to-speech – a revolution for visually impaired users

-Solheim, I.:Personalization of user interface for the cognitively disabled: how to test cognitive functions and ICT skills (Download Solheim)

-Vaaler, A.: Universal Open Access and Open Standards (Download Vaaler)

Day 2 of Workshop 4 (27.7.) was dedicated to group work, poster production and wrap-up.

Participants

This workshop brought together researchers, designers, developers, practitioners and policy-makers.

Everybody was invited to this workshop, with or without papers to submit.

Organizers

• Riitta Hellman, PhD, senior adviser in Karde AS. Hellman has been working with ICT-research and research management since 1985. She holds a PhD in User-Centered Systems. Karde AS is a consulting company conducting applied research projects in collaboration with Norwegian Computing Center (NR). Main topics for these, international projects are service architectures on mobile phones, HCI and cognitively disabled users. She is currently engaged in the UNIMOD-project (http://www.unimod.no), partially financed by the Research Council of Norway.
• Kristin Skeide Fuglerud, MSc, is a senior researcher at the Norwegian Computing Center (NC). Her research include HCI and usability (herein design for all and assistive technology) and e-learning. She has also many years of experience with systems specification and as a systems developer and consultant in the Norwegian industry. She is currently engaged in the UNIMOD-project (http://www.unimod.no), partially financed by the Research Council of Norway.

Papers

Workshop participants were invited to contribute to the development of Design for All / Universal Design by submitting short position papers within in the thematic area of the workshop.

The position papers had to relate to at least one of the following topics:

• Experiences or case studies that describe the application of the Design for All / Universal Design principles on digital TV or mobile phones
• Methods and solutions which aim at accommodating users with different types and degrees of disabilities, such as elderly and cognitively disabled users
• Descriptions of innovative examples of new services or technology use that has contributed to the inclusion or autonomy of previously excluded groups. Examples of how users with different impairments may benefit from technology.
• Research and experiences that contribute to understanding political, ethical and economic issues connected to Design for All / Universal Design.
• Studies that document trade-offs of Design for All / Universal Design – if any.

The position papers were selected based on their relevance and originality.

Contact information

• Riitta Hellman

• Kristin Skeide Fuglerud

Acknowledgement

This worshop was organized as part of the UNIMOD-project, partially financed by the Research Council of Norway.