Resource collated by Gregg Vanderheiden, TRACE Centre, University of Winsconsin-Madison and edited by Kevin Carey, humanITy, RNIB/World Blind Union.  Introduction edited by Dr. Mark Magennis, National Council for the Blind of Ireland - NCBI Centre for Inclusive Technologies (CFIT)

Overview

The challenge:

People interact with a wide range of technology products every day. Anything from televisions to ticket machines. Each of these has what is called a user interface that takes inputs from the user and provides outputs. This user interface typically consists of a display screen, a set of buttons, knobs or switches, some lights and various sounds. Different products use different user interface elements and the design of the elements can vary quite a lot, so a person may find one device easy to use but another one difficult or even impossible. Different people need different user interfaces. People who cannot see may need auditory outputs, people who cannot hear may need visual outputs and people with limited dexterity may need larger, wider spaced controls than others. Sometimes, these needs are mutually exclusive. For example, some users need a feature-rich interface to deal with complexity while others need something simple. In order to meet the needs of all users, a user interface will therefore have to allow multiple interaction methods. This presents a problem for designers and manufacturers of mainstream products. Producing a user interface that allows all these interactions in a way that is usable by everyone may be difficult, costly, or even impossible.

The solution:  

One solution is to separate the user interface from the product, putting it into a remote control held by the user. The remote control then takes the users inputs and communicates them to the product. In return, the product communicates the outputs to the control which presents them to the user. These controls are called remote consoles.

By defining a standard communication protocol, it is possible to create Universal Remote Consoles (URCs) that can be used to interact with many different products. Individual users can then choose URCs that meet their own unique interaction needs and be able to operate all those products, using whatever input and output mechanisms are most suitable for them. A deaf person can use a console that displays text on a visual display, whereas a blind person can use one that outputs the same text as speech. The console could come in many forms, such as a purpose built device like a TV remote control, some hardware and software built into a wheelchair, or even a software application running on a standard mobile phone. If all mainstream products supported URCs, then users with special needs could carry a personal interface device with them, perhaps built into their phone or assistive technology, and use it to operate any product they encounter.

The technology underlying URCs is based on the concept of user interface sockets and pluggable user interfaces that allow an alternate interface to be used instead of the default one on a product. Researchers have proposed a number of different approaches to achieving this. Currently the most widely supported one is ISO 24752-2008.

This section lists a number of resources that will be of use to product developers, procurers, legislators, end users and others. These describe the important accessibility features of remote consoles and how they can be implemented in various application areas. The resources range from introductory materials to technical specifications, giving guidance on appropriate design features and practicalities of implementation and use.

Accessibility features available from remote console manufacturers
Accessibility features most desired by persons with disabilities
Smart homes, smart appliances
Remote User Interfaces
Universal Remote Consoles
Sample of regulations

Accessibility features available from remote console manufacturers

User Interface Standards - Towards Coherent, Task-Oriented and Scalable User Interfaces in the Home Environments

Summary: This paper looks at some existing products for remote user interfaces for home appliances, with regard to their coherence, task orientation and scalability.
Reference: Zimmermann, G. (2007, Sep). Open User Interface Standards - Towards Coherent, Task-Oriented and Scalable User Interfaces in the Home Environments. In: Proceedings of 3rd IET International Conference on Intelligent Environments (IE07), Sep. 24-25, 2007, Ulm University, Germany, p. 36ff. The IET, 2007.
Key words: Task-Based User Interface; Universal Remote Console (URC); Task Model Description
Target audiences: Developers in the Digital Home Area; Researchers

URC Technical Primer

Summary: Read-me-first document for people interested in the URC technology and related standards, tools and resources that are available
Reference: http://myurc.org/TR/urc-tech-primer
Key words: URC; UCH; Resource Server
Target audiences: Device Manufacturers; AT Vendors; Researchers

Improving the performance of motor-impaired users with automatically-generated, ability-based interfaces

Summary: SUPPLE project on automatically generated user interfaces.  People with motor impairments are faster, more accurate, and strongly prefer automatically generated ability-based user interfaces to the manufacturers' baselines.
Reference: Krzysztof Z. Gajos, Jacob O. Wobbrock and Daniel S. Weld. Improving the performance of motor-impaired users with automatically-generated, ability-based interfaces. In Proceedings of CHI'08, Florence, Italy, 2008.

Accessibility features most desired by persons with disabilities

Vanderheiden, G. C., “Accessible and Usable Design of Information and Communication Technologies.” In C. Stephanidis, (ed.) The Universal Access Handbook, (in press) CRC Press.

Summary: This chapter lists the basic and essential needs of users to be able to use devices. Different strategies for the design process are also discussed.
Reference: in press
Key words: User Needs; Design Process; Accessibility
Target audiences: Designers; Researchers

Raising the Floor:  Current Master List

Summary: This web page lists major topics and strategies for enhancing Internet access with short descriptions and links to related papers, projects, and research.
Reference: http://raisingthefloor.net/projects/masterlist/currentmasterlist
Key words: Internet Access, Resources
Target audiences: Developers; Researchers

Smart homes, smart appliances

Non-homogenous Network, Control Hub and Smart Controller (NCS) Approach to Incremental Smart Homes

Summary: Proposed is a model for using a mixture of non homogeneous network technologies, a control hub and a smart controller to provide a way for users to slowly transition both themselves and their houses from current technologies to smart technologies and environments.
Reference: Vanderheiden, G., and Zimmermann, G. (2007, Aug). Non-homogenous Network, Control Hub and Smart Controller (NCS) Approach to Incremental Smart Homes. In: Springer LNCS, Volume 4555/2007. Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Ambient Interaction. Pages: 238-244. ISSN: 0302-9743 (Print) 1611-3349 (Online). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-73281-5. ISBN: 978-3-540-73280-8. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 2007.
Key words: Remote User Interfaces; Task-Based User Interfaces; Digital Home
Target audiences: Developers in the Digital Home Area; Researchers

Studying The Use of Handhelds to Control Smart Appliances

Summary: Paper on CMU Pebbles project, reporting about better efficiency and reduced errors when users used remote user interface for stereo and telephone.
Reference: Jeffrey Nichols and Brad A. Myers. "Studying The Use of Handhelds to Control Smart Appliances". International Workshop on Smart Appliances and Wearable Computing. IWSAWC 2003. In the Proceedings of the 23rd IEEE Conference on Distributed Computing Systems Workshops (ICDCS'03). May 19-22, 2003, Providence, Rhode Island. pp. 274-279.
Key words: Personal Universal Controller; Usability of Remote User Interfaces
Target audiences: User Interface Researchers

Remote User Interfaces

The Universal Control Hub: An Open Platform for Remote User Interfaces in the Digital Home

Summary: This paper describes the application of an international user interface standard in the digital home in a gateway-based approach: The Universal Control Hub.
Reference: Zimmermann, G., and Vanderheiden, G. (2007, Aug). The Universal Control Hub: An Open Platform for Remote User Interfaces in the Digital Home. In: Springer LNCS, Volume 4551/2007. Human-Computer Interaction. Interaction Platforms and Techniques. Pages: 1040-1049. ISSN: 0302-9743 (Print) 1611-3349 (Online). DOI: 10.1007/978-3-540-73107-8. ISBN: 978-3-540-73106-1. Springer Berlin / Heidelberg, 2007.
Key words: Remote User Interfaces; Task-Based User Interfaces; Digital Home
Target audiences: Developers in the Digital Home Area, Researchers

Abstract representations as a basis for usable user interfaces

Summary: This paper examines four XML languages for abstract user interface representation: UIML, XIML, XForms and AIAP.
Reference: Trewin, S.; Zimmermann, G.; and Vanderheiden, G. (2004, Apr). Abstract representations as a basis for usable user interfaces. In: INTCOM1417, Interacting with Computers Special Issue: Universal Usability Revisitied - Edited by M.Zajicek and A.Edwards. Vol 16/3 pp 477-506. Elsevier, 2004.
Key words: Abstract User Interface; Device-independence; Modality-Independence
Target audiences: Developers in the Digital Home Area; Researchers

Universal Control Hub (UCH) specification

Summary: This document specifies the "Universal Control Hub" architecture, a profiling of the Universal Remote Console technology in the context of a Remote User Interface scenario.
Reference: http://myurc.org/TR/uch
Key words: Universal Control Hub
Target audiences: UCH Developers; Researchers

URC-HTTP Protocol specification

Summary: This document specifies the "Universal Remote Console on HTTP" protocol (short "URC-HTTP protocol").
References: http://myurc.org/TR/urc-http-protocol/
Key words: UCH; URC-HTTP
Target audiences: UCH Developers; Researchers

Resource Property Vocabulary specification

Summary: This document specifies a core set of generic and resource type-specific properties that are recommended to be used in the URC ecosystem.
Reference: http://myurc.org/TR/res-prop-vocab
Key words: Resource Property; Resource Server
Target audiences: UCH Developers; User Interface Designers; Researchers

Resource Server HTTP Interface specification

Summary: This document specifies how resources can be queried and retrieved from a resource server via HTTP.
Reference: http://myurc.org/TR/res-serv-http
Key words: Resource Server; UCH
Target audiences: UCH Developers; Researchers

Universal Remote Consoles

International Standards on Universal Remote Console

Summary: ISO/IEC 24752 is a 5-part international standard on the Universal Remote Console (URC) framework.  Compliant devices are accessible by people with sensory disabilities.
References: ISO/IEC 24752. Standard on "Universal Remote Console".  ISO, 2008.
Key words: Accessibility; Electronic Devices; Compliance
Target audiences: Device Manufacturers; AT Vendors; User Interface Designers

Huddle: Automatically Generating Interfaces for Systems of Multiple Connected Appliances

Summary: Paper reporting about latest developments of the Pebbles project on a Personal Universal Controller (PUC).
Reference: Jeffrey Nichols, Brandon Rothrock, Duen Horng Chau, Brad A. Myers. "Huddle: Automatically Generating Interfaces for Systems of  Multiple Connected Appliances," In Proceedings of UIST'2006. October 15-18. Montreux, Switzerland. pp. 279-288
Key words: Remote User Interfaces; Multi-appliance Systems; Content Flow Models
Target audiences: User Interface; Researchers

Sample of regulations

Federal Government (USA):  Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility Standards (Section 508); 2000

Summary: This U.S. federal law describes accessibility requirements for federal agency procurement, development, and maintenance of electronic and information technology products and services.
Reference: http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm
36 CFR Part 1194 (Code of Federal Regulations)
Key words: Regulations; Accessibility; Federal Procurement
Target audiences: Developers; Procurement Agents

Federal Government (USA):  Telecommunications Act Accessibility Guidelines (Section 255); 1998

Summary: This U.S. federal law describes accessibility requirements for telecommunications products and services.
Reference: http://www.access-board.gov/telecomm/rule.htm
47 C.F.R. Part 7 (Code of Federal Regulations)
Key words: Telecommunications; Accessibility; Regulations
Target audiences: Developers; FCC

Access Board (USA): Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology Advisory Committee Report to the Access Board:  Refreshed Accessibility Standards and Guidelines in Telecommunications and Electronic and Information Technology; 2008

Summary: This list of proposed regulations was presented to the U.S. Access Board for the purpose of refreshing the Section 508 and Section 255 accessibility laws.
Reference: http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/refresh/report/
Key words: Regulation; Accessibility
Target audiences: Legislators; Procurement Agents; Developers

Access Board (USA):  ADA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG 2002)

Summary: ADAAG is U.S. law that mostly deals with accessibility of physical spaces. Some public access electronics are also included in the regulations.
Reference: http://www.access-board.gov/adaag/html/adaag.htm
Key words: Accessibility; Physical Spaces; Public Access
Target audiences: Architects; Product Designers; Enforcement

Acess Board (USA):  ADA and ABA Accessibility Guidelines for Buildings and Facilities (ADAAG 2004)

Summary: The updated ADAAG (not currently U.S. law) mostly deals with accessibility of physical spaces. Some public access electronics are also included in the regulations.
References: http://www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/final.cfm
Key words: Accessibility; Physical Spaces; Public Access
Target audiences: Architects; Product Designers; Enforcement

Vanderheiden, G. C., “Standards and Guidelines.” In C. Stephanidis, (ed.) The Universal Access Handbook, (in press) CRC Press

Summary: This chapter outlines various types of standards and guidelines and the process for writing them. The chapter includes a list of accessibility standards.
References: in press
Key words: Standards; Process; Accessibility
Target audiences: Researchers