- Browse by Author
Browsing by Author "Gadde, Prathik"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
Item Navigating the Aural Web: Augmenting User Experience for Visually Impaired and Mobile Users(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2013-04-05) Bolchini, Davide; Yang, Tao; Gadde, Prathik; Ghahari, Romisa RohaniThe current web navigation paradigm structures interaction around vision and thus hampers users in two eyes-free scenarios: mobile computing and information access for the visually impaired. Users in both scenarios are unable to navigate complex information architectures efficiently because of the strictly linear perceptual bandwidth of the aural channel. To combat this problem, we are conducting a long-term research program aimed at establishing novel design strategies that can augment the aural navigation while users browse complex information architectures typical of the web. A pervasive problem in designing for web accessibility (especially for screen reader users) is to provide efficient access to a large collection of contents, which is manifested in long lists indexing the underlying contents. Cognitively managing the interaction with long lists is cumbersome in the aural paradigm because users need to listen attentively to each list item to make a decision about what link to follow and then select a link. For every non relevant page selected, screen reader users need to go back to the list to select another page. Our most recent study studies compared the performance of index-based web navigation to guided-tour navigation (navigation without lists) for screen-reader users. Guided-tour navigation allows users to move directly back and forth across the content pages of a collection, bypassing lists. An experiment (N=10), conducted at the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ISBVI), examined these web navigation strategies during fact-finding tasks. Guided-tour significantly reduced time on task, number of pages visited, number of keystrokes, and perceived cognitive effort while enhancing the navigational experience. By augmenting existing navigational methods for screen-reader users, our research offers design strategies to web designers to improve web accessibility without costly site redesign. This research material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant #1018054.Item Probing People's Attitudes and Behaviors Using Humanlike Agents(Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research, 2010-04-09) MacDorman, Karl F.; Gadde, Prathik; Ho, Chin-Chang; Mitchell, Wade J.; Schermerhorn, Paul W.; Scheutz, MatthiasAndroid science is an interdisciplinary framework for studying human cognition and interaction based on the finding that android robots—and, to lesser extents, humanoid robots and computergenerated humans—can elicit the sorts of responses people direct toward each other. As a result, these humanlike agents can be used as stand-ins for humans in social, psychological, cognitive, and neuroscientific experiments. We describe a selection of current and recently completed investigations into some of the potential factors influencing attitudes and behavior toward humanlike agents, including facial appearance, physical embodiment, speech quality, fluidity of motion, and contingent interactivity.