Paper Info
Title
Textflow: Screenless Access to Non-Visual Smart Messaging
Abstract
ABSTRACT Texting relies on screen-centric prompts designed for sighted users, still posing significant barriers to people who are blind and visually impaired (BVI). Can we re-imagine texting untethered from a visual display? In an interview study, 20 BVI adults shared situations surrounding their texting practices, recurrent topics of conversations, and challenges. Informed by these insights, we introduce TextFlow: a mixed-initiative context-aware system that generates entirely auditory message options relevant to the users’ location, activity, and time of the day. Users can browse and select suggested aural messages using finger-taps supported by an off-the-shelf finger-worn device, without having to hold or attend to a mobile screen. In an evaluative study, 10 BVI participants successfully interacted with TextFlow to browse and send messages in screen-free mode. The experiential response of the users shed light on the importance of bypassing the phone and accessing rapidly controllable messages at their fingertips while preserving privacy and accuracy with respect to speech or screen-based input. We discuss how non-visual access to proactive, contextual messaging can support the blind in a variety of daily scenarios.
Year
DOI
Venue
2021
10.1145/3397481.3450697
Intelligent User Interfaces
Keywords
DocType
Citations 
Text entry, Assistive technologies, Intelligent wearable and mobile interfaces, Aural navigation, Ubiquitous smart environments
Conference
0
PageRank 
References 
Authors
0.34
0
3
Name
Order
Citations
PageRank
Pegah Karimi113.41
Emanuele Plebani200.34
Davide Bolchini348666.05