MIKE DUNHAM

Abstract: This study examined whether an important aspect of designing web sites for the visually impaired could be taught: the skill of identifying contrast ratios between a foreground text color and a background color. Two treatments were applied in a crossed-factor between-subject design. First, subjects read an introductory paragraph that either explained the plight of a particular visually impaired user or described general statistics about the problem. Second, subjects either received numeric or directional feedback when estimating contrast ratios on training examples.

 

Reading the introductory paragraph about a specific user led to greater performance on a post-test, as did receiving numeric feedback. The effectiveness of considering specific users during learning has wide implications for both practice and future research.

 

Team Members:

• Alex Ainslie

• Mike Dunham

• Lisa Jiang