AEGIS SP4 story - building an accessible mobile application

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Using the AEGIS OAF:
Accessible Java Mobile Apps

Horizontal linePeter Korn, Oracle
Maria Fernanda Cabrera, UPM
Jon Azpiroz, Fundacin Vodafone Espaa

AEGIS logoEU logoFP7 logo

What we will be doing today...

Following a fictional software developer who will build an accessible mobile application

Demonstrate how AEGIS helps do this,
using the Open Accessibility Framework

Presentation in the style of a cooking show

What is AEGIS?

4 Year EC-funded ICT accessibility project

20 in consortium: from industry, disability, research

By the words of the acronym:open: collaborate with existing communities

Accessibility: focus of the project

Everywhere: desktop, web, mobile

Groundwork: start from users, user needs

Infrastructure: build it in to ICT

Standards: define, then build to standards

Where AEGIS comes from

EC call: FP7-ICT-2007-2Objective: ICT-2007.7.2: Accessible & Inclusive ICT

ICT-2007.7.2(a) New approaches and solutions for deeply embedding generalised accessibility support within future mainstream ICT-based products and services. Examples are user interfaces and content representations adaptable to people with specific needs. It includes open, plug & play accessibility architectures and standards enabling a seamless integration of personalised assistive solutions for ICT access. The research is expected to develop and demonstrate the proposed solutions in a realistic user context and strong industrial participation is envisaged to promote consensus building and facilitate exploitation).

AEGIS Concept build it in

deeply embed generalised accessibility support within future mainstream ICT = build accessibility into all facets of the value delivery chain

Learn from the built environment:Need to address creation steps: What does it mean to be accessible, etc.

Need to address use stepsWheelchair ramps don't help unless people have wheelchairs

Apply to ICT environment: Open Accessibility Framework

AEGIS OAF

AEGIS OAF

AEGIS Concept generations...

Accessibility evolving: 3 distinct generations

1st generation accessibility:Character-based systems

2nd generation accessibility:GUI with off-screen models

3rd generation accessibility:Access by contract - accessibility APIs

Our protagonist developer

Rakel Johannesson lives in Gothenburg, Sweden

Employed for four years as a senior developer at a Ozeanus Mobile Solutions IT

Ozeanus develops mass market apps as well as enterprise solutions

New project: develop an accessible app that presents a catalog of mobile devices for an important mobile operator

Must run on Java Mobile devices

Photo of Rakel Johannesson

Mrs. Johannesson's work environment

Rakel uses many tools in her work:NetBeans for desktop & mobile apps

LWUIT resource editor for LWUIT mobile apps

Eclipse for BlackBerry and Android apps

Xcode for iPhone apps

Visual Studio for Symbian apps

She does not have a disability herself

Create an accessible catalog app

Combination of corporate responsibility on the part of the mobile operator along with compliance with EU and US laws led to decision: make an accessible catalog app

Mobile market is very fragmented: many different platforms led to decision: use Java, which is on the greatest number of phones

Mobile operator has used Ozeanus Mobile Solutions in the past for other apps, trusts them to do this new job

Rakel Johannesson is a senior engineer at Ozeanus, and so is given this new assignment

Mrs. Johannesson's research

Methodology: Search the web for tools, resources, guidance in creating accessible apps for the Java mobile platform

Search results: Accessibility Adviser tool, Mobile UI components (LWUIT), developer tools, simulation tools, and ATs to test with

Relevant material for LWUIT developed in AEGIS:Accessibility Adviser provides guidance [OAF step 3: Developer Tool]

Java Mobile accessibility API [OAF step 1: Define Accessible]

LWUIT UI stock components implement accessibility API, high contrast themes [OAF step 2: Stock Elements]

LWUIT's Resource Editor that incorporates accessible UI component sets and accessible themes [OAF step 3: Developer Tool]

ACCESSIBLE project's DIAS disability simulation tool for Java mobile apps

Java mobile ATs (screen reader and monkey) that allow to validate the accessibility of the application [OAF step 6: Assistive Technology]

Define end users, accessibility env.

Use the Accessibility AdviserTo understand the end user of their application and their major barriers and limitations

It will specify a set of recommendations that to develop the application, as well as the recommended technologies that can be used

Select target peronasLow vision: Gert Van Dijk

Blindness: Paulina Reyes

User model diagram showing how user needs & interaction models drive the required accessibility functionality

Design app w/accessibility support

Development phase of application with first accessibility tests: Use the resource editor to drag and drop accessible LWUIT UI components [OAF step 2: Stock Elements]

The accessibility support
checks that every component
is correctly labeled and shows
the relationship of the UI
components [OAF step 3:
Developer Tool]

Generate a NetBeans project

Screenshot showing initial development of the mobile application, with the Resource Editor highlighting places where additional accessibility work is needed

Develop app w/accessibility support

The developer continues working with the NetBeans IDE [OAF step 5: The app itself]

Makes use of tools to ensure the accessibility quality of the application [OAF step 6: AT]Mobile Ferret

Mobile Monkey

Screenshot of the Monkey toolScreenshot of the Ferret tool

Accessibility simulation

Simulation phase of developmentUses ACCESSIBLE's DIAS (Disability Impairment Approximation Simulator) tool for Java Mobile

A better contrast is required for the end users

She downloads a high contrast theme

DIAS simulation of the app - screenshot showing the "normal view"DIAS simulation of the app - screenshot showing the "simulatoed view" - in this case of a user with macular degenerationScreenshot of the high-contrast yellow-on-black LWUIT theme

User evaluation

Testing with end users using:Java Mobile screen reader [OAF step 6: AT]

High contrast and large print themes [OAF step 2: Stock Elements]

Screenshot of the high-contrast yellow-on-black LWUIT themeScreenshot of the Java Mobile screen reader prototype

Release!

Release of the applicationFinally the application is released and uploaded to the app store

Summary

Tools & components used to build the app:Accessibility Advisor [OAF step 3: Developer Tool]

LWUIT's Resource Editor that incorporates accessible UI component sets and accessible themes & NetBeans IDE [OAF step 3: Developer Tool]

LWUIT UI stock components implementing the accessibility API and accessible high contrast themes [OAF step 2: Stock Elements]

LWUIT accessibility API [OAF step 1: Define Accessible]

Design the app w/accessibility support [OAF step 3, 5]

Develop the application with accessibility support [OAF step 5, 6]

Accessibility simulation with the ACCESSIBLE DIAS [OAF step 3]

User evaluation [OAF step 4, 5, 6]

Release!

Actual Release

Release of the GARI sample applicationThe fictionalapplication was uploaded to the market on Feb 13th

Thanks to the Mobile Manufacturer Forum (MMF) we were able to access the GARI database to populate the data of the application

Currently there are 477 mobile devices in the catalogue, each of them with 113 accessibility features

We have prioritized some categories to prevent users to navigate through all the categories

Actual Release, cont.

Release of the applicationThe application is available in English and Spanish. If anyone would like to collaborate translating the categories to other languages please let us know!

Next steps in AEGIS

Third Pilot testing with developersCS students in Prague & Madrid will test these tools

Two groups: using tools & control group

Key question: to what extent do these tools help developers who aren't otherwise familiar with accessibility in creating accessible web apps

We will publish results by August 2012

Questions?

http://www.aegis-project.eu

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AEGIS SP4 story - building an accessible mobile application

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