Blanca Alcanda Technosite (Fundación ONCE)

1. 7 October 2010 - 1st International ÆGIS Conference
Identifying devices and services that satisfy
users’ real needs
Blanca Alcanda
Chief Executive Officer
Technosite (Fundación ONCE)

2. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Contents
• Technosite
• Introduction
• Difficulties in identifying accessible products and services
• Identifying needs in the mobile communications environment:
• Identifying needs in the desktop environment
• Identifying needs through game playing
• Conclusions

3. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Introduction
• The information society has many digital services and devices to
access them
• There are different issues that we have to take into account:
• Technological features
• Environment
• User’s needs and preferences
• Technology / user’s computer skills
• ...
• Identifying ICT devices and services can be complex for people with
disabilities and elderly people
• ... And it is even more so for finding those devices and services that
also meet their needs and preferences.

4. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Why is it so complicated to identify products and services
that are accessible?
Some reasons…
• Many services and devices have not been
designed to suit everyone.
• There are services that improve accessibility to the
information society, but the manufacturer or
supplier is often unaware of this.
• Products and services are designed with
accessibility in mind but not in practice
How to integrate with other technologies
• Information on available products and services
does not reach users.

5. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Projects which address these challenges
• Needs in mobile environments: Accessible and Easy-
to-use Mobile Internet Technology
• Needs in desktop environments: T-Orienta Project
• Identifying needs through game playing: GameTEL and
INREDIS

6. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Mobile environment
Overview
• Wide range of technology
• Lack of standardization
• Solutions that partially satisfy the needs of certain groups of
people:
• Accessible devices
• Assistive technology
• Services that enhance accessibility
• Need to make it easier to find products and services:
• CEAPAT and ONCE have specialist catalogues
• Some mobile operators (FVE) dedicate space to accessibility
issues

7. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Identifying needs in the mobile environment
• To help people at risk of exclusion to access
services using mobile communications, ONCE
Foundation and Technosite have identified three
objectives:
• Analyse the technologies involved in mobile
communications
• Design a system to identify accessible products
and services
• Set up and promote a specific social network
about mobile communications and accessibility

8. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Project "Experimental Study to Identify Accessible and Easy-to-use
Mobile Internet Technology"
Submitted by the ONCE Foundation under the "Digital Citizens" programme
of the Spanish government’s Avanza 2009 programme
Main objective
Based on a pilot programme to allow people with
disabilities and elderly people to use the Web to
identify mobile devices, compatible AT and
operators’ mobile Internet services that meet
individual needs and preferences

9. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Project "Experimental Study to Identify Accessible and
Easy-to-use Mobile Internet Technology"
Specific • Develop methodologies for analysing
objectives different technologies
• Assess accessibility and ease of use of
mobile devices and the main assistive
technology
• Design an expert system of searching
• Generate knowledge and promote
awareness of accessibility
• Open a channel for collaboration between
accessibility experts
• Raise awareness among manufacturers,
mobile operators and distributors

10. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Project "Experimental Study to Identify Accessible and
Easy-to-use Mobile Internet Technology"
What does the user have to do?
1. Access www.discapnet.es
2. Go to the mobile communications and accessibility section
3. A wizard helps define user profile
4. Select the basic functionalities or services needed (additional
features are also recommended)
5. The application may come up with phones based on three criteria:
• those that fully match the user’s needs and preferences
• those that almost match their needs and preferences
• those that match their needs but not their preferences
6. The system also suggests compatible assistive technology and
services

11. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Desktop environment
• T-Orienta Project: run by the Fernández de los Ríos
Consortium of the Government of Andalusia
• Technosite is a technology partner in the project
• T-Orienta is a computer-based tool that provides
access to information technology for people with
disabilities at the centres belonging to a public
accesss (Guadalinfo Network of Internet Public
Access Centres)
• T-Orienta offers proposals for adaptation of
hardware and software
• 3 key aspects: personalization, simple solutions
and continuous evaluation

12. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Identifying needs through game playing
• Two R&D projects identify and compile user needs
through games: GameTel and INREDIS
• Design multimedia games to “capture” the
capabilities of each user and configure interfaces
• GameTel focuses on development of accessible
games
• INREDIS focuses on self-adaptive interfaces which
take into account the specific user capabilities and
device, to access services from other devices and
environments

13. The importance of correctly identifying devices and services
that satisfy users’ real needs
Conclusions
• Innovation is necessary but not enough: we need to bring
accessible solutions closer to the users
• These projects are examples of initiatives that aim to cover the
lack of advice available for users to participate in the information
society
• The keys for making the information society more inclusive are:
• Designing devices and services accessible to all and
publishing accessibility features in a clear and simple
language.
• Recognizing user needs from any device and providing an
interface tailored to their needs (user modelling).