Beyond Barriers: A Practical Analysis of the SIM-SR Method to Inspect the Communicability of Interactive Systems for Visually Impaired Users

• Lucas Pedroso Carvalho UFMG
• Mariana Aparecida dos Santos UFMG
• Joana Gabriela R. de Souza UFMG
• Raquel Oliveira Prates UFMG
• André Pimenta Freire UFLA

Abstract

The availability and use of interactive systems have increased considerably. However, evaluating the accessibility and communicability of such systems for a range of users is essential to improve their quality. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) evaluation methods assess different aspects of the system's interaction quality. The Semiotic Inspection Method Mediated by Screen Readers (SIM-SR) emerged as a method based on the Semiotic Inspection Method (SIM), considering the particularities of using screen reader software to mediate the user-system interaction. This paper presents an applicability analysis of SIM-SR and discusses its contribution based on the relevant accessibility and communicability knowledge it generates. Our results show that SIM-SR went beyond identifying accessibility barriers and guideline violations, and led evaluators to take into consideration the impact of accessibility issues on the system's communicability and different levels of communicative breakdowns that visually impaired users could experience during interaction.

Keywords: Accessibility, Communicability, Screen Readers, Semiotic Inspection Method, Visually Impaired Users