Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2025
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.18348 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866914032327327744 |
|---|---|
| author | Elavsky, Frank Vindedal, Marita Gies, Ted Carrington, Patrick Moritz, Dominik Moseng, Øystein |
| author_facet | Elavsky, Frank Vindedal, Marita Gies, Ted Carrington, Patrick Moritz, Dominik Moseng, Øystein |
| contents | Accessible design for some may still produce barriers for others. This tension, called access friction, creates challenges for both designers and end-users with disabilities. To address this, we present the concept of softerware, a system design approach that provides end users with agency to meaningfully customize and adapt interfaces to their needs. To apply softerware to visualization, we assembled 195 data visualization customization options centered on the barriers we expect users with disabilities will experience. We built a prototype that applies a subset of these options and interviewed practitioners for feedback. Lastly, we conducted a design probe study with blind and low vision accessibility professionals to learn more about their challenges and visions for softerware. We observed access frictions between our participant's designs and they expressed that for softerware's success, current and future systems must be designed with accessible defaults, interoperability, persistence, and respect for a user's perceived effort-to-outcome ratio. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2502_18348 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Towards softerware: Enabling personalization of interactive data representations for users with disabilities Elavsky, Frank Vindedal, Marita Gies, Ted Carrington, Patrick Moritz, Dominik Moseng, Øystein Human-Computer Interaction Accessible design for some may still produce barriers for others. This tension, called access friction, creates challenges for both designers and end-users with disabilities. To address this, we present the concept of softerware, a system design approach that provides end users with agency to meaningfully customize and adapt interfaces to their needs. To apply softerware to visualization, we assembled 195 data visualization customization options centered on the barriers we expect users with disabilities will experience. We built a prototype that applies a subset of these options and interviewed practitioners for feedback. Lastly, we conducted a design probe study with blind and low vision accessibility professionals to learn more about their challenges and visions for softerware. We observed access frictions between our participant's designs and they expressed that for softerware's success, current and future systems must be designed with accessible defaults, interoperability, persistence, and respect for a user's perceived effort-to-outcome ratio. |
| title | Towards softerware: Enabling personalization of interactive data representations for users with disabilities |
| topic | Human-Computer Interaction |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2502.18348 |