Audrey Girouard

From accessible making to do-it-yourself assistive technologies, textile crafts have brought valuable insights to recent accessibility research. However, textile crafting is so widespread and varied that we do not understand the scope of accessibility in textile crafting, nor are crafters a well-defined population. In order for HCI to more effectively explore textile crafting for more accessible technologies, we need a broader, yet more nuanced, understanding of such practices. We conducted a cross-sectional survey study of textile crafters ( N = 184) that asked participants to identify three aspects of their experiences: textile crafts, disability types, and accessibility barriers. Our findings revealed the dynamic, interdependent nature of “access” arising from an ecosystem of tools and social relationships. Drawing on recent disability-led work in HCI, craft theory, and our own experiences, we present a conceptual framework that models how technology and community enable accessible crafting, outline practical implications for HCI and accessibility researchers, and suggest opportunities for further sociotechnical inquiries.

Despite the potential of multimodal assistive technologies (MATs) to convey visual information, such as music notation, to blind or low-vision (BLV) individuals, we do not fully understand how MATs can be used to improve music reading and memorization. Through ideation and co-design workshops, we explored how modalities, such as sound and vibration, can improve music reading and memorization through hands-free timely interactions and reminders. Our design workshops presented a unique opportunity for BLV musicians and learners to collaborate and actively engage in the research and design process informed by their individual perspectives and lived experiences. We classified the complex challenges of reading and memorizing music into intrinsic (related to the cognitive aspects of music understanding) and extraneous (pertaining to external factors such as interaction and access) complexities and found that specific modalities are well suited to tackle particular problems. We conclude by outlining design implications and future research directions aimed at developing MATs that holistically improve music learning for BLV people.

Digital artists with motor impairments in their upper limbs face considerable barriers to accessibility when using drawing tools. Our work aims to investigate the complex relationship between digital artists’ creative processes and their accessibility challenges. We conducted 15 interviews with artists who use input devices to make digital art, analyzing their accessibility challenges for producing digital artwork. We reviewed how effective the solutions are in diminishing the impact on their creative processes and identifying design opportunities for the research community. Using thematic analysis, we look at the challenges participants reported in their artistic production, including managing pain, discomfort, and injuries alongside workarounds. Secondly, the artists reported the complexities of managing internal and external perceptions. Lastly, the ways creative processes are impacted by the accessibility challenges and solutions related to their upper limb motor impairments. We discuss research directions which can better address the impact of accessibility challenges on creative processes, the balance of creative agency over tools, and design insights for more accessible artistic technologies.

The interest in enhancing video game interactions through wearable technology has grown, yet accessible gaming with wearables remains underexplored. This study employs participatory design fiction, enabling disabled gamers to envision a future with tailored gaming wearables while critiquing technology. We conducted a two-phase study. Phase one involved in-depth interviews with upper limb motor disability participants; we developed a fictitious gaming wearable by analyzing the data using reflexive thematic analysis. A smaller group iterated on the wearable in phase two to ideate on ideal futures with accessible gaming wearables. Using data and dialogic/performance analysis, we crafted a design fiction diegetic prototype as a tech review video. This research highlights disabled gamers' unique needs and experiences around gaming wearables. It offers an innovative diegetic prototype for accessible gaming tech. Our methodological contribution merges narrative inquiry and dialogic/performance analysis in participatory design fiction research, providing a valuable approach for future studies.

Parametric Computer-aided design (CAD) enables the creation of reusable models by integrating variables into geometric properties, facilitating customization without a complete redesign. However, creating parametric designs in programming-based CAD presents significant challenges. Users define models in a code editor using a programming language, with the application generating a visual representation in a viewport. This process involves complex programming and arithmetic expressions to describe geometric properties, linking various object properties to create parametric designs. Unfortunately, these applications lack assistance, making the process unnecessarily demanding. We propose a solution that allows users to retrieve parametric expressions from the visual representation for reuse in the code, streamlining the design process. We demonstrated this concept through a proof-of-concept implemented in the programming-based CAD application, OpenSCAD, and conducted an experiment with 11 users. Our findings suggest that this solution could significantly reduce design errors, improve interactivity and engagement in the design process, and lower the entry barrier for newcomers by reducing the mathematical skills typically required in programming-based CAD applications.

Significant obstacles persist in meeting the accessibility needs of computer and smartphone users with mild-to-moderate upper limb motor impairments as they use their devices at work and home. Multimodal input can help, but has not been widely adopted. We build on existing literature with a discovery survey and semistructured follow-up interviews in which we identify common themes related to the limitations of today’s solutions and the ad hoc workarounds which are adopted. We ran a series of co-design workshop sessions to understand the potential of modern “physical computing” electronic device prototyping technologies to provide new and effective input options for our target user base. We present the resulting prototype solutions and describe the technology choices made. Finally, we discuss how the co-design process, in conjunction with access to suitable physical prototyping technologies, can be a powerful approach for designing accessibility-focused input systems.

The uses of handheld mobile devices are diverse, yet interaction is not; touchscreens are the singular primary interface on most mobiles. Touch interaction has usability issues (e.g., the “fat fingers problem”) which impair the fine control of small interface elements, such as when working with text. Beyond text entry, this includes tasks like placing the in-text cursor (caret), text selection, and copy/paste. Current solutions for touch usability issues do not address complex uses like working with text. We propose deformable interaction, specifically bend, added alongside touch to support working with text on mobile. We explore this through a study of BendAide, a novel deformable 3D printed case for mobiles that adds bend interaction to the device. We found that people perceive different advantages between bend and touch and that they will alternate between these inputs based on task demands and their personal abilities. Adding alternate input options to mobile could reduce the complexity of on-display interfaces and interactions and give people more choice in how they use their devices.