Sarvani Nadiminti

Metric: Mapping controls of parametric fonts for low vision accessibility

Abstract

More than 1 billion people globally have low vision, i.e. a vision loss less than blindness and can be helped. Current accessibility solutions focus mostly on the blind, or have less optimised user interfaces, rendering them impractical and only theoretical solutions. By delving deep into the question “How do communication designers bridge low vision accessibility and parametric typography i.e. a global approach to applying changes to different components of a letterform” , this practice based research follows three phases of iterative action research cycles to discover a feasible and practical answer. With an aim to make more software specifically for people with low vision, the project targets people whose eye conditions change from time to time and require adjustment of display on a regular basis. This project attempts to record the benefits and drawbacks of the software designed as a part of this research called “Metric” that provides accessible visual user interface mapped to keyboard and mouse inputs to tailor font parameters.

The first phase involved research to answer further questions to understand the functionality of existing accessibility tools that enhance vision like colour treatments, cross functionality with other application and seamless integration of input methods.

Analysis was also done to simplify complex typographic terms and make them simpler for the chosen audience, and wireframes and sketches were made after defining a few possible user flows. The scope and possible features of the software were also broadened in this phase, branding it to give the name "Metric" and comparative study of features of existing accessibility software done.

The primary focus of this phase is to reduce the scope of the project and strip down the features of Metric to a select list of functions that make it unique and true to its purpose.These include adjusting intricate font parameters, and repurposing that for accessibility usage on any operating system. Functions like screen reading, magnification and changing of cursors were removed, as they could be provided by other existing software used with Metric simultaneously.

The wireframes were realised into two high-definition prototypes, the first one dealing with parameters like colours and icons for various functions that control overall look-and-feel of the software and the second one utilised code and a gaming engine, Godot, to cater to the functionality, while adapting the look of the first prototype. This was a cyclic process of planning, implementing in the prototype and reflecting.

Metric was designed making heavy assumptions and to clear these assumptions, various research methods were implemented in this phase. The methods include participant recruitment, conducting interviews for contextual enquiry and feedback to evaluate the design, searching alternative methods to conduct user testing using vision simulators, creating supplementary materials to make the testing process simpler, and gathering insights through affinity mapping.

The insights gathered from the mapping were then used to improve iconography and video prototype. The ones that couldn’t be implemented are pointers to begin another cycle of action research which is out of scope of this project due to time constrains. The resulting artefacts and final proposed service, along with a presentation, exegesis, and these three posters comprise the total contribution to knowledge.