Accessible Voting
This research was conducted when I started my accessibility research journey before exploring body movement focussed applications. This research was conducted by myself under supervision. This was awarded with Gold Medal for the faculty for the best research.
Motivation
Sri Lankan BLV Voters do not have an accessible voting mechanism. A paper based voting mechanism is practiced in Sri Lanka where a BLV person depends on another person who will be willing to vote behalf of them at the polling station. We thus set out to design a voting interface so it can enhance their right of voting in the years to come.
Approach
We took a User-centered Design approach by empathising first and then ideating with the BLV adults. We conducted stakeholder interviews (2- voting authorities, 2- leadership of BLV persons organisation, 9- user interviews). Then we conducted ideation workshops iteratively changing our prototypes based on their input. Above images show the iterative prototypes used in the workshops.
Key Findings
Some insights based on the interviews conducted,
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Braille literacy is low among the participants and is it being less learnt by new generations as well in Sri Lanka. However, this does not imply that Braille should not be included in the designs but rather to imply that it should not be the only way for accessing information.
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Touch interfaces are preferred for voting due to their familiarity in using accessible features in touch phones but inconvenience to scan over the screen is a pain point.
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Some users loved pressing buttons (tactile interface) to vote instead of tapping touch interfaces.
Madhuka De Silva, Thushani Weerasinghe, Kapila Dias. (2019). Designing an Information Technology Based Voting Solution for Persons with Vision Impairment in Sri Lanka. The Twelfth International Conference on Advances in Computer-Human Interactions, ACHI ’19.
Final Evaluation
We conducted user studies comparing the usability of two interfaces (touch input based and tactile input based) as shown in the above image. The touch screen was guided by a glass frame with indicators on both sides. The other interface was button driven designed using different shapes and colors having a focus on voters with low vision.
Video
Video provides a demonstration of the final prototype. The instructions are read in Sinhala language. However, we designed it to have in English and Tamil as well due to those being main languages spoken in Sri Lanka.
Madhuka De Silva, Thushani Weerasinghe, Kapila Dias. (2019). Information Technology Based Usable Ballot Interface Design for Persons with Vision Impairment in Sri Lanka. In: Antona, M., Stephanidis, C. (eds) Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Theory, Methods and Tools. HCII ’19. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 11572. Springer, Cham.
Acknowledgment
I am super grateful for my supervisors (Dr. Thushani Weerasinghe, Prof. Kapila Dias), my faculty (UCSC in University of Colombo), my family and friends, participants and authorities who shared their time and experiences!
