10 An Approximation Simulator for Designing and Developing Accessible Java Swing Applications

FOSS-AMASatellite event

27-28 March 2010, Paphos, Cyprus


Dr. Dimitrios TzovarasInformatics and Telematics Institute

Centre for Research and Technology Hellas Greece

An Approximation Simulator for Designing and Developing Accessible

Java Swing Applications





Introduction

Implemented Impairments

Approximation Simulator

Conclusions and future work

Demo

Overview




FOSS-AMASatellite event Introduction

ICT based products are used by older people or people with disabilities

Non-accessible software applications cause productivity losses

Lack of accessibility support tools for developers lead to non fully usable applications by design





Tools for Web accessibility assessment◦ aDesigner◦ Color Doctor◦ Visual Impairment Simulator for Microsoft Windows◦ Vischeck◦ WebAIM low vision simulator◦ Cambridge University vision impairment simulator

Tools for Java Swing accessibility assessment◦ Sun Java Accessibility Utilities◦ Sun Java Accessibility Helper





Existing development tools give little assistance or make it impossible to design and develop accessible ICT Java solutions

Approximation Simulator can be used for achieving accessibility design for developing Java Swing applications





The tool approximately simulates the difficulties someone with vision or other disabilities face when interacting with Java Swing Graphical User Interfaces (GUIs)

Through the tool the developer is alerted for any accessibility errors/warnings the implemented GUI may have






Cataract◦ Affecting approximately 18 million of the world

population

Macular degeneration◦ Affecting approximately 9% of the world population

Glaucoma◦ Affecting approximately 10% of the world

population






Uncorrected refractive errors◦ Affecting approximately 153 million world-widely

Night blindness◦ Affecting approximately 1% of preschool-age

children and 8% of pregnant women world-widely

Color blindness◦ Affecting approximately 8.5% of male and 0.5% of

female of the world population






Retinitis pigmentosa

Parkinson’s disease

Extreme light sensitivity




FOSS-AMASatellite event Approximation

Simulator





Simulator

The tool gives useful information on any GUI component with possible accessibility problems

The tool inherits the Look and Feel (L&F) that was set to the application by the developer

The tool can adapt to the high contrast appearance scheme as well as the mouse pointer scheme set by the developer





Simulator Windows L&F, “High contrast white”, “Windows Standard (extra large)”





Simulator Two Netbeans IDE plugins have been implemented

as an extension of the approximation simulator◦ DIAS Preview plugin

provides a visual design preview feature that allows developers and designers to realize how their implemented GUI forms are being displayed

presents all the detected accessibility errors and warnings of the simulated GUI form

presents appropriate description of the potential problems as well as specific guidelines and recommendations on how to solve the detected problems

◦ DIAS Run plugin gives the ability to execute and run in real time a Java

Swing applications and verify if the included functionalities and components contain any accessibility constraint





Conclusions and future work

The approximation simulator would assist developers, throughout the phases of the whole development process, in creating accessible Java Swing GUI applications

Improve approximation simulator capabilities ◦ Enhance the simulation outcome◦ Support more impairments◦ Cover more impairments with information and

recommendations about problematic GUI components





Demo