AEGIS SP4 story - building an accessible mobile application Presentation at CSUN 2012.

1. Using the AEGIS OAF:
Accessible Java Mobile Apps
Peter Korn, Oracle
Maria Fernanda Cabrera, UPM
Jon Azpiroz, Fundación Vodafone España
International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference

2. What we will be doing today...
Following a fictional software developer who will
build an accessible mobile application
Demonstrate how AEGIS helps do this,
using the “Open Accessibility Framework”
Presentation in the style of a “cooking show”
International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference

3. What is AEGIS?
4 Year EC-funded ICT accessibility project
20 in consortium: from industry, disability,
research
By the words of the acronym:
open: collaborate with existing communities
Accessibility: focus of the project
Everywhere: desktop, web, mobile
Groundwork: start from users, user needs
Infrastructure: build it in to ICT
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4. Where AEGIS comes from
EC call: FP7-ICT-2007-2
Objective: ICT-2007.7.2: Accessible & Inclusive ICT
ICT-2007.7.2(a) New approaches and solutions for
deeply embedding generalised accessibility
support within future mainstream ICT-based
products and services. Examples are user interfaces
and content representations adaptable to people with
specific needs. It includes open, plug & play
accessibility architectures and standards enabling a
seamless integration of personalised assistive
solutions for ICT access. The research is expected to
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5. AEGIS Concept – build it in
“deeply embed generalised accessibility support
within future mainstream ICT ” = build accessibility
into all facets of the “value delivery chain”
Learn from the built environment:
Need to address “creation” steps:
What does it mean to be “accessible”, etc.
Need to address “use” steps
Wheelchair ramps don't help unless people have
wheelchairs
Apply to ICT environment: Open Accessibility
Framework
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6. AEGIS OAF
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7. AEGIS OAF
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8. AEGIS Concept – generations...
Accessibility evolving: 3 distinct generations
1st generation accessibility:
Character-based systems
2nd generation accessibility:
GUI with off-screen models
3rd generation accessibility:
“Access by contract” - accessibility APIs
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9. Our protagonist developer
Rakel Johannesson lives
in Gothenburg, Sweden
Employed for four years
as a senior developer at
a Ozeanus Mobile
Solutions IT
Ozeanus develops mass
market apps as well as
enterprise solutions
New project: develop an
accessible app that
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10. Mrs. Johannesson's work environment
Rakel uses many tools in her work:
NetBeans for desktop & mobile apps
LWUIT resource editor for LWUIT mobile apps
Eclipse for BlackBerry and Android apps
Xcode for iPhone apps
Visual Studio for Symbian apps
She does not have a disability herself
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11. Create an accessible catalog app
Combination of corporate responsibility on the
part of the mobile operator – along with
compliance with EU and US laws – led to
decision: make an accessible catalog app
Mobile market is very fragmented: many different
platforms – led to decision: use Java, which is
on the greatest number of phones
Mobile operator has used Ozeanus Mobile
Solutions in the past for other apps, trusts them
to do this new job
Rakel Johannesson is a senior engineer at
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12. Mrs. Johannesson's research
Methodology: Search the web for tools,
resources, guidance in creating accessible
apps for the Java mobile platform
Search results: Accessibility Adviser tool, Mobile
UI components (LWUIT), developer tools,
simulation tools, and ATs to test with
Relevant material for LWUIT developed in
AEGIS:
Accessibility Adviser provides guidance [OAF step 3:
“Developer Tool”]
Java Mobile accessibility API [OAF step 1: “Define
Accessible”]
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13. Define end users, accessibility env.
Use the Accessibility Adviser
To understand the end user of their application and
their major barriers and limitations
It will specify a set of recommendations that to
develop the application, as well as the
recommended technologies that can be used
Select target peronas
Low vision: Gert Van Dijk
Blindness: Paulina Reyes
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14. Design app w/accessibility support
Development phase of application with first
accessibility tests:
Use the resource editor to drag and drop accessible LWUIT
UI components [OAF step 2: “Stock Elements”]
The accessibility support
checks that every component
is correctly labeled and shows
the relationship of the UI
components [OAF step 3:
“Developer Tool”]
Generate a NetBeans project
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15. Develop app w/accessibility support
The developer continues working with the
NetBeans IDE [OAF step 5: “The app itself”]
Makes use of tools to ensure the accessibility
quality of the application [OAF step 6: “AT”]
Mobile Ferret
Mobile Monkey
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16. Accessibility simulation
Simulation phase of development
Uses ACCESSIBLE's DIAS (Disability Impairment
Approximation Simulator) tool for Java Mobile
A better contrast is required for the end users
She downloads a high contrast theme
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17. User evaluation
Testing with end users using:
Java Mobile screen reader [OAF step 6: “AT”]
High contrast and large print themes [OAF step 2:
“Stock Elements”]
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18. Release!
Release of the application
Finally the application is released and uploaded to the
app store
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19. Summary
Tools & components used to build the app:
Accessibility Advisor [OAF step 3: “Developer
Tool”]
LWUIT's Resource Editor that incorporates accessible
UI component sets and accessible themes &
NetBeans IDE [OAF step 3: “Developer Tool”]
LWUIT UI stock components implementing the
accessibility API and accessible high contrast
themes [OAF step 2: “Stock Elements”]
LWUIT accessibility API [OAF step 1: “Define
Accessible”]
DesignInternational Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference
the app w/accessibility support [OAF19 of

20. Actual Release
Release of the GARI “sample” application
The “fictional”application was uploaded to the market
on Feb 13th
Thanks to the Mobile Manufacturer Forum (MMF) we
were able to access the GARI database to populate
the data of the application
Currently there are 477 mobile devices in the
catalogue, each of them with 113 accessibility
features
We have prioritized some categories to prevent users
to navigate through all the categories
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21. Actual Release, cont.
Release of the application
The application is available in English and Spanish. If
anyone would like to collaborate translating the
categories to other languages please let us know!
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22. Next steps in AEGIS
Third Pilot testing with developers
CS students in Prague & Madrid will test these tools
Two groups: using tools & control group
Key question: to what extent do these tools help
developers who aren't otherwise familiar with
accessibility in creating accessible web apps
We will publish results by August 2012
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23. Questions?
http://www.aegis-project.eu
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