Presentation given by Jonathan Hassell (Head of Audience Experience & Usability) at IMS Global Learning Impact Awards, Long Beach CA; Unitech 2010, Oslo; Interagency Dialogue on Cloud Computing and Auto-Personalization, Washington DC; BCS HCI workshop on Accessibility, User Profiling & Adaptation, Dundee; and Access to digital content for education workshop, Tromsø in 2010. Covers: how disabled people might be excluded from digital participation; disabled people's use of the web, compared to what it could be; if there's so much to gain, what's getting in the way; how current inclusion models don't help; how the BBC have learnt from our past attempts to provide information on assistive technologies and accessibility settings of browsers and operating systems; how the BBC have learnt from our attempts to provide site-based accessibility personalisation; how we've researched other people's 'AAA' tools and found 5 guidelines which successful tools need to follow; how we used those guidelines to direct the creation of our new 'MyDisplay' accessibility personalisation system which we have rolled out across bbc.co.uk; what early users think about MyDisplay and how we are testing it more widely; how global collaboration initiatives like GPII can help adoption of such tools and enable more disabled and elderly people to participate in the digital economy

1. © BBC 2010
Accessibility preferences aren’t for sissies…
the importance of global collaboration in creating
cloud-based auto-personalisation approaches
Jonathan Hassell
Head of Usability & Accessibility
BBC Future Media & Technology
For: Access to digital content for education workshop, Tromsø Nov 30 2010
First Presented: Unitech-2010, May 19 2010

2. © BBC 2010
1. Why is collaboration important?
- the common challenge…

3. © BBC 2010
1a. The view from the UK…
who might be excluded from Digital Participation?

4. © BBC 2010
21% of UK adults do not have the net
67% are C2DE vs 45% of UK population
at home, or use it elsewhere
10.5m adults aged 15+
Their average age is 61. More than half are 65+

5. © BBC 2010
1b. Disabled people’s use of the web in the UK…
… compared to what it could be

6. © BBC 2010
Disabled people in the UK
11 million adults
• More likely to be older
– 47% over 65 compared to 20% of general population
• Less likely to be working
– 43% of disabled people of working age are working compared to 74% of general population
• Heavy media consumers
– Particularly of TV and radio
• Only half see themselves as ‘disabled’
– This made little difference to attitudes to the media
Sources: Experience and expectations of disabled people (ODI 2008),
TGI, Disabled for Life (DWP 2002), Phase 3 research

7. © BBC 2010
Internet use in the UK
Sources: UK - EEDP (2008) and ONS (2007); US – FCC (2009)
42%Of disabled people in the
UK have used the internet
cf. USA figure:
42%
67%Of the general population in the
UK have ever used the internet
cf. USA figure:
65%

8. © BBC 2010
Missing disabled internet audience…
58% of 11m =
6.4m
cf. USA figure: 40m
Sources: UK – EEDP (2008) and ONS (2007); US – NPII (2010)

9. © BBC 2010
1c. Do they just not want to use it...
What do those who use it say?

10. © BBC 2010
In general they use the web in ways that are very
similar to non-disabled people
• They look for similar sorts of things on YouTube
– And find them in the same sorts of ways – through viral means
or the search engine
• People use similar social networking sites e.g. Facebook
– And are often introduced to them by non disabled peers

11. © BBC 2010
About half say the web makes them feel less isolated
51%Of disabled people who use the
internet daily say it helps them
feel less isolated
Source: EEDP (2008)

12. © BBC 2010
This was most important for our mentally ill
participants
• Depressed people may use the internet to help manage their lives during
depressive episodes
Yeah, I think so. I mean, you know when - with bipolar disorder you have -
you know - several times of - several weeks or several days which you -
you don't feel like sort of being around people, or directly speaking to
people. So, you know - we use the internet - it's marvellous, because I can
do everything on it - you know - from banking to - you know - watching TV,
and cooking, or buying stuff online.
Female, Bipolar Disorder, London

13. © BBC 2010
For some users the web is a huge enabler over other
technologies…
I know YouTube but a lot of deaf
are using it out there in the
community I mean America the
deaf are using it a lot…it links
with the internet and it's got
pictures and they use web cam
and it's all over the world so deaf
people are there because they
can be signing to each other
Male, Hearing impairment, Birmingham

14. © BBC 2010
1d. If there’s so much to gain…
… what’s getting in the way?

15. © BBC 2010
Age matters… but even when controlling for age, disabled
people are less likely to have ever used the internet
0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
100%
16 25 35 45 55 65 75
%ofpopulation
Disabled people
General population
Question (ODI) Have you ever used the internet, including email, websites instant messaging, chatrooms etc.?
ONS: ever used the internet
Sources: ODI (2008), ONS (2007)
Base: 16-34 142, 35-54 417, 55-74 850, 75+ 451

16. © BBC 2010
Primary barriers: limited understanding of the
internet means consideration is low
55-64,
Non User
“There’s nothing on there that
you couldn’t get from Teletext.”

17. © BBC 2010
Primary barriers: perceived value vs cost is
possibly a greater issue than cost per se
Significant minority cite cost / affordability as
main barrier to take-up
For many:

18. © BBC 2010
Primary barriers: lack of skills & confidence
means many do not see net as available to them
75-84,
Non User
“You’ve got to learn a new
keyboard. All those computer
controls! On my TV you’ve got
buttons all over the place, I can
barely cope with that!”
“I’d be frightened I’d do something
and it’d go boom!”
75-84,
Non User

19. © BBC 2010
Initial claimed barriers often mask different
or deeper reasons
Majority
Minority
Limited understanding
Low perceived benefit vs cost
Low confidence / skills
Acquisition & installation
process
Basic affordability
Impact on life
Literacy & social
exclusion
Safety & security concerns
Primary barriers Secondary barriers

20. © BBC 2010
Installation process for disabled people…
• Not just the computer…
• and the internet connection…
• and any plug-ins or
downloads needed for some sites…
• but also specialised
Assistive Technologies
to make it work for them

21. © BBC 2010
Use of Assistive Technologies is low…
6-8%Of web users use an
Assistive Technology
(screenreader, adapted
mouse or similar)
to access the Internet
Source: EEDP (2008)

22. © BBC 2010
When the benefits should be useful to most users…
Source: Microsoft/Forrester Research study 2003, USA
57%Of computer users
(aged 18-64)
are likely or very likely to
benefit from the use of
Assistive Technology

23. © BBC 2010
‘It saves on headache tablets…’
So, for some, the experience of using
the web just isn’t good enough…

24. © BBC 2010
1e. How current inclusion models don’t help…

25. © BBC 2010
Examining our current accessibility model
Up to now, “inclusion” on the net has mostly been
implemented via:
• “design for all”
• tweaking code so disabled people
can use Assistive Technologies or
OS/browser settings to make
things work for them
• do ‘alternative HTML versions’ if
doing multimedia…

26. © BBC 2010
We love inclusive design…

27. © BBC 2010
However, rarely does a “one-size-fits-all” site work for all
• different user groups can have
conflicting needs
• BBC iPlayer disability focus group (2009)
• Vision impaired / dyslexic
• “I like the black – it’s cool”
• “I hate it – I find it really tiring”
• Low literacy
• “can it just talk or something?”
• Aging / learning difficulties
• “all on one page… lovely!”
• “it was just too overwhelming
– can’t I have a simpler version?”
• so “design for all”
becomes “design for the many”
• and personalisation is relied upon…

28. © BBC 2010
But current web personalisation expects too much…
1. an Assistive Technology or OS/browser setting/tool to exist to make
the site accessible
• often they don’t
(e.g. text to sign language, text to ‘Easy Read’)
2. and expects web users to:
a. be aware that an Assistive Technology or OS/browser setting/tool exists
for their need
• (even with sites like BBC My Web My Way
to point the way) most are not
a. are able to afford that technology
• most are C2DE so have difficulty affording expensive techs
a. are able to work out how to install it
• most are not technical and scared of downloads
a. are able to work out how to use it
• most are unconfident
a. are able to use it to access online content
• thus… most never get this far, even if the site is WCAG AAA
• … and to do this for every device they use

29. © BBC 2010
And alternative versions often
miss the point…
• would HTML alternatives really make
these more accessible?
• silent video
• video games
• wandering around 3D worlds
• technology is rarely the issue, modality
and complexity are
• what people really need is:
• the ‘version for me’
• the ‘simple version’
• and they need to be able to:
• access it as easily as the original version

30. © BBC 2010
What websites need…
• is to know more about
the user’s needs…
• by motivating them
to provide this information…
• through enabling them
to see the benefits this will bring…
• (NB. see inclusion of such personalised approaches in latest accessibility
standards, such as BS 8878 Web accessibility – code of practice)

31. © BBC 2010
2. Why is collaboration important?
- the challenge is even harder if we don’t share…
- here’s what the BBC can share…

32. © BBC 2010
2a. BBC accessibility history (learning from our past)

33. © BBC 2010
BBC – a brief history of accessibility information
– Problem: People don’t know about OS/browsers settings or ATs
– Answer: BBC My Web My Way (2006 onwards)
c. 2006 c. 2010

34. © BBC 2010
BBC – a brief history of accessibility personalisation
– Problem: People have UX problems with OS/browser settings…
– Answer: personalisation tools…
c. 1998 c. 2003 c. 2006 c. 2007
‘Betsie’ ‘News low graphics’ ‘Accessibility Settings ‘Display Options’
Text only Text only + pics Text size + colour Text size, colour, simple
Blind + simple Blind + simple VI + cognitive VI + cognitive
Server-side CPS-based Site-spec CSS switcher Client-side tech

35. © BBC 2010
• Learning – BBC jam SEN
commissions
– Audiogames for helping Blind
children learn maths
– Signing avatars for helping Deaf
children’s literacy
• Media – BBC iPlayer
• Access Services: Audio
Description, Signing & Subtitling
• Simplicity: BigScreen
BBC – a brief history of more interesting & useful alternatives…

36. © BBC 2010
2b. Rigorous user research
– what works and what doesn’t…?

37. © BBC 2010
Aren’t web
accessibility preferences
for Sissies…?
Read Jared Smith’s useful article and discussion at:
http://webaim.org/blog/web-accessibility-preferences-are-for-
sissies/

38. © BBC 2010
Well maybe… in the past… let’s find the problems…
• BBC comparative testing on BBC and other sites’ tools
• 14 BBC and non-BBC customisation tools (mostly site-based) tested
• with a group of 15 people with:
• Dyslexia,
• Aspergers,
• ADHD,
• Poor Vision
• Mild to moderate Learning Difficulties
• research was conducted externally and participants were not told until the end it was
commissioned by the BBC

39. © BBC 2010
Research results…
• most users had never used personalisation before
• there was little consistency in calls to action…
• and thus few were able to identify what to do
• none knew what “AAA” was
• same finding as from Frode Eike Sandnes paper from Unitech 2010
• many initially didn’t see the point… some initial reluctance to try something new…
• however all said the sites they viewed were better
once they had customised them
• So we came up with some
guidelines for personalisation
“If all the web were like this,
I’d use it…”
User with ADHD

40. © BBC 2010
Guideline 1:
make the tool simple to identify,
and motivate people to use it,
or else they won’t get the benefit…

41. © BBC 2010
Guideline 2:
make the tool as simple as possible…
get users to their required preferences
in the fewest clicks…

42. © BBC 2010
Guideline 3:
allow users to feel completely in control

43. © BBC 2010
Guideline 4:
allow users to use their preferences everywhere…

44. © BBC 2010
Where users want to use their preferences cf. when they can…
Website
Browser
(incl.
toolbars)
OS
(incl.
most
ATs)
‘My Desktop/Laptop/Netbook’
‘My
other
computer’
‘My
cell
phone
(apps
& web)’
‘My
tablet’
‘My
IPTV/
games
console’Device

45. © BBC 2010
Guideline 5:
make sure putting the tool on your site doesn’t
give those who don’t need it a worse experience

46. © BBC 2010
2c. Oh great… yet more guidelines…?
No. A trial cloud-base solution from the BBC -
MyDisplay

47. © BBC 2010
BBC MyDisplay at a glance
• a way of letting people know why they should want…
• to use an engaging way of setting and storing their
accessibility preferences…
• and getting sites to respond to them
• … which works consistently across BBC Online…
• … and ideally cross-platform to mobile + IPTV
• … and ideally across the rest of the web
– … providing common tools for sites to respond to
those preferences
– … and a common model for existing tools to use
to find a user’s preferences
• opening up BBC content, and the rest of the web,
to underserved audiences

48. © BBC 2010
Two clicks to preview a change…

49. © BBC 2010
Three more clicks to tweak and save your theme…

50. © BBC 2010
And the rest of BBC Online uses your preferences…

51. © BBC 2010
On whatever OSes and browsers you want to use…

52. © BBC 2010
On all the (IP-connected) computers you use…
theme stored on the web, in a BBC iD

53. © BBC 2010
Without requiring any downloads…

54. © BBC 2010
2d. Checking acceptance by target audiences
before ploughing on…

55. © BBC 2010
“I’ve been waiting for this for years…”
User feedback in labs and focus groups…

56. © BBC 2010
In practice: 6 month trial with core target audiences…
• November 2010 to May 2011 in the UK
• Key metric: retention ratio
(people who continue to use MyDisplay cf. all people who try MyDisplay)
Sources: DFEE
2mlow-vision
but not blind
1.9mdyslexic
1.8madults with
low-literacy
levels
(<age 8)
80kcognitively
impaired
(ADHD,
Aspergers)

57. © BBC 2010
2e. Didn’t the users say they wanted this everywhere?
- if the audiences like it, a vision for sharing…

58. © BBC 2010
Across multiple web platforms
(eventually)
Apps
Browser

59. © BBC 2010
In whatever technologies websites use…
(potentially)

60. © BBC 2010
On websites from more than one organization
(actual sites indicative)
• working with initial non-
BBC adoption partners…
• have 5 signed-up for
feasibility pilot
• have interest from many,
many more…

61. © BBC 2010
A UI and adaptation framework which can evolve to
cover preferences for many different groups…
Optimisation for
users wanting voicing
Optimisation for
screenreader users
Optimisation for
switch users
Optimisation for
older users

62. © BBC 2010
Working with international standards and initiatives…
• to ensure MyDisplay complies with,
and helps influence,
international standards for the specification of
Accessibility Preferences
• e.g. ISO/IEC 24751, Access For All 3.0…
• to ensure MyDisplay influences and works with
other global accessibility initiatives
• e.g. NPII, GPII etc. (www.npii.org)

63. © BBC 2010
Collaboration is everything…
• the need is real… piecemeal solutions don’t work…
we need to work together…
• nationally
• internationally – EU, globally…
• potential for collaboration across Europe…
• e.g. FP7-ICT-2011.5.5 – smart and personalised
inclusion (proposals due Jan-11)
• collaboration on:
• research into user needs and preferences
• what people would like to change about the web …
• what preferences are local and what are global
• research into solutions that will work
• interoperably
• in broad real-world usage
• research into communication and acceptability
of solutions to our common audience
• what will actually make a difference?

64. • the full guide on how to transform your organisation
to achieve the consistent creation of web sites and
apps that are usable and accessible to all your
customers, at the most efficient cost
• with practical case-studies from leading
accessibility experts worldwide, including:
• Jennison Asuncion (Canada),
• Debra Ruh & Jeff Kline (USA),
• Andrew Arch (Australia)
• David Banes (Qatar)
• Axel Leblois (UN)
For information on the book’s publication, free
access to video case-studies, and a chance of
winning the book… send us your details
via the form on the next slide
Read more on inclusive design & accessibility personalisation
in my forthcoming book – available summer 2014

65. Get in touch…
e: jonathan@hassellinclusion.com
t: @jonhassell
w: www.hassellinclusion.com

66. Training & support for BS8878
Standards
Innovation
www.hassellinclusion.com
Strategy & research