This thesis describes the process of designing a system for visually impaired users to identify objects. Smartphones are empowering visually impaired people by providing independence. The two major mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, both include screen reading software. By enabling this feature, the content of the screen is read out loud and the way of interaction is changed. These screen readers have been further investigated to optimize the user experience. Furthermore, several options for identifying objects have been explored. The system has been evaluated by over a hundred blind and visually impaired users. This thesis presents how the design of the system was iteratively improved and in which way it is now being used. / Denna avhandling beskriver processen med att utforma ett system för synskadade användare för att identifiera objekt. Smartphones ger upphov till synskadade genom att ge oberoende. De två stora mobila operativsystemen, Android och iOS, båda innehåller skärmläsningsprogram. Genom att aktivera denna funktion läses skärmens innehåll högt och interaktionsvägen har ändrats. Dessa skärmsläsare har vidare undersökt användarupplevelsen. Dessutom har flera alternativ för att identifiera objekt undersökts. Systemet har utvärderats av över hundra blinda och synskadade användare. Avhandlingen presenterar hur systemets utformning har förbättrats och på vilket sätt den nu används.

Nowadays mobile devices are being used by a huge number of users around the world, however, there are many people with different type of disabilities including vision, hearing, mobility, learning problems, and more having no ability to operate the devices properly and yet struggling with inaccessibility of them in their daily life. Assistive technologies are placed between users and mobile devices in order to help user interactions with mobile devices. Although these assistive technologies are absolutely assisting users to access mobile devices but, mobile content is not fully accessible for users yet. In this thesis work, the interactions between visually impaired users and Apple touchscreen iPhone 7 through built-in feature, VoiceOver screen reader was investigated. The purpose of the investigation was to identify the challenges and issues while visually impaired users interacting with mobile devices through VoiceOver. In order to identify accessibility issues of VoiceOver, an evaluation inspection done on a set of five participants in form of a semi-structured interview. The result from collecting participant’s opinions, comments, and feedbacks acknowledged that VoiceOver basically makes the Apple iPhone 7 accessible to visually impaired users, however, there are still some usability issues that impediment full mobile accessibility available for visually impaired users. User perspectives, experiences, and feedbacks are very much valuable for identifying and understanding usability and accessibility issues in order to improve the mobile accessibility. The results from the evaluation showed that it deserves more investigation on mobile accessibility in order to design simple, operable, understandable, and robust mobile hardware and software for fully supporting visually impaired users. / Nu för tiden används mobila enheter av ett stort antal användare runt om i världen, men samtidigt finns det många människor med olika typer av funktionshinder som syn- hörsel- rörlighet- och inlärningsproblem med mera som inte har möjlighet att använda enheterna på ett adekvat sätt, men trots det anstränger de sig med att använda mobila applikationer i sitt dagliga liv. För att råda bot på problemet placeras tekniska hjälpmedel mellan användare och den mobila enheten för att underlätta interaktionen mellan användare och den mobila enheten. Även om dessa hjälpmedel hjälper användare med funktionshinder att komma åt mobila enheten, är mobilt innehåll ännu inte fullt tillgängligt för dessa grupper. I den här avhandlingen undersöktes interaktionen mellan användare med synskada och Apple Touchscreen iPhone 7, genom en förinstallerad VoiceOver-skärmläsare. Syftet med utredningen var att identifiera utmaningar och problem när synskadade interagerar med mobila enheter. För att identifiera VoiceOver-problem, det gjordes en studie på en grupp av fem deltagare i en ostrukturerad och öppen formad intervju. Resultatet från deltagarnas åsikter, kommentarer och feedback visar att VoiceOver ökar i grunden tillgängligheten av Apple iPhone 7 för användare med synskada, även om det fortfarande kvarstår användbarhetsproblem som förhindrar fullgod mobil tillgänglighet för denna grupp. Användarperspektiv, erfarenheter och feedback är mycket värdefull information för att identifiera och förstå användbarhets- och tillgänglighetsfrågor för att förbättra mobil tillgänglighet. Resultat visade att det behövs mer utredning om mobil tillgänglighet för att utforma enkel, operativ, förståelig och robust maskin- och programvara för att ge fullt stöd till användare med synskada.

Social media has become an inevitable part of everyday life. With the focus to a large extent being on image and video sharing, accessibility for the visually impaired is not always granted. However, new types of social platforms with live audio chats at their core have shown potential to stand out as particularly inclusive of visually impaired users. Taking a standpoint in the Technology-to-Performance Chain model, the study aimed to create a better understanding of the subjective user experience of visually impaired users of social live audio chat platforms by identifying what influences accessibility, especially when it comes to taking part of and creating audio content. The topic was approached in the form of a case study. Qualitative data collection was conducted with a combination of observations and product assessment, expert interviews a well as user interviews. The aim was to create a better understanding of the subjective user experience of visually impaired users. The results suggest audio-based platforms have the potential to fit the visually impaired users well. A limited scope of the platform, having voice-based communication at the core and a limited number of visual elements all influence accessibility. A sufficient amount of adjustable VoiceOver adds to the accessibility of the platform. Furthermore, the results indicate being aware of user behaviour and the inaccessibility it might lead to is of importance. Concludingly, applying a UX perspective is deemed as of importance as the results indicate it often is the intangible, subjective user perspective which can highlight what influences accessibility.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T18:22:11Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Jae Keum Oh.pdf: 6453251 bytes, checksum: 44935e77974596a4e82a9c7b7c032ce6 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / This project explores the issues of expressivity in speech by analyzing the nature of phonetic-acoustic and perceptive. The goal is to investigate the effects of pauses in the interpretation of four poems from the four main heteronyms of Fernando Pessoa by an announcer-actor. The object of this investigation is the relationship established between sound and meaning in this interpretation. The corpora are composed of a poem by each of the four main heteronyms Fernando Pessoa's Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo Reis, Álvaro de Campos and Fernando Pessoa by himself, recorded on CD. Acoustic Phonetic analysis includes the measurement of the pause using the software Praat. The results show the use of pauses by the speaker-actor according to the poetic text or backronym. The pauses in poetry reading have a role as developer of the architecture of oral interpretation or expression of meaning effects / Este projeto explora a temática da Expressividade na fala por meio de análise de natureza fonético-acústica e perceptiva. O objetivo é investigar os efeitos das pausas na interpretação de quatro poemas dentre os quatro principais heterônimos de Fernando Pessoa por um locutor-ator. O objeto desta investigação é a relação que se estabelece entre som e sentido nessa interpretação. Os corpora são compostos por um poema de cada um dos quatro principais heterônimos de Fernando Pessoa: Alberto Caeiro, Ricardo Reis, Álvaro de Campos e Fernando Pessoa por ele mesmo, gravados em CD. A análise Fonético Acústica compreende a medição da pausa por meio do software Praat. Os resultados mostram o uso das pausas pelo locutor-ator em função do texto poético ou heteronímico. As pausas, em leitura de poesia, têm o papel de colaborador da arquitetura da interpretação oral ou de expressão dos efeitos de sentidos

Made available in DSpace on 2017-07-10T18:55:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 simone_tomazetto.pdf: 1983509 bytes, checksum: e410c845c89b8a62db3da2e96364d3f2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-12-12 / This paper aims to present considerations that may contribute to the shape linguistic and semantic function as discursive situation of interjections and phrases interjetivas, from the theoretical assumptions with main focus on studies Gonçalves (2002), Bakhtin (2000, 2002a, 2002b), Bakhtin / Voloshinov (2004) and Marcuschi (2007). The intention of this paper is to reflect and discuss the considerations of the use of interjections and phrases interjetivas acts as expressive, natural conversation, expressing your feelings through words and body language, featuring different senses of semantic and discursive. For data analysis, this research sought supports the theories of speech acts, based on theoretical and Austin (1962) and Searle (1981), in conversation analysis with theoretical support in Marcuschi (1991) and Dionysus (2011), and in the language of visual imagery, verbal and non-verbal of comic strips with methodological studies of Gumperz (1998) and Ramos (2010). The corpus chosen for this research consists in comic strips, selected the Folha de São Paulo in 1970 and 1990, in textbooks and electronic sites. This is a survey of the basic nature of the qualitative type that you want to analyze the form and function of interjections and phrases within interjetivas comic strips, observing the discursive and semantic factors. The analysis results show that, as of interjections and phrases can be interjetivas list the basic emotions of expressive acts and explain its flexibility from factors of pragmatic, and expressive acts that are not in the service of transmitting a information, but the service of a manifestation of an emotional state, observed in speech acts and conversation between characters when it materializes the image visual communication, verbal and nonverbal. Thus, it is expected that this research will bring a contribution for teachers of English, which can be used as a source of research, contributing to the construction of knowledge of teachers and students in the context of the classroom as a way of meaningful learning. / Este trabalho tem por objetivo apresentar considerações que podem contribuir com relação à forma linguística e à função semântica enquanto situação discursiva das interjeições e locuções interjetivas, a partir dos pressupostos teóricos com enfoque principal nos estudos de Gonçalves (2002); Bakhtin (2000, 2002a, 2002b), Bakhtin/Voloshinov (2004) e Marcuschi (2007). A intenção deste trabalho é refletir e discutir sobre as considerações do uso das interjeições e locuções interjetivas como atos expressivos, conversação natural, demonstrando seus sentimentos por meio de palavras e expressões corporais, caracterizando diferentes sentidos de ordem semântica e discursiva. Para análise dos dados, esta investigação buscou suportes nas teorias dos atos de fala, com base em teóricos como Austin (1962) e Searle (1981); na análise da conversação com suporte teórico em Marcuschi (1991) e Dionísio (2011); e na linguagem da imagem visual, verbal e não verbal das tiras em quadrinhos com os estudos metodológicos de Gumperz (1998) e Ramos (2010). O corpus escolhido para essa pesquisa é constituído nas tiras em quadrinhos, selecionadas do Jornal Folha de São Paulo dos anos de 1970 e 1990, em livros didáticos e em sites eletrônicos. Trata-se de uma pesquisa de natureza básica do tipo qualitativa que pretende analisar a forma e a função das interjeições e das locuções interjetivas dentro das tiras em quadrinhos, observando os fatores semânticos e discursivos. Os resultados da análise demonstram que, a partir das interjeições e locuções interjetivas podem-se elencar as emoções básicas dos atos expressivos e explicar sua flexibilidade a partir de fatores de ordem pragmáticos, e que os atos expressivos, não estão a serviço da transmissão de uma informação, e sim a serviço de uma exteriorização de um estado emocional, observados nos atos de fala e na conversação entre os personagens quando se materializa a comunicação de imagem visual, verbal e não verbal. Dessa forma, espera-se que esta pesquisa traga uma contribuição para professores de língua portuguesa, que poderá ser utilizada como fonte de pesquisa, contribuindo para a construção do conhecimento dos docentes e dos discentes no contexto da sala de aula como uma forma de aprendizagem significativa.

El acceso a la información administrativa universitaria (información provista por una institución educativa, tal como horarios, notas, pagos), es de suma importancia para los alumnos, y suele darse por medio de una intranet universitaria. Sin embargo, para los alumnos invidentes, acceder a la información brindada por medios virtuales es complicado, ya que no logran adaptarse a la distribución exacta de botones, íconos e hipervínculos. A pesar de que existen herramientas asistivas que buscan mejorar la experiencia del universitario invidente, la adquisición de estas representa un costo elevado para las instituciones educativas, y, en conjunto, estas no permiten al usuario el acceso a la intranet de manera rápida e independiente. A raíz de ello, el presente proyecto tiene como objetivo implementar una solución tecnológica que actúa como una interfaz entre una intranet universitaria y un alumno invidente, permitiendo el acceso de manera sencilla a las opciones con mayor uso a través de una aplicación móvil. La finalidad de esta es enviar señales de voz al usuario mientras que este desliza su dedo por la pantalla, ya que se encuentra integrada con un lector de pantalla. Los resultados obtenidos demuestran que la solución propuesta es un medio de interacción adecuado para los usuarios invidentes, ya que reduce el tiempo del proceso habitual para acceder de a su información administrativa universitaria. Además, sin necesidad de haber tenido experiencia previa con teléfonos inteligentes, el usuario será capaz de navegar por la aplicación de manera sencilla e intuitiva. / Access to administrative information (information provided by an educational institution, such as schedules, grades, payments) crucial for university students, and is usually provided through an intranet. However, for blind students, accessing information from a website is complicated, because they are unable to adapt to the exact distribution of buttons, icons and links. Although there are assistive technologies that seek to improve a blind student’s experience, the acquisition of these tools represents a high cost for educational institutions, and, what is more, these technologies summed up together do not accomplish the objective of allowing the user to access the intranet in a fast and independent way. As a result, this project aims to implement a technological solution that acts as an interface between a university intranet and a blind student, allowing him or her access to the most widely used options in a simple way through a mobile application. The purpose is to send voice signals to the user while he or she slides his or her finger across the screen, since it is integrated with a screen reader. The obtained results show that the proposed solution is an optimal way of interaction for users because it shortens the time of the intranet access process. In addition, even blind people without previous experience using smartphones would navigate through the application in a simple and intuitive way. / Tesis