Morissette, E. Rachelle
(2024)
First Impressions: Empirically Evaluating the Initial Website Experiences Encountered by Visually Impaired Users.
Doctoral Dissertation, University of Pittsburgh.
(Unpublished)
Abstract
As the internet increases in size, our body of research into what visitors prefer for website design is leaving out a growing group of people. Those with visual impairments are one of the fastest growing minorities with a disability online. This extremely under-studied group uses the internet for as many different purposes as sighted users do, but comparatively little is known about their preferences or experiences online. This qualitative study is intended to serve as an initial exploration to increase understanding and serve as a foundation for future research. Using a blend of grounded theory, thematic analysis, and content analysis techniques, it focuses on the interactions blind and low vision visitors have when visiting websites for the first time.
To accomplish this, 31 individuals with vision levels falling on the blind or low vision spectrum were interviewed about their online experiences. It examines the problems they encounter that detract from their experience of the site, possibly causing them to leave immediately or discourage them from using the site further. Divided into structural, content, and ad-related issue categories, the issues reported by both low vision and blind participants are compared within each group and to each other for commonalities and differences. Finally, the reported issues are compared to the currently accepted accessibility guidelines to evaluate how well the guidelines cover the issues.
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Details
| Item Type: |
University of Pittsburgh ETD
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| Status: |
Unpublished |
| Creators/Authors: |
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| ETD Committee: |
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| Date: |
26 May 2024 |
| Date Type: |
Publication |
| Defense Date: |
24 April 2024 |
| Approval Date: |
26 May 2024 |
| Submission Date: |
19 May 2024 |
| Access Restriction: |
No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately. |
| Number of Pages: |
160 |
| Institution: |
University of Pittsburgh |
| Schools and Programs: |
Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business > Management of Information Systems |
| Degree: |
PhD - Doctor of Philosophy |
| Thesis Type: |
Doctoral Dissertation |
| Refereed: |
Yes |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: |
accessibility, blind, grounded theory, internet, low vision, qualitative, screen reader, thematic analysis, UX, website |
| Date Deposited: |
26 May 2024 05:37 |
| Last Modified: |
26 May 2024 05:37 |
| URI: |
http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/46421 |
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