Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Library App testing discussion for the SDPP-D Grant projects

Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
Daniella.LP
»
Tue Oct 09, 2018 6:13 am
This new topic is to discuss criteria for assessing library reading applications. Please provide any feedback here.
Daniella.LP
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
Danny
»
Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:49 am
Looks great, Daniella.

On Advanced reading
3. Render image descriptions according to the choices selected by the user.
My guess here is that there should be an option to turn on/off the reading of image descriptions (alt tags), and that it should actually work when selected.

I'm going to install Overdrive now and see if I'm anywhere close.
Danny
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
Daniella.LP
»
Tue Oct 09, 2018 4:46 pm
This makes sense, thank you. Is anyone already using such a command in any of the reading applications you use already?
Danny wrote: Tue Oct 09, 2018 11:49 am Looks great, Daniella.

On Advanced reading
3. Render image descriptions according to the choices selected by the user.
My guess here is that there should be an option to turn on/off the reading of image descriptions (alt tags), and that it should actually work when selected.

I'm going to install Overdrive now and see if I'm anywhere close.
Daniella.LP
Posts: 77
Joined: Sat Feb 03, 2018 6:20 am
Contact:

Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
Karoline
»
Wed Oct 10, 2018 11:14 am
I just read the document. It is quite extensive. I noticed that some of the items are visual. Those of us who cannot do that, will have to defer to the expertise of others. Otherwise, I thought it was really well done and I could not think of anything else to add to it.
I have overdrive on my phone. I will spend some time logging into it and trying to figure out how it works. I'll also install it on my computer to see how that works. I can say that in 2013 I contacted overdrive directly for support. They were not very interested in making any changes. The audiobook feature for windows used to work quite well. Hoping it still does.
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
steve.murgaski
»
Wed Oct 10, 2018 2:10 pm
Hello. I've read through the criteria in the Word doc and I like it. We could also add braille support to the checklist. One of the few things I don't like about Voice Dream Reader, for example, is I can't get text to show up on my braille display. For certain books it's a big problem for me, like programming books and poetry. I like that the "Advanced reading" section includes mathML support, but I wonder if any publishers are using it. We could try to test it but it might be tough to find books that have it.

In terms of what to do about the inaccessibility of apps, I was thinking that once we have a spreadsheet it could generate an 'accessibility score' for each app we test. Probably a lot of them do the same things. We could rate the criteria on a scale from 1 to 5, say, like:
Overdrive, accessibility of login, 0
Excel could then give OverDrive an accessibility score based on all our testing. Then our report could recommend the most accessible app to be adopted, based on their scores. That way we aren't fighting with every company to try and get them to make their apps more accessible, we just say "Your score is this, and we tested 3 apps that have better scores. Here's how you can fix it if you're interested, but if not we'll just recommend one of these other apps."

I don't think many of us could test the low vision parts. Could someone else at NNELS do that?

Just some thoughts. Cheers.
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
ka.li
»
Fri Oct 12, 2018 7:45 am
I agree. It would be helpful to have a section on braille support.
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
rmarion
»
Fri Oct 12, 2018 10:50 am
Just a few comments on Library App criteria. First I agree with the comments submitted so far. With reference to testing visual elements, there may be some things we can look at without sight. For example, does the app allow you to change the fonts or reverse the contrast of the text.

Because of my experience with Overdrive so far, we should have a section related to signing up for library online services with Email as well. Because I tried to authorise Adobe Digital Edition to link with my library account, I did also have to create an account profile using an email address as well. One other thing related to sign-up, if the library requires a Captcha, we need to note if there is an alternative and how useable that alternative is.
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
Daniella.LP
»
Tue Oct 16, 2018 5:13 am
Although the testing of library services accessed through websites will be conducted later in the project, it is relevant to have a question about signing-up. If captcha is required, is there an alternative that is usable?

Regarding visual elements, it would be helpful to record the options that are available as you are exploring the application. But it is possible that even if the functions exist in the application, the icons may not be labeled and accessible for screen readers (the intended users of those features may use other assistive technologies instead). So for consistency in the assessments, there may be a possibility to have someone else at NNELS check for those features.

I would like to get your thoughts regarding the possible ratings for the questions about each function. Is a 1/3 scale for each question too simplistic? Do we need the wider array of options in a 1/5 scale?

We are not sure yet about exactly how the final score for each application will be calculated. It will involve adding up the rates for the different questions and calculating an average, but different questions will have different weights. So in the end it may not be very different whether we use 1/3 or 1/5 for this reason. But on the other hand, having an average of the 1/5 rates for each question may be informative for the developers of the application.
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
Danny
»
Tue Oct 16, 2018 6:08 am
The accessibility scale is an outstanding idea - so much better than a simple Yes or No.

As I was filling out my answers, I did wonder if a 1-5 scale could give a more accurate answer. Some things were possible to do, but so difficult that I doubt someone just wanting to relax by the fire with a book would bother. The dictionary works, for example, but I'd far rather look up the definition in hard-copy Braille!

I'd say if the ultimate goal is to rate the whole app, then the 1-3 scale might be perfect. But if each question could represent an area where the developer might prioritize improvement, then a 1-5 scale could be a more accurate way to go.

Regardless, the criteria is fantastic, and I'm enjoying plugging everything I've found into the spreadsheet. I'm excited to try Overdrive on Android, my fellow IOS users have some promising results.

Caroline, from what I gather, you were able to sign into Overdrive with no difficulty on Windows 10 with Jaws. That's amazing. I'm so glad we're testing on different platforms and screen readers, to give a well-rounded report to the vendor. What an exciting project!
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Re: Criteria for assessing library reading applications

Post by
rmarion
»
Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:06 pm
I think even if we rate the entire app with one rating a scale of 1 to 5 might be better. For example, if we just asked what was your overall experience using the app and a scale of 1 to five, 1 could be very challenging or extremely challenging and five could be very easy or no trouble using the app. There may be some other areas of assessment a rating system could be useful as well.

ON another note sort of related to this, I also managed to sign into OverDrive on Windows 10 using NVDA. It has some minor problems but it was manageable. Finally, with references to Captcha's, the most widely used alternative to the captcha is an audio version. However, this is not accessible to people who are deafblind.
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