Requirement Questions

How will personalized accessibility be calculated? What questions should be asked on the user profile and how should their answers affect the personalized accessibility calculations?

1. We could ask exactly the same questions that are asked on the location checklist and we only use 'yes' answers to affect the personalized accessibility results. For example, if a user needs a ramp and nothing else from the checklist the 'Entrance' category is the only category to show in the location's profile and it is either 100%(has a ramp) or 0% accessible(no ramp). The good lighting question would have no affect on the result.

[Answer] The same set of criteria will be used for the profile and the rating

2. Another option would be to focus more on disabilities and the devices the user depends on and find multiple checklist items with each profile question. For example, "Do you use a wheelchair?" That question would imply a need for "yes" or "N/A" to any ramp or wheelchair-related checklist questions. The following questions could also help us get the information we need about the user with fewer questions:

• "Does large print help?" (2 associated checklist questions)
• "Does braille help?" (2 associated checklist questions)
• "Are you legally blind?" (4+ associated checklist questions and could eliminate the need for the braille question above)
• "Are you hard of hearing or deaf?" (2+ associated checklist questions like "Closed captioning", "Assisted Listening" )

The main advantage with this option would be getting more information with fewer questions. It prevents users from making likely mistakes such as selecting braille under one question category(public areas) but missing another question for braille(amenities). The main drawback with this is a less fine level of control. For example, a user who is blind but can't read braille could be forced into letting braille features affect the personalized rating.

[Answer] JMCC wants the user to specifically select each criteria. They will work on clarifying/adding the criteria.

3. We could mix the options together by treating questions like 'Are you legally blind?' as a profile question that branches into all its associated location checklist questions. This would mean that all blind-related checklist questions could be checked quickly but the user could control at a finer level to remove 'braille' items if braille doesn't help him. Maybe he recently became blind and hasn't learned to read braille so he's unlike the majority of blind users who would benefit from braille.

In addition to the profile questions that affect the personalized accessibility ratings, we should have a question or 2 to optimize the web application for the user's disabilities. A screen reader for websites because this question could help us switch to more screen reader-friendly elements in our web application. For example, a Google map won't be screen reader friendly but a list of location names and addresses might be.

[Answer] The application is not disability specific. The core functionality is based on the accessibility criteria list and not the type of disabilities

Another question beyond its link to the checklist question would be asking what sex of bathroom they use if given a choice of male or female. This could be useful at determining which sex the bathroom ratings are applicable to.

[Answer] We didn't discuss this one. I will ask the question to get a clear answer. But at one of the discussions, we decided not to ask for the user gender in the profile

###from Stephanos:

In the last UI meeting with Blandine, Areeba and Rumana we discussed to have the option 1 but basically with the main categories PARKING, ENTRANCE, etc and when the user clicks one of them, the selection applies to all sub-criteria and then he can de-select whatever he does not want. By the way, we decided to have Braille as a separate item and top of the criteria list. I worry a bit about Option 2 because of its drawbacks. Option 3 makes a bit more sense. We have to be careful though on deciding the right criteria under each user's need Cognitive/Sensory needs, Hearing needs, Physical needs, Visual needs and their combination. An advantage of this is that the user will not have to go through the long list of criteria but select the group of criteria based on his needs.

I think we need Anne and Tracey's input on this. We should discuss this in our next meeting or they can comment here.

[See answers above]