PUIR: Parallel user interface rendering

Abstract

While providing non-visual access to graphical user interfaces has been the topic of research for over 20 years, blind users still face many obstacles when using computer systems. The higher degree of flexibility for both developers and users poses additional challenges. Existing solutions are largely based on either graphical toolkit hooks, queries to the application and environment, scripting, or model-driven user interface development or runtime adaptation. Parallel user interface rendering (PUIR) is a novel approach based on past and current research into accessibility, promoting the use of abstract user interface descriptions. PUIR provides the mechanism to render a user interface simultaneously in multiple forms (e.g. visual and non-visual). © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.