Cognitive-based approach for assessing accessibility of e-Government websites

Abstract

The importance of internet and other communication technologies play a vital role in modern life. Websites are inherently designed for a targeted group of users, normal sighted or for the whole population including those who are visually impaired. Blind and visually impaired people often face accessibility and usability problems while accessing websites. Related literature did not consider the interaction mechanism and cognitive features of visually impaired people when testing for accessibility. In this study, a novel user centered, task oriented, and cognitive approach is proposed to evaluate the accessibility problems faced by blind people. An e-Government website will be used as a case study for evaluating the proposed methodology considering practical user tasks and the WCAG guidelines. © 2013 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.