The accessibility and usability of websites: an empirical exploration
This event took place on Friday 13 May 2005 at 12:30

Prof. Helen Petrie Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design, City University London

The Web is a wonderful source of information for everyone, but for people with disabilities it is particularly important, as other sources of information may be inaccessible. The World Wide Web Consortium realized quite early the potential of the Web in providing equal access to information for disabled users and initiated the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) which developed the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to help web developers create content that is accessible to all users. However, the empirical basis for these guidelines has not been explored ? are websites that conform to the guidelines accessible to users with disabilities and what is the relationship of accessibility to usability? This presentation will explore these issues using data collected in two large empirical studies of the accessibility of the Web.

About the speaker:

Helen Petrie is Professor of Human Computer Interaction at the Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design at City University London. Her main interests are the design and evaluation of technologies for disabled and elderly people, particularly the design and evaluation of the Web, and the psychological implications of new technologies such as the Web, mobile phones, instant messaging and text messaging.