Design of products, services, and systems (including information technology) to be accessible so that they are usable by the widest range of users as possible. Moreover these products, services, and systems should be usable by everybody including future generations, regardless of age, gender, capabilities, or cultural background.
Published in Chapter:
Multimedia Software Interface Design for Special-Needs Users
Cecilia Sik Lányi (University of Pannonia, Hungary)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 6
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-026-4.ch440
Abstract
Most software engineering companies do not develop for special users, because they do not see the potential in this limited market. But 10% of the population worldwide are handicapped. In the United States, 14% of the population are estimated to suffer from a disability. In the population aged over 65, this figure becomes 50%. Disabilities are strongly linked with age, and our societies are facing a growing number of people aged 75 and more, who are more likely to have impairments or disabilities. This group will comprise 14.4% of the population in 2040, compared with 7.5% in 2003?almost a twofold increase (EU Commission, 2003). It is not a simple task to assess the effectiveness of multimedia for all users with disabilities. The question is more complicated if the users have special needs. This article provides a minimal requirements list that every software engineer, computer scientist, and Web designer should take into account if they develop a new multimodal software or a new Web site with multimedia elements.