Researchers from the University of Waterloo and the University of Washington have developed a tool which could enable people with visual impairments to browse the internet as effortlessly as possible.
Short Article.
A collaboration between researchers have enabled a tool which combines the most helpful elements of virtual assistants and screen readers (tools which convey elements displayed on a screen into non-visual cues, such as speech or Braille). They have named this tool Voice Exploration, Retrieval, and Search (VERSE).
According to research people with visual impairments often rely on screen readers when interacting with computer systems. Increasingly, these individuals also make extensive use of voice-based virtual assistants (VAs). The researchers accessed the capabilities of the technology available and realised it could be much improved with the technological advancement of accelerators.
“At the outset, VERSE resembles other virtual assistants, as the tool allows people to ask a question and have it answered verbally with a word, phrase or passage,” said Vtyurina. “VERSE is differentiated by what happens next.”
“If people need more information, they can use VERSE to access other search verticals, for example, news, facts and related searches, and can visit any article that appears as a search result.”
Stated in a microsoft article they based their research on these findings, they then implemented VERSE (Voice Exploration, Retrieval, and SEarch), a prototype that extends a VA with screen-reader-inspired capabilities, and allows other devices (e.g., smartwatches) to serve as optional input accelerators. In a usability study with 12 blind screen reader users we found that VERSE meaningfully extended VA functionality.
In the study, 53 visually impaired web searchers were surveyed. More than half of the respondents reported using voice assistants multiple times a day. The data collected from the survey was used to inform the design of a prototype of VERSE after which a user study was conducted to gather feedback.
"For articles, VERSE showcases its screen reader superpowers by allowing people to navigate along words, sentences, paragraphs, or sections." The primary input method for VERSE is voice; so, users can say "next", "previous", "go back" or "go forward". VERSE can also be paired with an app, which runs on a smartphone or a smartwatch. These devices can serve as input accelerators, similar to keyboard shortcuts. For example, rotating the crown on a smartwatch advances VERSE to the next search result, section, or paragraph, depending on the navigation mode.
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/publication/verse-bridging-screen-readers-and-voice-assistants-for-enhanced-eyes-free-web-search/