Title:
Are you really listening? The equipment needs of blind and partially sighted consumers for accessible and usable digital radio.
Author:
Dr Jonathan Freeman, Dr Jane Lessiter and Ms Eva Ferrari.
Publisher:
i2 Media Research and RNIB.
Year of publication:
2008.
Background
The research questions addressed in the project were:
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What are the core functional requirements of blind and partially sighted people from consumer digital radio equipment?
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What are the design considerations required to make the more advanced functions of current and emerging consumer digital radio equipment accessible to blind and partially sighted people?
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What are the accessibility and usability priorities for accessible and easy to use consumer digital radio equipment for blind and partially sighted people?
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To what extent (and how) are accessibility considerations built into manufacturers' product design and development processes of consumer digital radio equipment? Within this context, how feasible is it for manufacturers to develop consumer digital radio equipment that is accessible to blind and partially sighted people?
Key findings
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Blind and partially sighted users tend to be more reliant on radio than sighted users
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There are clear benefits for sighted consumers when the equipment needs of people with problems are addressed
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There is limited interest in and concerns about advanced functions
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Voice output greatly increases the ability of blind and partially sighted consumers to use digital radio equipment as independently as sighted consumers
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Barriers to better addressing the needs of blind and partially sighted consumers cited by industry interviewees centred largely on pragmatic and commercial considerations
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