Davide Bolchini, Ph.D. and assistant professor of human-computer interaction at the IU School of Informatics and Computing at IUPUI, was recently awarded a grant by the National Science Foundation to identify and evaluate strategies that may help blind and visually-impaired users better navigate the web using their auditory senses.
The project could also have implications for mobile device users when it may be inconvenient, distracting or even dangerous to look at a device’s screen while engaged in another activity. Examples include use of a cell phone while walking or driving.
Titled “Navigating the Aural Web,” Bolchini’s research hopes to improve upon existing audio-only web navigation designs and applications for both visually-impaired and sighted users. Design and evaluation will directly involve students from the Indiana School for the Blind and Visually Impaired using screen readers, as well as sighted participants using mobile devices.
The project will receive $424,000 over three years from NSF’s highly-competitive Human-Centered Computing program. Funding begins August 2010. Bolchini is the grant’s sole principal investigator.
More information about Dr. Bolchini and his work, visit:
http://mypage.iu.edu/~dbolchin/
The full NSF award abstract can be viewed at:
http://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward.do?AwardNumber=1018054
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