Irl-Dean Seminar April 18, 2007

Agenda

9:45 Registration (tea & coffee)

10:15 Welcome

10:20 “Design For All and Consumer Electronic Products” presented by Steve Chan

11:00 Break

11: 30 “New Approaches in Accessibility” presented by Graham McAllister

12:15 “Implementing Universal Design” presented by Frank Long, Henry Poskitt

13:00 lunch

14:15 “Introduction to the Web Standards Project”, presented by Joshue O Connor

14:30 Network news. Forum. Ideas for future meetings. Summing up.

15:15 Coffee & close of meeting

Venue: Guinness Storehouse (directions available at )
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“Design For All and Consumer Electronic Products”
Presenter: Steve Chan, lecturer in Ergonomics (NCAD)

Steve Chan will present on the distinctive characteristics of consumer electronics. He will look at the basic design goals and principles of universal design, and how mainstream design can stigmatise users. He will also look at human centred design, and the hierarchy of user needs: functionality, usability, pleasures and emotion. Finally he will look at aestheics, branding and design for all, including product planning and marketing strategies for design for all products.

“New Approaches in Accessibility”
Presenter: Dr Graham McAllister, Queen’s University Belfast.

This talk will outline accessibility research at Queen’s University Belfast. Current research on the following two projects will be presented:

1. Multimodal Internet Access
This project aims to provide a new technique for web browsing for visually impaired people. By using audio and haptics (sense of touch), this project offers a new perception of webpages and enhances collaboration between sighted and visually impaired people.

2. ENABLED
Enhanced Network Accessibility for the Blind and Visually Impaired (ENABLED) is a project involving 13 European partners (industry, SMEs and universities). The project has four main areas of work which will be discussed, including:
- Accessible web content
- Multimodal adaptive interfaces
- Wireless networking
- Mobile computing.

The talk will finish by presenting future challenges in accessibility.

“Introduction to the Web Standards Project (WaSP)”,

Presented by Joshue O Connor

Josh is Senior Accessibility Consultant with the National Council For the Blind of Irelands Centre for Inclusive Technology (CFIT). Josh will talk about setting up the Irish chapter of the WaSP ILG (International Liason Group) and what he hopes to achieve.

“Implementing Universal Design”

Presenters: Henry Poskitt, Frank Long

Frontend Senior Consultants Frank Long and Henry Poskitt will speak on their
experience of User Centred Design, Accessible product design and Section 508
compliance at Hewlett Packard (Spain) . In particular they will deal with
the ergonomic design of physical tasks and manual controls, the design of
GUI displays and information and the methods by which software interfaces
are used to increase the accessibility of office equipment.

Official Website: http://www.design-for-all.ie/