Goal-Oriented Browsing: A Next Generation Web Technology for the Vision Impaired

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Goal-Oriented Browsing: A Next Generation Web Technology for the Vision Impaired Abstract This SBIR Phase I Project will investigate the feasibility of goal-oriented browsing - the underpinning of a next-generation webaccessibility technology that will take web browsing to the next level. Goal-orientation will be realized by enabling usable automation of browsing tasks. The envisioned technology will allow users to stay focused on high-level browsing tasks, while the browser does low-level operations such as clicking on links, filling forms, etc., necessary to accomplish the tasks. To enable automation, a computational model will be designed to encode users' browsing history as sequences of browsing actions. Algorithms will be developed to analyze this history to infer macros, which are useful sequences that users could replay to automate tasks. To make the model resilient towards changes in structure and content of web pages, robust addressing techniques with self-repaircapability will be developed. End-user interfaces will be designed for usable interaction with the model and for model validation. Finally, automated experiments and user studies with blind subjects will be conducted to determine the feasibility of the project. Goal-oriented browsing will go a long way towards bridging the growing web accessibility divide between the ways people with and without vision impairments browse the Web. For people with visual impairments, goal- oriented browsing will usher in a new era of independence and employability in our global Web-based economy. Thus, from a broader perspective, goal-oriented browsing will exemplify the vision of the Universally Accessible Web whose thesis is equal access for all , i.e. anyone should be able to reap the benefits of the Web without being constrained by any disability. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: This SBIR Project seeks to do Research and Development on goal-oriented browsing - the next generation web accessibility technology that willelevate web browsing up a notch by allowing users to stay focused on high-level browsing tasks while the browser does low-level operations like clicking on links, filling forms, etc., necessary to accomplish the tasks. For people with visual impairments it will usher in a new era of independence and employability in our global Web-based economy. Goal-oriented browsing will go a long way towards bridging the growing web accessibility divide between the ways people with and without vision impairments browsethe web. Thus from a broader perspective goal-oriented browsing will exemplify the vision of the Universally Accessible Web whose thesis is equal access for all , i.e. anyone should be able to reap the benefits of the Web without being constrained by any disability.