The UXer Diaries
Final Presentation
Midterm Presentation
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Group Information
- Team Name: The UXer Diaries
- Group Members: Peri, Spandita, Kseniia, Mingjing
Problem OVerview
Based on our conversations with Peri and our researches, we first understood how Peri uses online shopping, and we found out the step she currently has problems with is contacting the customer service team. Because people in phone calls usually have a difficult time understanding Peri’s speech, she has to have her mom make calls for her. Therefore we need to find a solution that provides Peri independence.
Besides our interviews with Peri, we also want to make sure this is a systematic problem not just for one single case. We conducted popular researches on the online community that people with speech impairment and hearing loss also shared their experiences with us that they have similar problems of being forced to call customer services.
We also contacted six of Peri’s favorite online shopping websites, and not all of them provides speech impairment accessible contact method for their customer service team. For example, CVS does not provide an email or chatbox to contact their customer service team, the only way to connect is using phone calls. Also, although Amazon provides email or chatbox, many times when customers buy products from third-party merchandise, they are forced to call because Amazon could not solve third-party issues, and third-party do not always provide accessible contact options. And addition to these, we also found out other websites like TD bank does not provide real-human chatbox, the only way to receive help is by making phone calls or going to the store.
Therefore, we need to find a method to help Peri make phone calls to the customer service team (because she has to, sometimes) without always relying on other people. We realized this is also a systemic problem that not all the websites are providing accessible options for speech impairment customers, we would also research further with ADA and WCAG guidelines and connect with advocates to call for more awareness.
Project Description (Due 10/13/21)
Description of Team Name : All of us absolutely love UX design and after brainstorming a bit, we thought of the name ‘The UXer Diaries’ to make it even more dramatic, inspired by Vampire Diaries!
Main Point of Contact: Spandita Sarmah
Meeting Schedule for the Semester:
- Meeting over Zoom bi-weekly
- On-going communication via Slack and E-mail
Project Plan
We are working to resolve Peri’s issues with accessing the online shopping websites.
Understanding the problem – To dig a little deeper into what exactly the issue is that our client faces, we thought of improving the communication and asking questions and later we figured out that her issue is with the customer support service
Overview of Tools and Expertise
What tools/expertise will you leverage to complete the project?
For now, we are certain that we would be doing a task analysis to firstly find out what particular issue that Peri is having with online shopping, and we will do further researches to see how we are going to solve her problem with independence. We will have to delve deeper into it and connect with Peri a few more times to figure out what kind of tools are required to achieve our goal.
What additional tools/expertise will you need to complete the project?
- We are learning the definition of SDK and API
- The use of WCAG checkers
- ADA Standards
- Telecommunication Relay Services
- Apple RTT & TTY calls
Timeline
10/6 – Started communication with Peri through emails and scheduled a meeting
10/13 – Completed First meeting with Peri: we got to know each other, learned about her expectations and thoughts of access shopper
10/20 – Our second zoom meeting with Peri: we figured out the best way of communication and did a user experience interview about online shopping
10/27 – Midterm presentation
11/3 – Conduct ideations of solutions and see Peri’s feedback
11/10 – Make iterations of ideations and build prototypes
11/17 – Present our prototypes to Peri and see her feedbacks
11/24 – Iterations of the prototype and final product model
12/1 – User testing and reviews
12/08 – Project Presentation
12/15 – Final Documentation Due
Competitive Analysis and Literature Review (Due 10/27/21)
What is commercially available to solve the problem?
Potential approaches to solving the problem include making the companies follow ADA communication guidelines, using Telecommunication Relay Services, and using Apple RTT & TTY calls feature, as well as Text to Speech functions.
ADA guidelines:
For people who have speech disabilities, this may include providing a qualified speech-to-speech transliterator (a person trained to recognize unclear speech and repeat it clearly). The customer service staff should be trained to listen attentively and not be afraid or embarrassed to ask the person to repeat a word or phrase they do not understand. Some companies may not implement the policies discussed, and/or may not teach staff about the ADA’s requirements for communicating effectively with people who have communication disabilities. The problem is, however, that aids and services are required to be provided unless doing so would result in an “undue burden”. Undue burden is defined as significant difficulty or expense. The business may choose to provide another effective aid or service, if possible, that would not result in an undue burden. In our case, shopping websites provide email & chatbots. Moreover, determining what constitutes an undue burden will vary from entity to entity and sometimes from one year to the next which indicates a bit of subjective nature behind the guideline.
Source: https://www.ada.gov/effective-comm.pdf
Telecommunication Relay Services:
TRS uses communications assistants (also called CAs or relay operators) who serve as intermediaries between people who have hearing or speech disabilities who use a text telephone (TTY) or text messaging and people who use standard voice telephones. The communications assistant tells the telephone user what the other party is typing and types to tell the other party what the telephone user is saying. It’s free to use nationwide by calling 711. TRS also provides speech-to-speech transliteration for callers who have speech disabilities.
ADA guidelines state that businesses are required to accept telephone calls placed through TRS and VRS, and staff who answer the telephone must treat relay calls just like other calls. Hence, it shouldn’t be a problem, but we need to test it. However, we don’t know how the client feels about that in terms of independence, as the main problem is lack of it when she needs to call the customer services.
Source: https://www.ada.gov/effective-comm.pdf
Apple RTT & TTY calls:
Our client has an Iphone, so Apple’s RTT & TTY feature may help with the problem, if it is iOS 10 and later. The client would be able to use text to communicate during a phone call. The advantage of this approach is that it doesn’t require any additional hardware and intermediary. Moreover, the user can also find transcripts of their previous calls which may be useful. But this feature isn’t available for all the carriers & only works in the United States and Canada.
Source: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT207033
Scientific Literature Reviews
- “Consumer vulnerability and the transformative potential of Internet shopping: An exploratory case study” by Jonathan Elms & Julie Tinson (2012)
- Case study of Danni: a wheelchair user, a housewife, and a mother
- The findings illustrate that whilst the use of the Internet reduces the impracticalities of shopping in-store, the normalcy afforded to Danni through shopping in-store (including her sense of self) was not met by the technological offerings.
- Wheelchair users (eg Milligan, 1998 ) indicate that experiences of vulnerability and social exclusion may, for example, arise from lack of access to shopping opportunities and that the logistical elements of the marketplace are not necessarily designed for people with physical disabilities. Furthermore, the organization of space within stores can propagate and reproduce the position and status of disabled persons
- “E-Commerce Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities” Sohaib O., Kang K. (2017)
- Disabled people can gain a sense of emotional stability through online shopping. Though, if e-commerce websites are inaccessible, consumers with disabilities do not have the equal access they are guaranteed by law.
- With the widespread of mobile technology, online shopping has grown significantly in recent years. Therefore, consumers with disabilities are increasingly demanding accessible online shopping.
- The results show that B2C e-commerce websites in Australia are not paying attention to meet at least the minimum success criteria (Level A) of web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG 2.0)
- “Disability digital divide: the use of the internet, smartphones, computers and tablets among people with disabilities in Sweden”Johansson, S., Gulliksen, J. & Gustavsson(2021).
- Even though WCAG has been important for the development of web accessibility, it has also has been criticized for lack of support to people with cognitive impairments, intellectual disabilities, dyslexia in favor of people with sensory and physical impairments
- Overall, the largest proportions of people reporting difficulties in using the Internet are language-related disabilities. They are followed by intellectual disabilities and memory-related disabilities.
- There is still a large proportion of the population perceiving current design solutions too difficult and there is a potential for improvements.
- “ Reassessing the disability divide: unequal access as the world is pushed online”Scanlan, M. (2021).
- The spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) forced people into greater reliance on information and communication technologies (ICTs).
- The findings indicate that the technology gap between PWD and those without a disability continues to persist for many people.
- The COVID-19 pandemic showed us that lagging behind in the digital world is amplified when people are forced to stay at home and that waiting to enact policies to bridge this divide is not a viable option.
Citations:
Jonathan Elms & Julie Tinson (2012) Consumer vulnerability and the transformative potential of Internet shopping: An exploratory case study, Journal of Marketing Management, 28:11-12, 1354-1376, DOI: 10.1080/0267257X.2012.691526
Johansson, S., Gulliksen, J. & Gustavsson, C. Disability digital divide: the use of the internet, smartphones, computers and tablets among people with disabilities in Sweden. Univ Access Inf Soc 20, 105–120 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-020-00714-
Scanlan, M. Reassessing the disability divide: unequal access as the world is pushed online. Univ Access Inf Soc (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-021-00803-5
Sohaib O., Kang K. (2017) E-Commerce Web Accessibility for People with Disabilities. In: Goluchowski J., Pankowska M., Linger H., Barry C., Lang M., Schneider C. (eds) Complexity in Information Systems Development. Lecture Notes in Information Systems and Organisation, vol 22. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-52593-8_6
Popular Review – ADA Standards Violations
ADA – According to the American Disabilities Act guidelines, public websites must be accessible to everyone, must follow WCAG standards. But there have been occurrences in the past where companies did not follow accessibility standards and have faced lawsuits.
Some examples of companies that were sued over website accessibility in the past are Netflix, Amazon, Domino’s pizza, Nike, Burger King etc.
Some of these lawsuits were filed because the users were not able to use screen readers on the websites, some for lack of alt text, sometimes because of lack of captions in videos.
References:
https://www.levelaccess.com/doj-reaffirms-position-that-ada-applies-to-
websites/https://www.essentialaccessibility.com/blog/title-iii-lawsuits-10-big-companies-sued-over-website-
accessibilityhttps://krisrivenburgh.com/ada-checklist-compliance-guidelines-website-accessible/
Reflect on the impact of this solution
○ What is the relationship between your proposed solution and the current technologies your partner uses?
Our partner uses iPhone, so one of the solutions (RTT Apple calls) is directly related to her devices and might be the easiest option n terms of use and setup. We haven’t talked with Peri about whether she has ever used RTS, hence, we aren’t sure how comfortable she is with using these services. Researching ADA guidelines can help Peri to know her right when she uses shopping websites.
○ How will your group ensure that your solution won’t interfere with your partner’s current daily activities & environment?
The solutions that we are proposing will not interfere with our partner’s daily activities because they do not involve buying anything new or signing up for any new service. She uses an iPhone, a MacBook, and an iPad, we are trying to let her know about the various accessibility features already available on those devices. Our solutions will not technically change anything, they will enhance the way she uses her technology products.
Midterm Presentation
Weekly Build Updates (Starting 11/3/21)
10/11 Update
This week we made a list of the areas, shopping websites, and technologies we need to research and divided them between us. We collaborated with Peri in media research and created some questions that she could post on her Instagram account:
- Have you ever faced problems with customer services in shopping apps/websites? (Yes/No)
- When online shopping, what kinds of problems have you experienced/encountered? Were you able to resolve the issue? (Answer box/DM)
- What is your solution to online shopping? (Answer box/DM)
- What are some accessibility features that you would like to see when using online shopping websites? (Answer Box/DM)
We also combined a google doc form to send out to Reddit, forums on communication disorder, and Facebook since our research on customer services forums was a dead end.
The shopping websites we would call or chat with include: Amazon, Costco, CVS, InstaCard, American Eagle, Garage, and Apple. These are the shopping websites that Peri is frequently using.
Finally, we will research and do a competitive analysis of AAC technologies that are currently used by people with speech disabilities and test out the text generation feature on the iPhone.
17/11 Update
Our research results on different platforms didn’t give the results we were hoping for. In total, 11 people answered Peri’s stories on Instagram with most people having a problematic history with customer services. Unfortunately, no one wanted to be interviewed or describe their issue in more detail.
The research using Facebook, Reddit, and forums on communication disorders wasn’t helpful as well, as people didn’t want to respond to the survey. But when posting questions on Reddit (without the survey) some people responded that gave an insight into why people are forced to call customer services instead of using the chat!
Reddit survey responses
Disability
Aria labels would be great. I use a screen-reader and if I’ve added an item to my cart, to hear that it’s been added using aria would be great!
Think you’re doing some UX research. I’m not disabled, but anything that is used with screen readers. Alt/title tags and tab functionality for menus and links.
If it’s a very “loud” website, so a lot crammed onto the pages, bright or flashy colors and photos, etc, I feel like it would be super helpful to have some kind of a turndown option, dull it or pop over into a simplified version. With sensitivities to what I mentioned above, it really sucks having to avoid the site, or get sick due to it while trying to shop.
Edit to include: by bright and flashy photos, I mean alongside and surrounding the actual things you can buy. Not as much to do with the products being brightly colored
Hearing Loss
https://www.reddit.com/r/HearingLoss/comments/qtebuu/have_you_ever_faced_problems_with_customer/
I hate it when the CS gets “stuck” on a problem and they claim I have to call them to get it resolved. How can i do that if I don’t talk on the phone? A lot of the CS chats seem to be robots which lead to inability to actually communicate because they’re just watching for keywords when that’s not the whole story
Me: Thank you so much for the response! Yes, I totally feel you, my friend has the same issue and we are looking for solutions that are more independent instead of asking her mom to call every time. What is your current solution? Do you have any suggestions that how we can improve?
Either has a real person available for chats to answer questions or to have a better resource library for what’s going on. Usually, I just Google it until I find an answer that makes sense and works. But would love to have a better way of asking for help
Facebook survey responses
We sent a survey to 5 FB groups and only got 1 response, several likes/reactions and 2 frustrating comments.
Forums on communication disorder
We posted on different forums, such as ablehere.com, speechtherapytalk.com, choiceforum.org, and https://www.autismforums.com/chat/. Although the posts got views, no one responded to the survey.
Shopping websites
Next, we communicated with shopping websites by calling them or using a chatbox.
Amazon: Chat wasn’t useful so we had to call. We learned that they use Landline phones, and usually talk with the client’s speech assistant devices. They aren’t allowed to transfer clients from the chat to the call if the client states that she has a speech impairment.
Costco and Instacard couldn’t answer the questions over the chat but promised to send an email within 48 hours.
American Eagle also wasn’t particularly helpful and replied in one line.
CVS Pharmacy
https://www.cvs.com/content/accessibility-statement
https://www.cvs.com/minuteclinic/info/accessibility
called the CVS customer service number that was listed there, the representative said for people with speech impairment could only be helped when there is another person by her side to assist her to make phone calls, which means the customer needs to have a “translator” to contact CVS. There are no other options. (I have recorded the conversation if needed I can upload)
Apple: This was the most insightful, as we find out that the text generation feature can be useful in this case. We still need to test it out on Mac and Ipad and talk with Peri about this feature. Unfortunately, the spoken content is only allowed in speaking selected text or the entire screen, and the feature to add it during calls and text messages is not yet available as of the moment.
AAC Devices
Most AAC devices are made for people with autism disorder or younger population, and also quite expensive or big.
- VIVOCA can understand people with speech disorders and translate with digital voice. But this thing is still undergoing final evaluation and not yet on the market.
- https://enablingdevices.com/product-category/communication-devices/
- https://www.talktometechnologies.com/pages/all-aac-devices
24/11 Update
We had a call with Peri this week to share our findings and test with her the iPhone feature of turning it into a speech generation device. Unfortunately, it turned out that Peri already tried using that, and we didn’t know about that because it wasn’t mentioned in the initial survey we sent to Peri. That solution didn’t solve Peri’s problems since customer services would hang up on her because it would take her a long time to respond. So we’re back to square one.
We’re also planning to attend the event that Amy shared with us “Online Shopping with Accessibility in Mind” on the 7th of Dec to see if gives us any insights.
01/12 Update
This week we again separated our responsibilities and each of us did different things. We sent emails to different disability advocates and were really excited to receive 2 responses which is a huge victory compared to the responses we got from shopping companies.
We also used relay services when calling Instacard which left us with mixed feelings, but we want to try it with Peri.
We also got Ipad with Proloquo from Amy and Anita and were excited to try it out! Still trying to figure out the wi-fi and FaceTime issues, but we’re getting there. Right now we’re looking into the legal side of the issue.
We used the text to speech technology (Apple’s spoken contact + Loopback) to make phone calls with CVS and the customer service representative successfully solved our request!
Final Documentation (Due 12/15/21)
FInal Presentation