Sonifying HTML tables for audio-spatially enhanced non-visual navigation

Computing is now ubiquitous. Accessing the Internet is increasingly common from mobile devices through cellular networks. The Internet is now used for shopping, communicating, and for finding employment and housing. More information is readily available than at any time in human history; however, this information is often inaccessible to people with blindness or low-vision. In order to increase access to information for these individuals, information must be presentable in non-visual formats. Presently, screen readers are able to verbalize on-screen text using text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis; however, this vocalization is inadequate for browsing the Internet. Modern operating systems have generally relied on a graphical display and a mouse for interfacing. For individuals with vision loss, we propose to create and test an auditory interface that incorporates an auditory-spatial orientation with a standard keyboard for input. If information can be structured as a two-dimensional table, each link can be semantically grouped as a cell in a row within the auditory table. This provides a consistent structure for non-visual auditory navigation. After testing the auditory display prototype with 13 participants, it was shown that stereo panning was an effective technique for audiospatially orienting non-visual navigation through a five-row, six-column HTML table as compared to a centered, stationary synthesized voice. Rather than be left out of ubiquitous computing, blind and low-vision individuals may benefit from increased efficiency and accuracy in non-visual navigation. This finding may also stimulate interest in non-visual computing while performing other tasks, such as walking, eating, or driving.