Usable gestures for blind people: understanding preference and performance
Abstract
Despite growing awareness of the accessibility issues surrounding touch screen use by blind people, designers still face challenges when creating accessible touch screen interfaces. One major stumbling block is a lack of understanding about how blind people actually use touch screens. We conducted two user studies that compared how blind people and sighted people use touch screen gestures. First, we conducted a gesture elicitation study in which 10 blind and 10 sighted people invented gestures to perform common computing tasks on a tablet PC. We found that blind people have different gesture preferences than sighted people, including preferences for edge-based gestures and gestures that involve tapping virtual keys on a keyboard. Second, we conducted a performance study in which the same participants performed a set of reference gestures. We found significant differences in the speed, size, and shape of gestures performed by blind people versus those performed by sighted people. Our results suggest new design guidelines for accessible touch screen interfaces.
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Blind users are able to draw and make gestures on touchscreens.
“research confirms that blind users are able to draw and make gestures on touchscreens [9]”
From Designing a text entry multimodal keypad for blind users of touchscreen mobile phones (2014) · cites this paper as [9]
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“This is a great benefit as we know from literature and personal experience that on the one hand blind persons do perform gestures more inaccurate, and on the other hand they often would not prefer the same gestures like sighted users [22].”
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“BVI persons invented more gestures that used two hands than sighted persons [24] while multi-touch techniques [8] are nearly impossible to perform with one hand [31].”
BackgroundGAWA - Manager for accessibility Wayfinding apps
Rodríguez-Sánchez, M. C., & Martínez-Romo, J. (2017) · International Journal of Information Management · doi:10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2017.05.011 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
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“The study presented in [16] found that performing gestural interaction by users who are visually impaired has unique characteristics.”
BackgroundUser-elicited dual-hand interactions for manipulating 3D objects in virtual reality environments
Nanjappan, V., Liang, H., Lu, F., Papangelis, K., Yue, Y., & Man, K. L. (2018) · Human-centric Computing and Information Sciences · doi:10.1186/s13673-018-0154-5 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Stroke-Gesture Input for People with Motor Impairments
Vatavu, R.-D., & Ungurean, O.-C. (2019) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3290605.3300445 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Crowdsourcing Similarity Judgments for Agreement Analysis in End-User Elicitation Studies
Ali, A. X., Morris, M. R., & Wobbrock, J. O. (2018) · ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST) · doi:10.1145/3242587.3242621 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“’s [17], which had 22 referents and 880 symbols.”
BackgroundSelf-citationExamining Visual Semantic Understanding in Blind and Low-Vision Technology Users
Potluri, V., Grindeland, T. E., Froehlich, J. E., & Mankoff, J. C. (2021) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3411764.3445040 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“Though a rich literature examines how to enhance BLV access to and understanding of spatial information, it focuses on specialized interfaces or tasks, such as maps and navigation [2], access to diagrams and graphs [19, 32, 42] and touchscreens [36, 38].”
BackgroundConsistency of a Tactile Pattern Set
Prescher, D., Bornschein, J., & Weber, G. (2017) · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing · doi:10.1145/3053723 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“Tactual capabilities, mental models, and other influencing factors can greatly differ between those two groups [Kane et al. 2011; Ferres et al. 2013], but there are considerable individual differences within the groups, too.”
BackgroundAccessibility of High-Fidelity Prototyping Tools
Li, J., Tigwell, G. W., & Shinohara, K. (2021) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3411764.3445520 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
“Efort has been made to improve web and mobile accessibility for screen reader users [12, 13, 16, 17, 21, 31], and to improve accessibility in the design process [11, 25, 37, 44].”
BackgroundDesign and User Satisfaction of Interactive Maps for Visually Impaired People
Brock, A., Truillet, P., Oriola, B., Picard, D., & Jouffrais, C. (2012) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-31534-3_80 · Cited by 42 · see citing works
Anthony, L., Brown, Q., Nias, J., & Tate, B. (2013) · ACM International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (IDC) · doi:10.1145/2485760.2485775 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
“Gesture set design [25,35], multitouch gestures [12,20], accessible gestures [21], and differences between pen/stylus and finger gesture input [33] are just some of the areas that have been examined, but none of these studies have included children.”
BackgroundSmartphone Usage by Expert Blind Users
Jain, M., Diwakar, N., & Swaminathan, M. (2021) · Proceedings of the 2021 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3411764.3445074 · Cited by 41 · see citing works
“First, it is challenging for PVIs to learn how to perform touch-screen gestures [28, 45].”
BackgroundInfluentialVatavu, R.-D., Anthony, L., & Wobbrock, J. O. (2014) · INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON MULTIMODAL INTERACTION · doi:10.1145/2663204.2663256 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
“…this question from several angles, such as users’ consensus for multi-stroke gesture production [2], analysis of the articulation characteristics of specific user groups [14], the effect of gesture implementer on articulation [27], and explorations of how gestures vary relative to each other [29].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialSelf-citationAli, A. X., Morris, M. R., & Wobbrock, J. O. (2019) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3290605.3300485 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Self-citationInteractive audio-tactile maps for visually impaired people
Brock, A., & Jouffrais, C. (2015) · ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing · doi:10.1145/2850440.2850441 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Vatavu, R.-D. (2017) · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · doi:10.1080/10447318.2017.1279827 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
“Kane et al. (2011b) also examined di ff erences in touch gesture articulation performance between people with and without visual impairments for a large set of gesture types including taps, directional flicks, shapes, and symbols.”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialBrailleEnter: A Touch Screen Braille Text Entry Method for the Blind
Alnfiai, M. M., & Sampalli, S. (2017) · Procedia Computer Science · doi:10.1016/j.procs.2017.05.349 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Guerreiro, T., Montague, K., Guerreiro, J., Nunes, R., Nicolau, H., & Gonçalves, D. J. V. (2015) · Proceedings of the 2015 International Conference on Interactive Tabletops & Surfaces - ITS '15 · doi:10.1145/2817721.2817743 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
“Research has tried to improve these interfaces by leveraging gesture-based interaction, including understanding the preference and performance of both new and reference gestures [16], presenting new text-entry methods [12, 21] and browsing the interface using multitouch actions [15].”
BackgroundChiti, S., & Leporini, B. (2012) · Lecture notes in computer science · doi:10.1007/978-3-642-31534-3_89 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Differences and Similarities between Finger and Pen Stroke Gestures on Stationary and Mobile devices
Tu, H., Ren, X., & Zhai, S. (2015) · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction · doi:10.1145/2797138 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
“Previous studies also have shown that gesture performance can be affected by factors such as user populations [Anthony et al. 2013; Kane et al. 2011; Wobbrock et al. 2009], gesture feedback (visual and auditory feedback) [Andersen and Zhai 2010], ergonomic factors (sitting and walking) and…”
BackgroundInfluentialDesigning Motion Gesture Interfaces in Mobile Phones for Blind People
Dim, N. K., & Ren, X. (2014) · Journal of Computer Science and Technology · doi:10.1007/s11390-014-1470-5 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
“This study was thus motivated to elicit the most preferable and ergonomic gestures for such interactions.”
BackgroundInteraction Design for Mobile Visual Search
Sang, J., Mei, T., Xu, Y., Zhao, C. G., Xu, C., & Li, S. (2013) · IEEE Transactions on Multimedia · doi:10.1109/tmm.2013.2268052 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
SingleTapBraille: Developing a Text Entry Method Based on Braille Patterns Using a Single Tap
Alnfiai, M. M., & Sampalli, S. (2016) · Procedia Computer Science · doi:10.1016/j.procs.2016.08.038 · Cited by 36 · see citing works
DigiTaps: eyes-free number entry on touchscreens with minimal audio feedback
Azenkot, S., Bennett, C. L., & Ladner, R. E. (2013) · Proceedings of the 26th annual ACM symposium on User interface software and technology · doi:10.1145/2501988.2502056 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
“While they are efficient for sighted people [28], they are not appropriate for blind people who may not know what printed letters look like [14].”
BackgroundSelf-citationPictures in Your Mind: Using Interactive Gesture-Controlled Reliefs to Explore Art
Reichinger, A., Carrizosa, H. G., Wood, J., Schröder, S., Löw, C., Luidolt, L. R., Schimkowitsch, M., Fuhrmann, A., Maierhofer, S., & Purgathofer, W. (2018) · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing · doi:10.1145/3155286 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Götzelmann, T., & Winkler, K. (2015) · International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA) · doi:10.1145/2769493.2769497 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
“Blind persons are able to initiate even more complex commands by gestures [15].”
BackgroundAlnfiai, M., & Sampalli, S. (2016) · Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility · doi:10.1145/2982142.2982161 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
Zhou, H., Lu, T.-T., Liu, Y.-L., Zhang, S.-J., & Gowda, M. K. (2022) · Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive Mobile Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies · doi:10.1145/3534587 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
Lü, H., Fogarty, J. A., & Li, Y. (2014) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/2556288.2557263 · Cited by 33 · see citing works
“As in Figure 11, and as discussed by Kane et al. [11], recognizer performance can be dramatically impacted by variations.”
MethodVatavu, R.-D., & Ungurean, O.-C. (2022) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3491102.3501964 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
A study of unidirectional swipe gestures on in-vehicle touch screens
Burnett, G., Crundall, E., Large, D. R., Lawson, G., & Skrypchuk, L. (2013) · International Conference on Automotive User Interfaces and Interactive Vehicular Applications (AutomotiveUI) · doi:10.1145/2516540.2516545 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
“These gestures generally include swipes and taps to browse menus, predefined discrete gestures to perform actions (such as a swipe in a specific direction or drawing a shape), or gestures in specific regions of the screen (see [4] for a review).”
BackgroundBraillePassword: accessible web authentication technique on touchscreen devices
Alnfiai, M., & Sampalli, S. (2019) · Journal of Ambient Intelligence and Humanized Computing · doi:10.1007/s12652-018-0860-x · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Eyes-free interaction with free-hand gestures and auditory menus
Kajastila, R., & Lokki, T. (2012) · International Journal of Human-Computer Studies · doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2012.11.003 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
“…are several other ways to facilitate eyes-free browsing of auditory menus, e.g., (1) using robust gestures that reduce demand for location accuracy (Kane et al., 2011), (2) the use of familiar spatial layouts (Bonner et al., 2010), such as alphabetization or clock face, and (3) dynamic menu item…”
BackgroundDesigning a text entry multimodal keypad for blind users of touchscreen mobile phones
Buzzi, M. C., Buzzi, M., Leporini, B., & Trujillo, A. (2014) · Proceedings of the 16th international ACM SIGACCESS conference on Computers & accessibility - ASSETS '14 · doi:10.1145/2661334.2661354 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
“Even though research confirms that blind users are able to draw and make gestures on touchscreens [9], it is very difficult for them to learn and use handwriting [13].”
BackgroundBrock, A. (2013) · ACM SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing · doi:10.1145/2444800.2444802 · Cited by 28 · see citing works
Input/Output Devices and Interaction Techniques
Wigdor, D. (2014) · Chapman & Hall/CRC eBooks · doi:10.1201/b16812-25 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Zhang, D., Zhou, L., Uchidiuno, J., & Kilic, I. D. Y. (2017) · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing · doi:10.1145/3053733 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“Many prior studies on accessibility technologies for this target user population involved 10 or fewer participants in user evaluation (e.g., [Bigham et al. 2007; Kane et al. 2008; Kane et al. 2011; Su et al. 2010; Yu et al. 2001]).”
BackgroundCarvalho, L. P., Peruzza, B. P. M., Santos, F. D. S., Ferreira, L. P., & Freire, A. P. (2016) · Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems (IHC) · doi:10.1145/3033701.3033718 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
“Kane et al. [10] investigated how to improve accessible interaction in mobile devices by using better gestures to help visually-impaired users.”
BackgroundEdgeBraille: Braille-based text input for touch devices
Mattheiss, E., Regal, G., Schrammel, J., Garschall, M., & Tscheligi, M. (2015) · Journal of Assistive Technologies · doi:10.1108/jat-10-2014-0028 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
A11yBoard: Making Digital Artboards Accessible to Blind and Low-Vision Users
Zhang, Z., & Wobbrock, J. O. (2023) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3544548.3580655 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Self-citationSubash, N., Nambiar, S., & Kumar, V. (2012) · International Conference on Intelligent Human Computer Interaction · doi:10.1109/ihci.2012.6481790 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
“To measure accuracy, the MSD Error Rate was used, calculated as (presentedText,transcribedText) / Max(|presentedText|,|transcribedText|) * 100 [11].”
MethodToward accessibility with usability
Siebra, C., Gouveia, T. B., Macêdo, J., da Silva, F. Q. B., Santos, A. L. M., Correia, W. F. M., Penha, M., Anjos, M., & Florentin, F. (2017) · International Conference on Ubiquitous Information Management and Communication (IMCOM) · doi:10.1145/3022227.3022233 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“Kane et al. [4], for example, have proposed an accessibility guideline, however it is only focused on a particular scenario associated with the elicitation of gestures for visual impairment.”
BackgroundLeiva, L. A., Martín-Albo, D., Réjean Plamondon, B., & Vatavu, R.-D. (2018) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3173574.3173813 · Cited by 26 · see citing works
“[18] examined specific gesture features, such as “location accuracy” or “line steadiness” to contrast touch gestures produced by people with and without visual impairments.”
BackgroundA Multi-Modal Approach for Blind and Visually Impaired Developers to Edit Webpage Designs
Potluri, V., He, L., Chen, C., Froehlich, J. E., & Mankoff, J. C. (2019) · International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS) · doi:10.1145/3308561.3354626 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“[7] and leveraging the familiarity of edge elements [8].”
BackgroundUnderstanding Wheelchair Users’ Preferences for On-Body, In-Air, and On-Wheelchair Gestures
Bilius, L.-B., Ungurean, O.-C., & Vatavu, R.-D. (2023) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3544548.3580929 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
TADA: Making Node-link Diagrams Accessible to Blind and Low-Vision People
Zhao, Y., Nacenta, M. A., Sukhai, M. A., & Somanath, S. (2024) · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems · doi:10.1145/3613904.3642222 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
“Our design aligns with existing guidelines towards this goal such as Kane et al.’s [65], who recommend multi-touch gestures for BLV people and suggest allowing approximate targeting methods [65].”
MethodTyphlex: Exploring Deformable Input for Blind Users Controlling a Mobile Screen Reader
Ernst, M., Swan, T., Cheung, V., & Girouard, A. (2017) · IEEE Pervasive Computing · doi:10.1109/mprv.2017.3971123 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
- Authors
- Kane, S. K., Wobbrock, J. O., & Ladner, R. E.
- Affiliations
- University of Washington (US)
- Venue
- Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems
- Publisher
- ACM
- Published
- 2011-05-07
- Pages
- 413-422
- OpenAlex
- W2136691781
- Cited by
- 314
- References
- 31
- Citations by year
- 2026: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 16 · 2023: 18 · 2022: 10 · 2021: 21 · 2020: 15 · 2019: 18 · 2018: 26 · 2017: 32 · 2016: 29 · 2015: 31 · 2014: 23 · 2013: 27 · 2012: 22
- FWCI
- 45.03
- Type
- conference paper
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Science Foundation
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Tactile and Sensory Interactions
- Social Sciences › Human Factors and Ergonomics › Digital Accessibility for Disabilities
- Physical Sciences › Computer Science › Human-Computer Interaction › Interactive and Immersive Displays
- Keywords
- blind users, touch screen interface, touch gestures, accessibility, gesture elicitation, gesture performance, virtual keyboard, design guidelines, tablet computers, user study
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