Why the article is helpful
- The study compared specialized video magnifiers to the use of a general purpose iPod Touch as assistive technology for low vision.
- Participants preferred pinch-zoom gestures to using a button or knob and preferred the one-finger scrolling, both on the iPod Touch
This study compared two existing low-vision magnifiers (SmartView Pocket and Amigo) to using an iPod Touch as a magnifier. There was high user acceptance for the iPod Touch among the 30 participants, and a strong preference for gestures over conventional controls.
Additional details
The study compared a simple task – reading a prescription bottle label – among the three devices, and collected preference and satisfaction ratings from the participants.
- Participants were trained until they felt comfortable using the devices
- While the screen magnifiers used live images, the iPod touch used in the study had a preloaded PDF to simulate the reading experience
- The study measured subjective satisfaction, not success with reading tasks.
Links to the article
Lee, T. S, and Sanford, J. A. (2013) An Evaluation of the iPod Touch as an Alternative Low-Vision Magnifier for People with Low Vision in Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. User and Context Diversity 7th International Conference, UAHCI 2013, Held as Part of HCI International 2013, Las Vegas, NV, USA, July 21-26, 2013, Proceedings, Part II