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CENTRE FOR EXCELLENCE IN UNIVERSAL DESIGN, NDA

Universal Design Guidelines for Digital Television Equipment and Services

DRAFT FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION

Feedback to Dónal Rice, Senior Design Advisor, ICT.

Contact: [email protected]

http://www.universaldesign.ie/digitalTV

All comments to be received by 25 November 2011. Comment form available at http://www.universaldesign.ie/digitalTV



mailto:[email protected]

UNIVERSAL DESIGN DIGITAL TV GUIDELINES DRAFT NOVEMBER 2011

Contents

INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................................5

Introduction 6Aims and contexts of use 6

About Universal Design of Television Services and Equipment 7Complexity 7Physical and sensory abilities 9Language understanding 11List of definition and acronyms 11

CONSUMER EQUIPMENT.......................................................................................15

Introduction to Universal Design of Consumer Equipment 16Taking customers’ needs into account 16Widening the appeal of products 16Planning for universal design 17

Hardware, connectivity and set-up 18Ensure that packaging is safe and easy to open 18Include all essential accessories 19Ensure that external connections are easy to reach, clearly marked and secure 20Automatically tune in and number channels and inform users of changes 20Allow operation without the remote control 21Allow users to select preferences on initial set-up, with universal defaults 22

On-screen interfaces 23Make navigation and menu selection easy 23Ensure that information can be understood by all users 25Ensure that text and graphics are readable by users with limited vision or reading disorders 27Ensure that information is available to users with no sight 30Ensure that information is available to users who are deaf or hard of hearing 32Ensure that users know when access services are available 33Ensure that users always know what is happening 34Eliminate the risk of causing seizures 35Allow individual users to quickly configure the user interface according to their needs and preferences 35

Remote controls 36Ensure that the remote control is as simple as possible, given the required functionality

36Ensure that the remote control can be used with low physical effort 38Ensure that the remote control can be used by people with limited vision 41Ensure that the remote control can be used without requiring sight 42Ensure that the remote control can be used by people who have difficulty reading or understanding text or symbols 43Provide convenient access to essential universal design features via the remote control

44

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Access service provision 46Decode and record access services when they are included with a programme 46

Spoken output 49Include the ability to speak all displayed information 49Speak the appropriate information at the appropriate time and in the appropriate order

52Ensure that the spoken output is understandable 55Put the information into the right words 56Give the user control 61

Documentation and consumer information 63Ensure that information can be understood by all users 63Ensure that information is available to every user in a form that is accessible to them

64Include as much useful information as possible with the product 66

PROGRAMME CONTENT........................................................................................68

Introduction to Programme Content 69

Text and graphics displayed within a programme 70Ensure that the text is readable by all users including those with limited vision or reading disorders 70Ensure that information is available to users with no sight 71Ensure that information can be understood by all users 73

Translating, Subtitling and Captioning 74Provide translations in the languages of significant audience segments 75Ensure that subtitles are easy to read 76Ensure that subtitles match the timing of on-screen activity 78Caption all relevant audio content 78Ensure that captions provide equivalent information 79Adopt recognised good practice style guidelines for captioning where they exist 81Test the quality of subtitles and invite audience feedback 81

Audio description 82Prioritise programmes according to the costs and benefits of audio description 83Describe the most relevant visual content 83Ensure that descriptions are accurate and unfiltered 85Insert descriptions between the programme sounds 86Adopt a style that is easy to listen to and unobtrusive 86Use language and a style of delivery that is consistent with the programme content 87Adopt a language and style that is suited to the audience 88Adopt recognised good practice style guidelines where they exist 88Test the quality of audio description and invite audience feedback 89

Visual Signing 90Prioritise programmes according to the costs and benefits of signing 91Ensure that the signing is understandable 91Ensure that the signer is easy to see and read 92Ensure that signing matches the timing of on-screen activity 93Interpret all relevant audio content 93Ensure that interpretations provide equivalent information 93Use language and a style of delivery that is consistent with the programme content 94

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Test the quality of audio description and invite audience feedback 94Flashing Content95Eliminate the risk of causing seizures 95

CUSTOMER SERVICE.............................................................................................96

Introduction to Universal Customer Service 97

Guidelines for Universal Customer Service 98Develop universal customer service policies and procedures 98Train staff in universal customer service 99Ensure that public premises are accessible to and usable by all customers 101Use appropriate means to communicate with customers 102Where possible, provide personal assistance 104Ensure that customers are aware of the universal design features of products and services 105

SUPPORTING MATERIALS..................................................................................107

Television Viewers’ Experiences: Case Studies 108The following case studies were developed using information received from users during the survey of Irish television users. While the quotes are actual, the peoples’ descriptions have been changed to protect their anonymity. 108Case Study 1: A lot of things can be too complicated 108Case Study 2: Audio description reveals the plot 108Case Study 3: Deaf customer faces multiple issues 108

Legislation & regulation 110

Standards 112Worldwide 112Europe-wide 113Canada 114Japan 115Korea 115Spain 115UK 116USA 116

References & Bibliography 118General guidelines 118Consumer equipment 118Documentation 119Access services 119Customer service 120Viewer experiences 120Miscellaneous 121

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Introduction

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Introduction

These guidelines cover the universal design of television services, the consumer equipment needed to receive those services and the content of television programmes. They are aimed at broadcasters, consumer equipment manufacturers, programme makers and policy makers. They contain guidance on how to ensure that television services, equipment and programmes can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability. They are applicable to television services using any delivery method, including broadcasts via terrestrial, cable or satellite systems, IP-based and video-on-demand services.

Aims and contexts of useThe guidelines are intended to provide a useful resource of practical information and guidance for anyone considering adopting a Universal Design approach for one or more of their products or services. Guidelines are stated in terms of required functional outcomes that describe what to achieve, rather than mandating ways of achieving it. Many of the guidelines include suggestions for specific implementation methods, but these should not be viewed as constraints. Any implementation that fulfils the functional requirements can be considered satisfactory.

In following these guidelines, broadcasters, manufacturers and programme makers should aim to do the best possible job within their own real world contexts. It is inevitable that maximising customer inclusion through Universal Design must be balanced alongside other considerations such as cost, feasibility, functionality, innovation and creativity. Universal Design is not necessarily in competition with any of these other considerations, however. It can be cost effective, innovative, creative and can result in significant improvements in the quality, capacity and appeal of products or services, making them suitable and usable for the widest audience.

The guidelines are organised into three main sections: Consumer equipment: receiver functionality, on-screen user interfaces, remote controls

and documentation; Programme content: text on screen, language translation and access services

(captions, audio description and visual signing); Customer service: policies and procedures, communicating with customers,

accessibility and customer information.

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About Universal Design of Television Services and Equipment

There is an extensive body of literature concerning user issues with television, television access requirements and universal design of digital products and services in general. Much of this is referenced in the bibliography provided with these guidelines. In addition to this existing knowledge, a survey of the needs and experiences of a wide range of television viewers was carried out to inform the development of these guidelines. An analysis of all of this work shows that there are three types of issues that arise for television viewers: Complexity, which mainly impacts on, for example, older people, people with learning

difficulties, people with early satge dementia or people who are simply unfamiliar with the technology ;

Physical difficulties which impacts on, for example people with dexterity, reaching and bending difficulties;

Sensory difficulties which impacts on people who are blind or deaf or with varying degrees of vision or hearing difficulties

Language understanding.Taken together, this makes up a very wide range of issues that are experienced by a large and diverse viewing population, including most viewers to some extent and at some times. A universal design approach will ensure that such matters are taken into account from the earliest stages of development so that equipment, instructions, and related services can be used and understood by everyone regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.

ComplexityIssues around complexity, understanding and ease of use affect almost all types of viewers. They arise across all aspects of the customer experience, including consumer equipment (remote controls, Electronic Programming Guides etc), documentation and customer services.

The complexity of consumer equipment in particular poses significant difficulties for many viewers. In the survey of television viewers that was undertaken during the development of these guidelines, a majority of respondents across all categories reported significant issues with the use of menu-driven user interfaces, on-screen programme guides and remote controls. Some typical comments about the on-screen user interface were:

“Difficult to use. They should provide a simple, user-friendly card with a synopsis of instructions.”“it's good for me, but it changed recently and I don't like it as much. the guide isn't as clear as it used to be, when you scroll up and down the whole menu scrolls and I find it disorientating. I preferred the old one which just let you move the arrow up and down on the screen.”“Difficult, information goes off screen too quickly.”

These kinds of issues are particularly prevalent among the older population due to them having relatively less familiarity with digital technologies. The following comment from an older viewer is typical:

“I find it difficult and am being told time and again that it's easy. Technical know how is very poor with our generation.”

Remote controls can also be complex:

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“The buttons I can use, but if I have to do anything other than what I normally do, I can't do it. I use the basics. Each remote control is completely different. So I learn the basics of them and leave the rest to other people.”“There are different buttons, you get confused with them. There’s different buttons for different things.”

For people who require only limited functionality, the unnecessary (to them) functionality creates added complexity which makes it more difficult for them to use even the limited functionality they need.

Figure 1. Two different remote controls from the same company, showing different design philosophies concerning complexity.

There is clearly a trade-off between functionality and complexity in the design of equipment, but for many users their equipment does not achieve the right balance for them. The equipment that is being described in these quotes generally provides a large number of very useful functions to meet the needs of a diverse audience. The skill of Universal Design is in presenting all this functionality in a way that is easy to understand and use and whereby individual users only have to deal with the level of complexity they need. In taking this approach, it is useful to ask two questions: How can we provide all this functionality in the least complex way?

How can we make sure the more advanced functionality does not get in the way of the basic functionality?

It is not just the use of the equipment that can cause problems, but the installation and set-up too. This is where good documentation and customer services are vital. The following comments contrast the sorts of negative and positive experiences that customers can encounter:

“Difficult to access specific information by phone. Marketing people do not understand the lack of knowledge of old people in the "press-button" age. Old people have poor skills in choosing in this digital age. Instructions too complicated. Lack clarity.”“If it was more plain English. Just ordinary words. You don’t have to have all the big words.”

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“The service guys were great and tried to help me as best they could with totally inaccessible equipment.”“The engineer did everything. He also went through the remote control with me and explained how it worked.”

Universal customer service should extend to all of the interactions the customer has with the service provider, including things like understandable billing:

“So much information and detail it's hard to work out how much it actually costs.”

Physical and sensory abilitiesMany issues arise due to the needs and abilities of people not having been sufficiently addressed in the design of products and services. These issues particularly affect people with physical or sensory impairments – reduced vision, hearing, dexterity and mobility. These impairments are particularly prevalent among the older population.Although not as prevalent as the issues around complexity and ease of use, these problems can be far more serious, resulting in some functionality being impossible for some people to use. Like complexity, all aspects of the television customer experience are affected, including the use of consumer equipment, reading and understanding documentation and accessing customer services.

Issues with consumer equipment relate mainly to remote controls and on-screen interfaces. Remote controls are often designed in a way that presents difficulties for people with reduced dexterity or grip, as illustrated by the following comments from the user survey:

“Buttons too close together. Can press wrong function by accident.”“Not easy - I use a wheelchair and I need to balance it on the arm of it.”“I don’t use the remote control, I am not able to. I cannot hold the remote control or press the buttons.“– Guidelines survey respondents.

On-screen user interfaces can also present problems for people with vision impairments. For people who are blind, the interface is almost completely unusable unless it features spoken output. People with various forms of low vision also experience difficulties:

“A bit crowded, could be laid out a bit better.”“The colour of the full guide (blue on blue) can make it hard to read.”“Could have better text size.”

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Figure 2. Even a mild vision impairment can make on-screen text difficult to read.

Getting a customer service which is responsive to their needs can be difficult for people with disabilities. One area that is often problematic is where the form of information and communications fails to take into account sensory impairments:

“I indicated that I was deaf, and to text me. They called my phone several times trying to confirm the order!” (Person with a hearing impairment)“They refuse to provide information in Braille but are happy to send the bills in print.” (Person with a vision impairment)

The following two comments, both from people with vision impairments, illustrate the differences between a customer service that is set up to deal with issues of disability and one that is not:

“I found customer support quite helpful. I talked to the accessibility department who went through the process step by step to ensure that the issue was sorted.”“Customer service are not equipped to deal with issues that fall outside of mainstream. They pass it on to managers who do not respond.”

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A Universal Design approach would seek to create experiences like the former, rather than the latter, by integrating diability understanding within the customer service function.An area where Universal Design can greatly increase the understanding and enjoyment of television for people with sensory impairment is the provision of access services – captions (subtitles for deaf and hard of hearing people), audio description and visual signing. These services enhance or replace the audible or visual content that some viewers are unable to perceive fully. They are greatly appreciated, as can be seen from the following comments about audio description:

“I found it [audio description] absolutely brilliant. It's very effective when there are scenes with non dialogue and then we know what's happening on screen, otherwise we wouldn't.”“Sometimes you can tell what is happening by the music and dialogue, but not always. Also, as more and more programs are relying on visual effects to portray information instead of through dialogue, audio description is becoming more and more necessary.”

But where access services are not provided or are of poor quality, many viewers find the quality of television greatly reduced, even to the point of it being unwatchable:

“The feature I least like about my TV is the poor subtitles.”“I don’t watch TV online, there are no subtitles on a lot of programmes.”“I find the [record feature] very helpful but subtitles don’t be there when you tape.”

Language understandingIssues around the understanding of written or spoken language primarily affect people with low literacy and immigrants who are not fluent in the language of the country or region where they receive their television. In some regions, this constitutes a significant proportion of the viewing public. People with print disabilities or cognitive impairments are also affected by difficulties with language understanding.Difficulties may arise with all aspects of the customer experience, including customer services and documentation. Providers of products and services should take steps to become fully aware of how many of their customers or prospective customers are likely to experience language difficulties. In order to manage this issue, they should at least adopt a policy of making written information as easy to understand as possible, by following appropriate clear print and plain text guidelines. Beyond this simple measure, it is a case of offering translations where necessary and feasible.

“If it was more plain English. Just ordinary words. You don’t have to have all the big words.”

The most notable effect of language difficulties is in the understanding and enjoyment of programme content. The appropriate approach here is translation, using either interlingual subtitles, dubbing or lectoring, depending on the audience and what is standard practice in the region.

List of definition and acronymsAccess service: An additional visual or audible component added to a television programme to aid understanding and enjoyment by people with sensory impairments or language difficulties. Includes interlingual subtitles, dubbing, captions, audio description and visual signing. Access services may be open or closed.

Analogue television: System of broadcasting television signals where the audiovisual information is encoded as an amplitude- or frequency-modulated waveform. Used prior to

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digital television for terrestrial (airborne radio waves) and cable (electrical waves carried along a wire) television broadcasting.Audio description: A narrative voiceover inserted between the dialogue and other sounds in a television programme to convey the information provided by visual content to viewers with vision impairments. Audio description may be delivered as open or closed.

Audio jack socket: Used here to refer to a 1/4", 3.5mm or 2.5mm TRS-type socket used for connecting a pair of headphones.

AV: Audiovisual.BBC: British Broadcasting Corporation. The national public broadcaster in the United Kingdom.Braille: System used to present text for blind readers in a tactile form, using characters composed of patterns of raised dots.Captions: On-screen text included as subtitles within a television programme to convey the information contained in the programme audio (speech and other important sounds) to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Referred to in the UK and Ireland using the more general term ‘subtitles’. Captions may be delivered as open or closed.CEN: Comité Européen de Normalisation. One of the three main European standards organizations.CEUD: The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design.

Closed access service: An access service delivered in such a way that individual viewers can activate or deactivate it at any time, according to personal preference.

Consumer equipment: The hardware and software used by television viewers to receive and watch television programmes. Includes televisions, receivers, set top boxes, remote controls and on-screen user interfaces. Also includes supplied documentation.Digital switchover: The replacement, within a country or region, of analogue television broadcasting by digital terrestrial television broadcasting.Digital television: System of broadcasting television signals where the audiovisual information is encoded in a digital form. Used for terrestrial, cable and satellite television broadcasts.

Digital terrestrial television: System of broadcasting television signals using radio waves where the audiovisual information is encoded in a digital form. Uses fixed, ground-based transmitters to deliver the signal to aerials at the viewers’ locations.Dubbing: The editing of the audio track of a television programme to replace voices in one language with voices in a different language.DVB: Digital Video Broadcasting. A set of international standards for digital television broadcasting maintained by the DVB Project, an international industry consortium. Used widely throughout Europe, Africa, Asia, Australia and South America.

DVB subtitles: Standard used for encoding closed subtitles within digital television broadcasts that use one of the DVB standards.

DVD: Digital Versatile Disk. Disk containing audiovisual content (television programmes, films, etc.) in an optically-encoded form.

Electronic Programme Guide: Textual on-screen listing of television programme schedules. May include facilities for setting up programme alerts or recording programmes.

EPG: See Electronic Programme Guide.ETSI: European Telecommunications Standards Institute. One of the three main European standards organizations.

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HDMI: High Definition Multimedia Interface. Standard for conveying digital audiovisual signals along cables connecting items of consumer equipment, e.g. from a set top box to a television.

HR: Human Resources.Interlingual subtitles: On-screen text included as subtitles within a programme to provide a translation from the language spoken or written in the programme to another language. Commonly used to translate imported foreign language programmes into the national language. Also used to translate programmes into the natural languages of different sections of the viewing population. Subtitles may be delivered as open or closed.

iOS: Mobile device operating system used in Apple products (iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch).IP: Internet Protocol. The data communications protocol that underlies the Internet.

IT: Information Technology.Lectoring: A spoken narration over the existing audio of a television programme which is reduced in volume but can still be heard in the background. Sometimes used in preference to dubbing, which is similar but completely replaces the original audio.

NDA: The National Disability Authority.Open access service: An access service delivered in such a way that all viewers receive it and individual viewers cannot activate or deactivate it.parental controls:

Personal video recorder: The programme recording and playback functionality built into many digital television receivers.

Phono plug/socket: RCA-type plug and socket combination used to convey analogue audiovisual signals along cables connecting items of consumer equipment, e.g. from a set top box to a television.PIN number: Personal Identification Number. Security code used to identify an individual user.Plain English: Writing style using short sentences and avoiding jargon or complicated words and phrases. To help readers, including those with lower literacy levels, to understand the text the first time they read it.

Programme guide: See Electronic Programme Guide.PVR: See Personal Video Recorder.QWERTY keyboard: Standard layout of the keyboards used in most typewriters, computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. to input text. So called because the top line of letters begins, from left to right, Q-W-E-R-T-Y.Receiver: A piece of consumer equipment consisting of the hardware and software required to decode television signals and present television functionality to the viewer. May be contained within an integrated television or a separate set top box.

RGB: A visual signal separated into Red, Green and Blue components.RNIB: The Royal National Institute of Blind People. Organisation representing and working for people with visual impairments in the United Kingdom.RTÉ: Radio Telefis Éireann. The Irish national broadcasting organization.

SCART: A type of cable used to convey analogue audiovisual signals along cables connecting items of consumer equipment, e.g. from a set top box to a television.

Set top box: Used here to refer to a digital television receiver that can be used to receive a signal and convey it to a television or other display device.

sign language:

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Spoken subtitles: A spoken voice that reads aloud interlingual subtitles for viewers with vision or reading impairments. This can be either included with the programme or generated by the viewer’s receiver using speech synthesis.

Subtitles: Text included within a programme and displayed on screen, either to provide a translation from the language spoken or written in the programme to another language (interlingual subtitles), or to convey the information contained in the programme audio (speech and other important sounds) to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing (captions). Subtitles may be delivered as open or closed.Text-to-speech: The computer-generated spoken output of text, for people with reading impairments.TV: Television.

UK: The United Kingdom.UN: The United Nations.

Universal Design: An approach to the design of products and services that ensures that they can be accessed, understood and used to the greatest extent possible by all people, regardless of their age, size, ability or disability.User: The person who uses a product or service for its intended purpose.

User interface: The hardware and software controls and information presented by a product to the user, to allow them to operate its functions, provide inputs and understand it’s outputs.

User testing: Controlled testing of a product or service by representative users, in order to find user test how usable and accessible it is and what alterations could make it more usable or accessible.Video description: Term used in North America to mean audio description of video content.

Visual Signing: The use of a sign language (one that uses hand shapes, movement, body language and facial expressions to convey meaning) to convey the information contained in the programme audio (speech and other important sounds) to viewers who are deaf.Voiceover: Text-to-speech interface provided with Apple products such as the iPad and iPhone.

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Consumer Equipment

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Introduction to Universal Design of Consumer Equipment

The Universal Design of television equipment requires attention to all the aspects that are usually covered in the design process: Hardware.

Connectivity and set-up. On-screen interfaces.

Remote controls. Documentation and consumer information.If an appropriate Universal Design process is adopted, maximising the universal appeal, usability and accessibility of the equipment does not necessarily involve a lot of extra work or slow down the development process. For maximum production efficiency, universal design considerations should be addressed from the start of the design and development process, which may be as much as 24 months prior to the product launch. The quality of ‘inclusivity’ can then be treated as an intrinsic characteristic of the design, rather than a later addition to it. This is similar to the way safety is addressed in the design of consumer products. Making a product without considering safety and then attempting to fix the problems by modifying the finished design would be very inefficient. Similarly, trying to ‘bolt on’ accessibility features, for example, as additional features to an otherwise inaccessible design can be difficult and expensive. It is better to take a universal approach throughout the design process, ensuring that accessibility and usability is built-in and does not require extra additions to the design.

Taking customers’ needs into accountA problem that sometimes occurs for television service providers is lack of control over the design. For example, a network operator may be supplying customers with digital set top boxes that are designed elsewhere. In cases like this, organizations need to work with their providers, feeding back customer requirements and specifying relevant universal design requirements within contracts and service agreements wherever possible. The network provider may have a key role here, since they are often much closer to customers and more aware of customers needs. The extent of problems that customers have with products is often unknown to the developers. For example, a 2007 survey by the Royal National Institute of Blind People of blind and partially sighted television viewers found that 22% do not find it easy to change the channel and over 26% do not find it easy to “put TV programmes on”. These are the most basic operations. In stakeholder interviews during the development of these guidelines, one digital television network operator said:

From the product design point of view we see this as good business. Where we’ve seen customer dissatisfaction is when we’ve overcomplicated products.

Widening the appeal of productsIn many cases, meeting the universal design guidelines provided in this section does not require extra functionality, just a more inclusive approach to the existing functionality. Many of the features of a universally deigned product are not specific to the needs of people with disabilities, but have much wider appeal.

“Users and industry alike are convinced that features needed to provide access to people with disabilities are useful for all. Inclusive design, integrating eAccessibility features into mainstream technology and improving

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interoperability with assistive technologies, is recognised as “good” business practice, in both meanings of the word.”– Industry Self-Commitment to Improve the Accessibility of Digital TV Receiving Equipment Sold in the European Union, DigitalEurope, 2007.

Planning for universal designHowever, certain access features, such as spoken output, will involve specific additional design and development work. For maximum production efficiency, these should be included within the formal development roadmap and planned for from the start. Providing spoken output is specifically intended to make the equipment fully usable for people with vision impairments. However, even this should not be considered an extra feature that can be bolted on. It must be integrated with the design so that the speech engine can access the information it requires. An illustration of the need for this can be seen in the development of the Sky Talker, a text-to-speech add-on for Sky satellite television receivers in the UK, developed by Sky in the UK in partnership with the Royal National Institute of Blind People. Although it provides some useful functionality for blind customers, it is very limited in what it can read, providing spoken access only to the channel and programme information, but not to the menu system or the full electronic programme guide (EPG). Ideally this should have been built into the system from the start. The menu and EPG information is not in a format that can be easily be turned into speech, so the development of a full talking solution would be far more complex.

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http://accessibility.sky.com/news/sky-talker


Hardware, connectivity and set-up

Although some people will have help available to help them during the initial installation, set-up and continued use of their equipment, others won’t. In a 2007 survey by the Royal National Institute of Blind People of blind and partially sighted television viewers, 75% reported that they have not got sighted helpers. European demographic projections up to 2030 anticipate an increasing proportion of older adults, especially those aged 75 and over, living either alone or with only their partner.Being able to set up and use television equipment independently is important for many people and essential for some. It should therefore be as easy as possible. A person who has a positive “out of box” experience will potentially be more likely to buy a product from that manufacturer in the future.The complexities of connecting new equipment, tuning in channels and setting the required display preferences can present a real barrier to use for people with sensory, mobility, intellectual or cognitive impairments. Figuring out which cable connects to which socket, fitting the cables, going through the set-up sequence, finding options and troubleshooting problems can be difficult and confusing. Many people without impairments also find these tasks challenging, particularly those who are not used to new technologies.The less complicated the installation, set-up and use is, the less likely users are to encounter problems that require additional customer support. Since customer support is usually accessed remotely, by phone for example, this complexity can still cause problems. Many issues are difficult to address over the phone. These issues are illustrated in the following quotes from the guidelines survey about the customer support experiences of people with disabilities:

“I find I need someone else on hand to unplug etc. while following instructions.”“Impossible for a blind person to do so without sighted assistance.”– Guidelines survey respondents.

A report from the UK digital switchover technical trial showed that:

Some users failed to maximise their picture quality by using an available RGB SCART socket. This was ‘too technical’ for most consumers, even if they read through all of the instructions.

The level of confidence in attempting installation fell rapidly with increased age. 51% of those aged 75+ were ‘not at all confident’ they could cope.

Some of these problems are illustrated in a humorous way in the short drama Relative Confusion by Newell, Goodman-Deane & Morgan, in which actors depict the experiences of older people trying to set up their new digital television equipment without outside assistance. The drama is available on DVD (PDF 115Kb) and can bee seen on YouTube in three parts.

Ensure that packaging is safe and easy to open

RationaleAll packaging should meet basic safety standards. People with limited hand strength or dexterity may also have difficulty opening fixings that are ‘fiddly’. Packaging that requires excessive force or the use of additional tools (for example a pair of scissors) can be difficult or impossible to open and may cause users to damage the contained parts. Relying on

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T9K1hTUjzUw

http://www-edc.eng.cam.ac.uk/~jag76/research/2008_dfa/paper2.pdf


touch to open packaging also has implications for how easy it is to open. Any mechanism that requires visual instructions will be problematic. People who are blind locate items by touch, so will have difficulty avoiding touching potentially hazardous objects such as staples.

Directions and techniques

Ensure that packaging is safe (high priority)Packaging should not contain materials that may cause injury, such as staples.

Ensure that packaging is easy to open (high priority)Packaging should be designed in such a way that it is easy to open. For example, perforations in plastic or paper packaging can assist in easily “tearing” it open.

How you could test for thisRun user tests with a wide range of users, including older people, people with disabilities and people with low literacy. Ask each person to open the packaging and retrieve the contents without being given any instructions other than those provided on the packaging itself. Most users should be able to do this effectively, within a reasonable time and without frustration. Find out how easy the users found it and note any particular difficulties that could be addressed by a modification in design or materials.Suitable test methods for ease of opening are described in detail in CEN Technical Specification 15945 ‘Packaging – Ease of opening – Criteria and test method for evaluating consumer packaging’.

This test could be included as part of more general user trials encompassing the whole process of unpacking, setting up and learning to use the equipment. The most realistic and informative results will be obtained by carrying out these trials in the users’ normal domestic environments. The many procedural and ethical issues that are involved with this type of testing and the skills involved in designing and running meaningful tests may require engaging experienced professionals to carry out the trials.

Include all essential accessories

RationaleTrying to install equipment without having all the required parts can be confusing, frustrating and time consuming for anyone. This frustration is well illustrated in the Relative Confusion drama where the characters have to return repeatedly to the shop to get the right cable.


Include all the necessary items within the packaging (high priority)All the parts needed to get the equipment fully connected and working in the region of sale should be provided within the packaging. This includes, but may not be limited to:

At least one appropriate connector lead (e.g. HDMI or SCART); Batteries if they are required;

The correct mains plug for the location of use.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wc19wYyt2iw&feature=related

http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/ict/universaldesignforict/usertesting

http://www.cen.eu/cen/Sectors/TechnicalCommitteesWorkshops/CENTechnicalCommittees/Pages/Standards.aspx?param=6242&title=Packaging

http://www.cen.eu/cen/Sectors/TechnicalCommitteesWorkshops/CENTechnicalCommittees/Pages/Standards.aspx?param=6242&title=Packaging


Ensure that external connections are easy to reach, clearly marked and secure

RationalePeople with reduced mobility or other physical disabilities can find it difficult to reach around the back of the set top box or television or to move them in order to get at the sockets, such as headphones and USB cables. Whilst this is not as big a problem for permanent connections, some, such as headphones, may need to be frequently disconnected and reconnected. The problem is made worse if connections are not secure and can be easily displaced while adjusting or cleaning the equipment. This may cause the equipment to stop operating correctly, requiring the user to identify the problem and reconnect the cables. All connections, even those that are permanent and secure, should be clearly marked, so users are not required to rely on external help.


Make frequently accessed sockets easy to reach (high priority)Sockets that are used frequently should be easy to reach. For example, an audio jack socket can be located on the front panel of the equipment to allow for easy connection and disconnection of headphones when needed. Sockets that are connected once and then forgotten about may be placed at the back of the equipment in order to hide cables.

Allow for easy matching of sockets and cables (high priority)Cables and sockets should be colour matched to identify which cable goes into which socket, to avoid users having to read and interpret labels or symbols. A common example is the standard red and white colouring of phono sockets and phono plugs.

Avoid accidental disconnection (high priority)Plugs should fit securely into their sockets to avoid accidental disconnection when the equipment is moved or the cable is pulled. Large plugs, such as SCARTs, can be held securely in place by a clip.

How you could test for thisDuring the design phase of the product, run user tests on prototypes with older and disabled users who have reduced mobility or reach. After launch, gather feedback from customers over a period of realistic use of a few months or more about any problems that have occurred with regard to connections. This could be included as part of more general long term user trials encompassing the whole process of unpacking, setting up, learning and using the equipment.

Automatically tune in and number channels and inform users of changes

RationaleManual tuning is unnecessary for most users and can easily be done automatically. If each channel is assigned a permanent number, users with vision impairments who cannot use the on-screen programme guide can navigate by remembering channel numbers. However, if the numbers change without warning, those users may have difficulty locating the required channel and may not immediately realise that they are watching a different channel.

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Run an automatic tuning sequence on initial set-up (high priority)The equipment should automatically carry out a full channel search and tuning when first powered up and connected to a display and a network.

Automatically identify new services (high priority)New services should be identified and tuned in when they are launched.

Assign numbers to channels and inform users when the addition or removal of channels causes channel numbers to change (high priority)Channels should be numbered and should, as far as possible, retain their numbering over time. If numbers have to be changed, due to the addition of new channels for example, users should be informed. This can be done using a warning message when the user first goes to a channel number after it has been reassigned.

An on-screen programme guide that allows users to assign their own numbers to channels, in a favourites list for example, can avoid this problem.

Display tuning progress in a way that is accessible to people with sensory impairmentsDuring the automatic tuning sequence, if the display shows the current status, such as the percentage of time remaining, this information should be presented in both visual and audible forms so that it is accessible to people with hearing loss or sight loss. If the equipment has spoken output, this can be used to speak displayed text messages or percentages. Otherwise, beeps or other sounds can be used in a way to indicate that progress is being made or that the sequence has completed. Any information about how to skip or exit the tuning sequence should also be available in both visual and audible forms.

Allow operation without the remote control

RationaleRemote controls can easily become temporarily lost or broken, requiring an alternative way of operating the equipment that can be managed by all users, including those with physical or sensory impairments. The design of the controls on the equipment itself should therefore receive the same attention as the design of the remote control. Making the two sets of controls similar, for example by using common labels for corresponding functions, will help fsomeone who has lost or broken their remote control to operate the equipment from its front panel instead. The design of the controls on the equipment should therefore follow some of the same principles as the design of the remote control, such as tactile, audible and visual feedback when a button is pressed.


Provide the basic controls on the equipment itselfAt a minimum, the equipment’s basic operations should be available via controls on the front panel.

Use the same labelling as used on the remote controlGraphics and text labels on the equipment should match those on the remote control. As far as possible, shapes, groupings and layout should also match the remote control.

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Follow the same ease of use guidelines as for remote controlsApply the ease of use guidelines in the Remote Controls section to the buttons on the equipment’s front panel, where applicable. These include making buttons easy to press independently, providing feedback on button presses and enabling buttons to be identified by touch but without activating them.

Provide an easy way of restarting the equipmentIf users experience problems that can only be solved by restarting or rebooting, the restart procedure should be available through a button on the equipment fascia. Users should not be required to switch off the electricity supply at the wall socket, as this may be difficult for people with mobility problems or limited reach.

Allow users to select preferences on initial set-up, with universal defaults

RationaleThe equipment may allow users to adjust various features of the display and interaction to suit their needs and preferences. These possibilities are covered within the guidelines on on-screen interfaces. It is important to allow users to set these preferences during the initial tuning and set-up procedure. As well as meeting their needs as quickly as possible, this has the benefit of introducing the range of set-up options to them, including those that they may not need now but may want to use at a later point.


Present options on set-upAs part of the initial set-up sequence when the equipment is first powered up and connected to a display, users should be prompted to set whatever preferences the equipment allows them to alter. This can include such things as: Text size, colours and backgrounds in menus and the Electronic Programme Guide

(EPG); Activating access services (subtitles, captions, audio description and visual signing);

The choice of a simpler user interface, if provided; Favourite or hidden channels;

User profiles containing personal combinations of the above settings.Information about how these settings can be accessed and changed later, within the menus for example, can also be provided at this time.

Default to spoken outputIf the equipment provides spoken output of the menus, on-screen programme guide, etc., this should default to ON, with the option to turn it off and information about how to activate and deactivate it later.

Adopt universal defaultsDefault settings should meet the needs of a wide range of users, reducing the need for individual users to alter the settings. For example, rather than using a very small text size and providing the option to increase it (something that may be difficult for people who cannot read the default size), a larger default size can be used.

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On-screen interfaces

The increasing amount of television content that is available and the increased capabilities of television equipment has required manufacturers to provide extensive on-screen interfaces to give users access to all the content and functionality. Without the Electronic Programme Guide (EPG) and the on-screen information about programmes, it is very difficult for viewers to plan their viewing, find programmes or even to know what they are currently watching. Without access to some kind of menu system it is not possible to do a lot of the things many people now take for granted, such as watching previously recorded programmes, setting parental controls or changing the various set-up and display options. Access to the on-screen interface is therefore essential.

A purely visual and textual on-screen interface presents obvious and significant problems for many people, including people with limited or no vision, reading disorders or low literacy. A complex user interface can present serious problems for people with cognitive or intellectual impairments as well as many people without any impairment but who have some level of difficulty in coping with the increasing complexity of everyday technology.All of these problems can be reduced or eliminated by careful design which gives users control over the way information is presented on screen and enables that information to be conveyed in a variety of modes – text, graphics, sounds, spoken output – according to the individual user’s needs and preferences.Following design guidelines is not enough on its own, Designs should always be tested in realistic settings by the intended users, including older people and people with disabilities. Only then can designers and product providers be sure that the design works as intended.

Make navigation and menu selection easy

RationalePeople who find it difficult to use a remote control may often press the wrong button accidentally. They may not know which button it was they pressed and if it takes them to an unfamiliar place, they may have difficulty finding their way back to where they were. People who find a television interface confusing may also take a wrong step and will need to get back to where they were or to a known starting point in order to proceed.

“It’s okay as long as I am familiar with the remote controls. If something goes wrong on the TV or I hit an incorrect button by mistake then I am lost as to what’s wrong.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

There are a number of ways that the design of the on-screen interface can help or hinder navigation and selection. In combination, these can make the difference between the interface being an effective and efficient tool for the user or a time-consuming and frustrating barrier.


Ensure a direct correspondence between on-screen prompts and remote control button labels (high priority)On-screen instructions or prompts should exactly match the operations the user will have to do. For example, users may be confused if instructed to “press the information key on your

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http://universaldesign.ie/managing-accessibility/general-accessibility-process/user-testing

http://universaldesign.ie/managing-accessibility/general-accessibility-process/user-testing


remote control” where the label on the key is the standard “i” symbol. Instead, say “press the i key”.

Give users a way to get back to a known place (high priority)This can be achieved by providing a ‘Back’ option that returns to the previous menu and a ‘Home’ option that returns to the main menu.

Allow one-touch menu selections (high priority)Provide a way for users to select any item from within a menu by pressing a single remote control button, This can be achieved by numbering menu items and options so that the user can make a selection by pressing the associated number. This negates the need for users to scroll through a menu to get to an option, then pressing a ‘Select’ button to activate it all of which requires at least two and possibly more button presses.

Allow quick access to favourite functions (high priority)Favourite functions should be accessible quickly, without having to go through a number of menus to reach them. This can be achieved by allowing users to add their favourite functions to the main menu or home screen. Another technique is to number the menus and menu items and allow the user to select an item by pressing the menu number immediately followed by the item number, without having to wait for the menu to appear. For example, the third item in the second menu could be access by pressing “23” – 2 for the second menu, followed by 3 for the third item. This can be extended to any depth of menus.

Make the current focus clearIt should be visually clear which item on the screen is the current focus for user input, e.g. which function will be activated by pressing Select, OK or ‘i’. Figure 3 shows an example of clear focus highlighting of the selected menu item.

Figure 3. Clear menu highlighting, indicating the selected item – the focus of the Select or OK button.

Similar highlighting should be used for text entry fields used to enter information such as PIN numbers or user details for interactive services.

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Make menus cyclicalIn order to reduce the number of interactions required to select an option by traversing through a menu, going ‘down’ past the last item should return to the first item. Similarly, in the reverse direction, going ‘up’ past the first item should return to the last item.

How you could test for thisTest prototypes with a wide range of users, including older people and people with vision impairments, to see how easy they find navigation and menu selection. Note the causes of any errors, confusion or inefficiency.

After the product is launched, very valuable information can be obtained by engaging customers in providing feedback. At its simplest, this can involve issuing questionnaires or administering telephone interviews. However, this is unlikely to provide the depth of insight required to address how well the design is working to support users. It is preferable to observe the equipment in use. After using a product for a period of time, individual users will adopt specific patterns of behaviour that work for them. This may mean avoiding functions that are confusing or difficult or adopting unanticipated workarounds. Finding out about these behaviours can give valuable insight into how users adapt to the equipment and how well it supports them. Run customer studies to find out whether the equipment is being used as intended, whether any functions are being avoided due to difficulties, how well it supports various tasks and whether customers’ workarounds suggest better approaches to the design of future products.

This testing could be included as part of more general long term user trials encompassing the whole process of setting up, learning and using the equipment.

Ensure that information can be understood by all users

RationalePeople with low literacy, reading disorders, cognitive or intellectual impairments may have difficulty reading, understanding and remembering text and graphical symbols that are not simple, familiar and unambiguous. The overall complexity of the interface may also present problems for some users, as illustrated in Case Study 2: A lot of things can be too complicated.


Allow sufficient time (high priority)The need for users to adhere to time-critical user inputs should be avoided by providing options to turn off, adjust, or extend the time limit. This includes operations that require buttons to be pressed in sequence (e.g. selecting channel numbers greater than 9). This should include options to retaining the display of information chosen by the user (e.g. the programme synopsis) until the users decides to remove it.This requirement does not apply in cases where security or privacy would be compromised by allowing extended time limits, or for real-time events, where a time limit is absolutely required (e.g., interacting with a live television quiz show).

Allow users to reduce the complexity of the interface (high priority)Users should be given the option to reduce the amount of information or functionality displayed in the user interface.

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(a) Grid view, showing all channels, scrolling vertically by channel and

horizontally by time.

(b) List view, showing only one channel, scrolling vertically by time.

Figure 4. Two different view options for a programme guide.

This can be achieved by providing two clear options – a simple interface and a full interface. An example of this, shown in figure 4, is the different view options that can be available in a programme guide – a grid view showing all channels with scrolling in two directions and a list view showing only a single channel with scrolling only in one direction.

Use simple language and intuitive symbolsAcronyms, abbreviations and jargon words should be avoided in preference for complete, standard words and phrases.

For numbering, use Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, ...) which are more recognisable and easier to understand than Roman numerals (I, II, III, i, ii, ...).

For symbols, follow universal design guidelines and common industry standards. A good source of guidance with a listing of applicable standards is the Tiresias guidelines on Pictograms, Icons and Symbols.For English language instructions or explanatory text, follow Plain English Guidelines [20] as far as possible. Guidance on how to write instructions and descriptions in Plain English is available on the Simply Put website.

Reinforce text with graphical symbolsExplanatory images or pictograms should be provided as an aid for people who have difficulty understanding or reading text. Icons should be designed to be both recognisable and memorable. Figure 5 shows some examples. To find out whether these are recognisable and memorable, user testing would be required.

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http://www.tiresias.org/research/guidelines/pictograms.htm

http://www.tiresias.org/research/guidelines/pictograms.htm


Figure 5. Set-up menu showing both text labels and icons.

Reinforce graphical symbols with text labelsProvide an additional text label with graphical symbols, to help people who have difficulty understanding the symbol.

How you could test for thisTo find out whether efforts to make information understandable will be successful, it is necessary to test prototype designs with a wide range of users, including people with low literacy, cognitive impairments and reading disorders.

Further tests could also be included within general long term user trials encompassing the whole process of setting up, learning and using the equipment.

Ensure that text and graphics are readable by users with limited vision or reading disorders

RationaleText and graphics need to be clear enough, large enough and laid out in a way that makes them easily read and understood by people with a wide range of vision impairments, including colour vision deficiencies, or people with reading disorders such as dyslexia.People with vision impairments may have difficulty reading text that is not in large, clear, static type and contrasted well against the background.

“The colour of the full guide (blue on blue) can make it hard to read.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

People with colour vision deficiency can have problems with particular combinations of colours. Similar problems may occur within graphics, such as icons. In addition to the text and graphics itself, poor layout or the existence of moving content that distracts the eye can make reading difficult. Some of these problems also affect people with reading disorders, even if their vision is perfect.

The great variability in colour vision capabilities across the user population means it is not possible to specify a single size and colour scheme that will suit everyone. It is very useful if

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individual users can be given the option to change the text presentation style (e.g. size, colour and background colour) to suit their needs and preferences. In a 2004 survey of people with disabilities by Fain, the ability to adjust text size and colour in the programme guide were given average usefulness ratings of 3.4 and 3.2 out of a possible 4 by participants with low vision. Deaf participants gave ratings of 3.8 and 3.6 for the ability to adjust the size and colour of captions. Participants who were hard of hearing gave still significant ratings of 3.2 and 3 out of four.


Ensure that text and graphics appear within the area of the screen that can be clearly seen (high priority)All informational text and graphics should appear within the title safe area – that is the visible area where the text will not be cut regardless of the over scan (margin of the video image that is normally not visible) of the television used.

Use a clear typeface and lettering for easy on-screen reading (high priority)To maximise readability, use a screenfont – a typeface that has been specifically designed for viewing on television displays at typical viewing distances. Ideally, the same font should be used throughout the interface.The text size should be sufficient to be readable across a wide range of visual acuity. The recommendation of DigitalEurope in the Industry Self-Commitment to Improve the Accessibility of Digital TV Receiving Equipment Sold in the European Union is to use 24 line minimum for body text and 18 minimum for upper-case text on a 576 line display.Italic, underlined, oblique, condensed, all upper case or fancy fonts can cause problems for some people and should be avoided in favour of plain, mixed case lettering.Blinking or moving text or graphics should be avoided as it can be difficult to track and can distract the eye, making it difficult to read other static text.

Carefully choose colours and colour combinations (high priority)Ensure that there is sufficient contrast between text and its background for the text to be easily distinguished and read. Dark colours on a light, non-patterned background or light colours on a dark background can both be used. Combinations of red and green should be avoided since they can be difficult to differentiate for people with the most common form of colour vision deficiency. Saturated or bright colours such as pure white or absolute black should also be avoided. The European Industry Self-Commitment recommends that colours be limited to an absolute maximum of 85% saturation to avoid text appearing to distort or flicker.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Safe_area


Figure 6. Low contrast between text and background colours may cause difficulties for some viewers.

Graphics should be treated in a similar way to text, with similar requirements for contrasts between adjacent, overlaid or background colours.

Information should not be presented using colour alone. Ensure a second, redundant indicator is provided. For example, in a list of recorded programmes, if those that have been watched are coloured red and those that have not been watched are coloured green, people with colour blindness will have difficulty perceiving the difference. An additional clear ‘unwatched’ symbol placed next to the green items could be used to provide the same information to those who cannot perceive the colour differences. Colour may be used to indicate meaning, as long as it is not the only indication.

Give users choiceUsers should be given the option of altering the text presentation style. This can be achieved by providing a simple menu containing a few well-chosen pre-set styles, such as:

Standard presentation Large text

High Contrast 1 (larger very light text on a dark background) High Contrast 2 (larger dark text on a very light background)

The option to adjust each parameter individually – text size, typeface, text colour, background colour, etc. – can also be provided. As this will increases complexity, requiring a significant level of set-up work by the user, it should only be used in conjunction with the simple menu of pre-set styles, as an alternative, but not as a replacement.

If size changes are allowed, care should be taken to ensure that the largest text size does not result in the text extending beyond the visible area of the display.

Adopt a layout that makes reading easyUse left-aligned text in preference to centred, right-aligned or justified text.

Use short paragraphs in preference to long ones.Avoid using multiple columns as these can lead to content comprehension problems or disorientation for some users. If multiple columns are used, ensure there is a sufficient

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margin between columns and an adequate column width when the selected font size is large.Text should have adequate line and paragraph spacing. Recommended line spacing is at least half the height of the text. Recommended paragraph spacing is one and a half times the line spacing.

Avoid the need for scrolling, which is difficult for some people, causing them to lose track of where they are or resulting in important options disappearing off screen. If it is important to put more text on one screen than can fit without scrolling, an embedded scrolling text box can be used to ensure that other information or functions remain on screen while scrolling.

How you could test for thisTo find out whether text and graphics are easily read, it is necessary to run tests with a wide range of users, including people with vision impairments, including colour vision deficiencies, and people with reading disorders such as dyslexia.It can also be useful to collect feedback from customers who have been using the on-screen interface for a period of time. Asking them about what changes might make it easier for them to use is likely to reveal any needs for improved clarity of text or graphics. These questions could be addressed within general long term user trials encompassing the whole process of setting up, learning and using the equipment.

Ensure that information is available to users with no sight

RationaleA 2008 survey carried out by the Royal National Institute of Blind People found that television plays a pivotal role in the lives of people with sight loss. In order to benefit from the full experience of television, people without sight need an equivalent way of receiving or accessing any information that is available in a visual form to those with sight. All on-screen information is important to blind users, including channel and programme names, set-up menus, instructions, alerts and system process indicators.

“I'd like to know what channel I'm looking at. If I press the number 114 on the remote control, I've no idea what channel I'm looking at.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

Visual notifications are often used to inform viewers about the content of a programme before watching, such as the suitability of the content for young children. This information needs to be provided in a non-visual form for blind viewers. This information is needed either before the programme starts or, if they switch to a programme that has already started, immediately as they start watching.

A 2007 UK survey of blind and partially sighted television viewers by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) found that people with vision impairments have difficulty using digital television equipment independently and most have not got sighted helpers. The survey revealed that even the simple task of switching channels can be difficult without spoken output:

“To get from one programme to another, blind and partially sighted people have to either use the remote control number keypad to key in channel numbers they have memorised, or alternatively use the channel up and down buttons, whereas sighted people can use the Electronic Programme Guide. As digital television has many more channels than analogue television, these tasks involve a significant mental workload. This method of navigation also brings with it a significant margin for error: without the visual feedback provided automatically to sighted people, a blind person who inputs an

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incorrect channel number may have to wait some time before identifying the channel being shown. This method is further complicated when new channels are added or channels are shifted around.”

Many of the difficulties encountered in the RNIB survey were due to users not having the information required to plan their viewing. The following quote describes a typical problem:

“...it is striking that most blind and partially sighted people have to go to considerable lengths and consult sources other than the television to find out what programmes have audio description, whereas sighted people can find out that information from the programme summary or the Electronic Programme Guide.”

Access to the on-screen programme guide is an essential part of television viewing. In the RNIB survey, almost 90% of those who could not see the screen said they would like an audible television guide. A 2004 survey of people with disabilities by Fain found that a spoken programme guide was deemed as important as spoken menus.


Provide spoken output of on-screen information (high priority)The only way to make all information available to people with no vision is to have it spoken. Without spoken output, the menus, channel and programme names, programme guide, pop-up warnings and other on-screen text will always remain unavailable to blind users.There is a cost implication to providing spoken output. It has been implemented in standard digital television equipment. One example is the Goodmans SmartTalk Freeview talking set top box. Text-to-speech chipsets are inexpensive relative to other digital television components, although integrating them into the equipment user interface so that the content is spoken in the right way involves careful development work. See the guidelines on spoken output for detailed information on how to do this.

Use audible signals for system processes (high priority)If the system is going through a process such as updating, audible signals should be used to inform the user that this is happening and help them identify the process.

Audible signals should also be provided when a pop-up message appears requiring user intervention.

Use an audible signal to identify specific types of programmesWhen a new programme begins or the user changes channel, standard audible warning signals should be emitted in the following cases: The programme includes audio description.

The programme has a classification regarding suitability for children.As an example of how parental warning codes can be delivered, Spanish law establishes uniform criteria for classification and signalling, with programmes assigned to one of six categories, each having a corresponding visual symbol which must be displayed for at least five seconds:

Specially recommended for children (optional)

Recommended for all ages No symbol

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Not recommended for children under 7 years old



Rated X

A standard warning tone, one second long, is provided to accompany the symbols for programs classified as recommended for children over eighteen years or X rated. This does not give the equivalent information, however. A preferred solution would be for the equipment to issue a specific, unambiguous warning for each category, using pre-recorded speech.

Give audio feedback when there is a delay in equipment operationFor any delay in equipment operation of ten seconds or more for which there is no onscreen notification, audio feedback should be used to let the user know about the delay.This may occur during tuning for example, when a static message is displayed. Not only can a person without sight not see what is happening on screen, they also cannot see when there is nothing happening and cannot know how long to wait before they can assume that something has gone wrong.

How you could test for thisIf audible signals have been included within the interface, it is important to find out whether they are effective. Tests by blind users should be carried out to assess whether the signals are noticeable and whether their meanings are recognisable and memorable.

Ensure that information is available to users who are deaf or hard of hearing

RationalePeople who are deaf or hard of hearing need an equivalent way of receiving or accessing any information that is available in an auditory form.

Viewers may need to know some information about a programme before watching, such as the suitability of the content for young children. This information needs to be provided in a non-audible form for deaf or hard of hearing viewers. They will need the information either before the programme starts or, if they switch to a programme that has already started, immediately as they start watching.


Accompany audible information with visual equivalents (high priority)Any information presented through audio, such as warning tones or feedback beeps, should also be presented visually.

Use a visible indicator to identify specific types of programmesWhen a new programme begins or the user changes channel, standard visual warnings should be displayed in the following cases:

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The programme includes captions

The programme has a classification regarding suitability for children (if this information is available with the programme)

As an example of how parental warning codes can be delivered, Spanish law establishes uniform criteria for classification and signalling, with programmes assigned to one of six categories, each having a corresponding visual symbol which must be displayed for at least five seconds:

Specially recommended for children (optional)

Recommended for all ages No symbol




Rated X

How you could test for thisIf visual indicators have been included within the interface, it is important to find out whether they are effective. Tests by deaf users should be carried out to assess whether the signals are noticeable and whether their meanings are recognisable and memorable.

Ensure that users know when access services are available

RationalePeople who require access services – subtitles, captions, audio description and visual signing – need to know which programmes have them and which do not.. If a new programme starts on the channel they are watching, or they switch to a different channel, they will need the information immediately. The reason for this is that it may take some time before the first access service (e.g. subtitle or audio description) occurs within the programme. Without knowing immediately if the programme has access services users are required to wait some time to find out. If they are looking up programme listings to decide what to watch, they will need this information in the listing, so they can make an informed decision.


Indicate the presence of access services in programme listingsWhenever programme names appear in a listing, such as an on-screen programme guide or in a list of downloadable or recorded programmes, symbols or other visual indicators should be displayed against those programmes that include access services. Figure 7 shows a set of standard European access symbols proposed by the European standards organization ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute). If there is not enough space

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available to display access symbols, an adequate solution may be to use some kind of highlighting with an explanatory key.

Figure 7. European standard access symbols for subtitling, audio description, signing, spoken output and voice commands, from ETSI.

Provide visual and audible signals on programme startRecognisable audible and/or visible alerts should be issued when a new programme with access services starts or when the user changes to a programme that includes access services. These should occur immediately the user starts watching the programme because it may be some time before the first access services appear within the programme. Without knowing immediately whether the programme has access services the user may have to wait some time to find out.For programmes with captions or visual signing, a visual signal can be sufficient. For programmes with audio description, an audible signal can be sufficient.

Indicate the presence of access services in programme informationIf the user requests more information about a programme, either within a menu listing or while watching a programme, that information should indicate any access services that are included with the programme.

How you could test for thisIf visual and audible icons and signals are used to indicate access services, it is important to find out whether they are effective. Tests by blind and deaf users should be carried out to assess whether they are noticeable and whether their meanings are recognisable and memorable.

Ensure that users always know what is happening

RationaleUsers need to know the current system status and progress of system activities, such as retrieving content or updating. If the system is doing something but there is no indication of this, some users may become confused.


Display information about the system statusDuring system processes, information about the current status should be displayed on screen as a message, e.g. “downloading update”. For long processes, lasting 10 seconds or more, this can be accompanied by a progress indicator in the form of a progress bar and/or a percentage complete figure.

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Eliminate the risk of causing seizures

RationaleFlashing, even for just a few seconds, can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.


Avoid flashing (high priority)Keep within general flash and red flash thresholds.

Allow individual users to quickly configure the user interface according to their needs and preferences

RationaleA number of people accessing television in a communal setting, such as within a family, may have different needs. They may require different user interface configurations, different access services (interlingual subtitles, captions, audio description or visual signing), etc. For example, one family member who finds operating the EPG may require a larger sized text and a different colour scheme. Another with a moderate hearing loss may require captions. None of these features may be needed by other family members. The equipment may provide various options for configuring these aspects, but configuring them all may take a long time. It would therefore be useful if an individual person could save their preferred settings and reinstate them all in one go. This would allow easy switching between the needs of different individuals.


Allow users to store their preferred settings in profilesFunctionality should be provided for creating or updating user profiles. This can be as simple as a menu option to store the current settings under a particular name and/or number. A profile can include all user configurable options for the display, programme guide and menu configurations, access service activations and configurations and any other optional universal design features.

Provide a convenient profile switching optionAn option for switching user profiles should be provided at a high level within the menu so it is quick and easy to access. It is unlikely that high security will be required, so a simple number and/or username selection may suffice as identifiers.A set-up menu option can be provided for users to specify what the equipment should do when it is switched on: Use the standard settings

Use the settings for: <profile selection list> Re-use the previous settings

Ask which settings to use

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http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/seizure-does-not-violate.html#general-thresholddef


Remote controls

Handheld remote controls used for operating television equipment can present particular difficulties for people with a range of abilities including limited experience in using technology, restricted hand control or strength (prevalent amoung older users), restricted vision or difficulty reading or understanding words or symbols. These guidelines describe how these difficulties can be overcome and present suggested design solutions.

Remote control usability has greatly improved in recent years. This is largely due to increasing awareness of the extent of the problems users face and the widespread adoption of industry standards and guidelines for layout and labels. This can be seem in the standardisation of the design of the power on/off symbol and of the navigation and “Select” key cluster layout. Following these standards and guidelines can go a long way towards achieving a universally usable design. However, many remote controls still have unnecessarily small and closely spaced buttons and labels that could easily be made clearer and easier to read or other avoidable deficiencies.

The guidelines in this section describe the features that would be found in a fully universally usable remote control. It is recognised, however, that reconciling these design considerations with aesthetics, cost and other criteria may sometimes be difficult. For example a remote control with a reduced number of buttons and functionality may suit a wide range of users, from people who find modern controllers complex or difficult to use to those who just want a controller with the most frrequently used functions. An example of a design that addresses this is shown in a video demonstrating some good Universal Design features of the Sony Trinitron double-sided remote control.

If a manufacturer’s preferred remote control design is unable to meet the following criteria, it may be possible to design and offer one of more alternative remote controls for customer to choose from. It may also be possible to identify a third party universal remote control that meets these guidelines and works with the equipment. This can then be suggested to customers who want to source an alternative.

Ensure that the remote control is as simple as possible, given the required functionality

RationaleMost users benefit from a simple easy-to-use design, as long as it provides the required functionality. People with intellectual or some cognitive impairments or who find technology challenging to use may have difficulty understanding and using a complex remote control with many different functions and would benefit from reduced functionality. Even people without a recognised impairment may be more appreciative of an easy-to-use design than one which contains a lot of non-essential functionality. In the UK digital switchover technical trial at Ferryside and Llansteffan it was found that: many older people would have preferred a simple remote control with big buttons for the

three basic functions (on/off, channel change, and volume control) although some appreciated digital text functionality as well;

across all users the equipment offering the largest remote with the biggest and best-spaced buttons (with words rather than symbols) was the most popular. The model with the smallest remote and least distinguishable keys was the least popular.

In the survey of older and disabled television users carried out for these guidelines, one respondent with a vision impairment said:

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“I feel there are an awful lot of buttons on the remote control that I have no idea what they do! I probably use about 5 buttons regularly, and the rest just go unused.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

Given the number of different remote controls that a person may have in the home, adopting industry standard layouts can be very beneficial for many users. Another vision impaired survey respondent described how the differences prevent him from being able to use all the functions:

“The buttons I can use, but if I have to do anything other than what I normally do, I can't do it. I use the basics. Each remote control is completely different. So I learn the basics of them and leave the rest to other people.”


Provide a logical and easily understood layout (high priority)Buttons should be logically positioned and grouped according to their functions. The best results can be achieved by following these guidelines: Group related buttons together (e.g. the volume up and down, the arrow keys for

navigation) Position buttons in a way that is consistent with functions, e.g., position the channel up

button above the channel down button; Make the spaces between groups of buttons that relate to the same function greater than

the spaces within the groups; Follow common industry standards (e.g. for the layout of the numeric keypad and the

navigation/select cluster). For example, the Digital TV Group (DTG) D-Book describes standard recommended layouts for remote controls used with digital terrestrial television receivers in the UK.

Reduce complexity (high priority)The complexity of the remote control should be reduced or hidden as far as possible. Less frequently used buttons can be hidden under a sliding fascia in order to reduce the complexity of a remote control during use, as can be seen in a video demonstrating some good Universal Design features of the Sony Trinitron double-sided remote control.

An alternative remote control can be provided, with fewer buttons covering only the basic and necessary functions. If this is not cost effective, it may still be possible to identify a simple third party universal remote control that works with the equipment and provide information to users on how to obtain one.

Quick access buttons for common functions assigned by the user can provide another useful way of reducing complexity. If these are grouped together, in a row for example, it can be easier for a person to remember the order of their favourite functions and press the required button without having to refer to the label at all.

Care should be taken in using coloured backgrounds for buttons, if they may be confused with standard colour buttons that are referred to in instructions or within programmes. For example, figure 8 shows a situation where an instruction to “press the red button” might be ambiguous, since there is more than one button that is red. This is borne out by the experiences of the UK digital switchover technical trial at Ferryside and Llansteffan, where it was found that some users experienced confusion between the ‘red button’ and the recording button which was also (mostly) red.

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Figure 8. Which is the ‘red’ button?

Operational complexity can also be reduced by avoiding assigning dual functionality to buttons and avoiding operations that require pressing two or more buttons at the same time.

Help users recover from errorsProvide a dedicated ‘Back’ button that takes the user back to the menu, screen or function they have just left, allowing users to undo some types of mistakes.

“It’s okay as long as I am familiar with the remote controls. If something goes wrong on the TV or I hit an incorrect button by mistake then I am lost as to what’s wrong.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

How you could test for thisPrototype designs can be assessed for understandability by user testing with a wide range of users, including older people and people with cognitive or intellectual impairments.

Eye tracking studies can be a good way of finding out where people look for buttons on a remote control or where they expect to find various functions. The results of such studies can be useful in determining the easiest to find locations which can be reserved for the most frequently used buttons.

Ensure that the remote control can be used with low physical effort

RationaleSome people have reduced dexterity or strength in their hands. This is a natural consequence of aging. It may also be due to degenerative conditions that restrict movements in the joints of the fingers, hands and wrists, affect muscle power and control or cause uncontrolled movements such as shaking. Some other people have only one usable hand, due to disability, injury or simply having to hold something else in the other hand. The usable hand may be the left or the right and may not be the person’s naturally preferred hand.Any of these conditions may make it more difficult for the person to grip objects and manipulate them with precision. Actions that require the user to press two or more buttons at the same time may be particularly difficult.

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It may be difficult to hold a remote control in the correct position and press buttons without accidentally pressing other buttons at the same time. This problem is made worse if buttons are small and closely spaced because they are more difficult to accurately target and uncontrolled movements may cause the hands to stray off a button. In extreme cases, the user may accidentally strike the wrong button or strike two at the same time, causing errors. This can be particularly problematic with touchscreens or contact-sensitive controls where the user's hand can easily wander over the wrong area. Many people locate buttons by feel, so they need a way to touch buttons without activating them in order to identify them. This is of particular importance for blind people. Another source of unintended operations is buttons that repeat when they are held down for a length of time. In the UK digital switchover technical trial at Ferryside and Llansteffan, one of the issues identified with remote controls was that older users tended to hold handset buttons down too long, causing problems with menus and incorrect channel selection.

Buttons that are large, with a concave shape and well spaced will make the remote control easier for some users. In a 2004 survey of people with disabilities by Fain, large buttons and increased spacing were given very high usefulness ratings (average 3.4 and 3.3 out of a possible 4) by participants with upper mobility impairments. Concave buttons received a high rating of 2.8 out of 4. In the survey of television users carried out for these guidelines, when asked “have you had any problems with the remote control?”, answers included:

“Buttons too small and too tight together.”“Its okay but the buttons are small on the one for the TV. The one for the satellite box is better.“– Guidelines survey respondents.

People may wish to hold the remote control in a position that is comfortable for their seating, reclining or standing position. When held in a position that allows users to comfortably grip and reach the buttons, the remote control may be oriented in a different direction from where they are facing, both vertically and horizontally. Some people with physical disabilities, for example, may have difficulty holding a remote control in a particular orientation so that it is pointed directly towards the equipment. In general, failure to point the remote control at the equipment was one of the issues identified in the UK digital switchover technical trial at Ferryside and Llansteffan.


Ensure that buttons are easy to press independently (high priority)Buttons should be large and well spaced. An inactive space between buttons that is at least 50% of the button width is recommended. The On/Off button can be further isolated to avoid accidental activation.

Buttons can be given a concave shape to make them easier to press.No actions should require the user to press two or more buttons at the same time.

Ensure that the remote control is easy and comfortable to use for someone with a weak grip or the use of only one hand (high priority)The control should have an easy-grip textured surface that will not slip or turn in the hand. A matte finish tends to cause more friction than a glossy finish.

The remote control should be stable enough when placed on a flat (hard or soft) surface to be operated with one finger. One of the guidelines survey respondents described using the remote control in this way:

“Not easy - I use a wheelchair and I need to balance it on the arm of it.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

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The remote control should be well balanced, with the weight uniformly distributed when the batteries are in place.The size of the remote control and the stretching distances required to reach various buttons can be compared with hand size and thumb extension data such as that contained in the UK Department of Trade and industry publication “Specific anthropometric and strength data for people with dexterity disability”. For interactive television applications, the user may need to hold the remote control for prolonged periods, so it should not be too heavy. However, bear in mind that very small and light remote controls may also be difficult to use.Providing a hand strap that can be attached to the control as an accessory, such as the one shown in figure 9, is a very useful choice for some people.

Figure 9. Sky ‘Easy Grip’ attached to a remote control.

Avoid accidental operations (high priority)The design of the remote control should include a way to avoid buttons being activated when they are unintentionally touched.

Let the user know that a button has been pressed (high priority)Provide feedback in tactile, audible and/or visual form on button presses, so that the user knows when a button has been pressed, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Allow for inaccurate pointing of the controlEnsure that the remote control sends its signal across a wide angle, both horizontally and vertically, so that it is not necessary to point the remote control directly at the equipment.

Ensure that users can change the batteriesThe battery compartment should be designed so that opening it and inserting or removing batteries is straightforward, within the constraints of making it safe for small children. If the battery compartment lid comes off completely, it may be easily dropped, so a hinged design may be better.

How you could test for thisPrototype designs can be compared against anthropometric data giving ranges of strength, finger size and reach for a general population. A good source is the UK Department of Trade and industry publication “Specific anthropometric and strength data for people with dexterity disability”. Prototypes can also be assessed against the checklist provided in the study of remote control devices for digital TV receivers published by the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform in the UK. Industry standards for good practice such as the Digital TV Group (DTG) D-Book in the UK can also be used as checklists.Some criteria, such as the likelihood of users making errors, are difficult to assess without user testing by a wide range of users, including older people and people with physical

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disabilities that result in reduced dexterity or hand control. Include tests of one-handed use, including people using their less-favoured hand.

Ensure that the remote control can be used by people with limited vision

RationalePeople with vision impairments may have difficulty reading labels that are not in large, clear type contrasted well against the background. Glare is a particular problem for people with some types of vision impairment, so light reflected off the buttons themselves or off any other part of the control can make it more difficult to read the labels. People with colour vision deficiency may have problems with particular label/ background colour combinations.

“Buttons could be a little bigger and so could symbols.”– Guidelines survey respondent.


Make visual markings as clear as possible (high priority)For maximum readability, markings should be:

Large: use the maximum print size possible given the available space and adequate spacing;

Legible: sans serif, bold type is recommended; Contrasted to the colour of the background (dark on light or light on dark);

Durable.Red markings on a green background or green on red should be avoided as they are likely to be particularly difficult to read for people with colour vision deficiency.

Avoid materials that cause glareSurfaces should be made from unreflective materials. The use of glossy materials such as chrome, metallic or shiny plastic anywhere on the control can contribute to glare, making markings difficult to read.

Figure 10. Two alternative versions of the same remote control. Glare from the shiny version may cause problems for some people.

How you could test for thisTo find out whether the markings are sufficiently clear, it is necessary to run user tests with people with vision impairments in a range of lighting conditions. These lighting conditions should cover the full range of typical domestic situations users are likely to encounter. Include bright daylight and restricted daylight from various angles and a range of artificial lighting conditions.

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It can also be useful to collect feedback from customers who have been using the remote control for a period of time. This can be done within general long term user trials encompassing the whole process of setting up, learning and using the equipment.

Ensure that the remote control can be used without requiring sight

RationaleMany people use the most commonly used functions on a remote control without needing to look at the remote control on every use. Similarly, but to a more profound extent, people who are blind rely on touch or audible feedback to orient the remote control, locate the required button, press it and know that it has been pressed. After some learning, they can often use a familiar interface by touch alone once they have their fingers oriented around a known starting location and providing the individual controls are easy to discern and differentiate without sight. This is similar to the way touch typists can use a QWERTY keyboard without looking at it, once they are oriented on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys. An important consideration is that operating by touch usually requires buttons to be located by touch, before they are operated. This has implications for touch-sensitive interfaces.

“The buttons I can use, but if I have to do anything other than what I normally do, I can't do it. I use the basics. Each remote control is completely different. So I learn the basics of them and leave the rest to other people.”– Guidelines survey respondent.


Allow for easy orientation without requiring sight (high priority)Make use of shape, texture or other tactile features that assist users in positioning the control the correct way round in the hand using touch.

Provide a way for blind users to quickly locate the required button (high priority)Buttons should be logically positioned and grouped according to their functions. The best results can be achieved by following these guidelines:

Group related buttons together (e.g. the volume up and down, the arrow keys for navigation)

Position buttons in a way that is consistent with functions, e.g., position the channel up button above the channel down button;

Make the spaces between groups of buttons that relate to the same function greater than the spaces within the groups;

Follow common industry standards (e.g. for the layout of the numeric keypad and the navigation/select cluster).

Buttons should have clearly defined edges that are distinguishable by touch. This can be achieved by adding a raised border or by making a small circular hollow in the middle of the button.Tactile indicators should be used on some buttons. A raised dot or line on the number ‘5’ is very useful. It is now a common standard found on most keypads so users will expect it and know what it means without it having to be explained. This tactile indicator is of particular importance to blind users. This should not decrease the legibility of the visual markings, however. Tactile indications should follow international standards such as ES 201 384 “Human Factors telecommunication keypads and keyboards – tactile identifiers”.In addition to raised tactile indicators, different shapes, sizes or textures can also be used to differentiate key buttons or groups of buttons.

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Provide a way for users to identify buttons without activating them (high priority)The design of the remote control should allow users to locate buttons by feel without activating them, in order to avoid accidental operations. Touch-sensitive or light touch buttons may not allow this or may make it difficult and prone to error. However, it is possible to create a touchscreen interface that can be used without sight in which activating a button requires more than a single touch. An example can be found on the Apple mobile operating system, iOS used on the Apple iPhone, iPad and iPod touch range of products. When used in conjunction with the Apple speech output engine called Voiceover, button labels are spoken on touch and activated by a double-touch.

Providing feedback in tactile and/or audible form on button presses can let the user knows when a button has been pressed, either intentionally or unintentionally.

Ensure that users do not require sight to change the batteriesThe battery compartment should be designed so that opening it and inserting or removing batteries can be done without vision. If the battery compartment lid comes off completely, it may be easily dropped, so a hinged design may be better. The replacement of the lid should slot in easily and should not require the user to visually line up parts that fit together.

How you could test for thisDuring development, run user tests of working prototypes with a range of users in different contexts of use as well as blind users.

Ensure that the remote control can be used by people who have difficulty reading or understanding text or symbols

RationalePeople with low literacy, reading disorders, cognitive or intellectual impairments may have difficulty reading, understanding and remembering text and graphical symbols that are not simple, familiar and unambiguous.

“There are different buttons, you get confused with them. There’s different buttons for different things.”– Guidelines survey respondent.


Make text labels and icons simple and intuitive (high priority)Icons or button shapes on the remote control should correspond to the icons used on screen. This will make it much easier for people to identify the right button without having to read a label or understand a symbol.Standard icons & labels should be used wherever possible, so that associations previously learned on other products can be applied without the need for new learning. An example is the use of the standard italic ‘i’ for information. For guidance, refer to the online database of Graphical Symbols for Use on Equipment (requires password) which is maintained by IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission) and ISO (International Organisation for Standardisation).

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Figure 11. European standard access symbols for subtitling, audio description, signing, spoken output and voice commands, from ETSI.

Maximise information by using both graphical symbols and text labelsButtons should have easily recognisable and memorable graphical symbols as an aid for people who have difficulty understanding or reading text. Similarly, text labels should also be provided for people who have difficulty understanding or remembering symbols.

How you could test for thisTo find out whether text labels and graphical symbols are easily read, it is necessary to run tests with people who might have difficulty, including people with vision impairments, cognitive impairments, intellectual impairments or reading disorders. Tests should encompass understanding, distinguishing and remembering. This is often referred to as ‘guessability’ and ‘learnability’.

Provide convenient access to essential universal design features via the remote control

RationaleTelevision equipment may provide a range of universal design features than may be of benefit to a wide range of users but are specifically required by persons with disabilities in order to use the service. These include:

Access to interlingual subtitles, captions, audio description and visual signing when they are included with programmes;

Control over user interface presentation – text size, colours, etc.; Spoken output of menus, electronic programme guides and other on-screen text.

People requiring these features may often use television in a family setting where universal design features such as captions or large text may be switched on and off by different family members, depending on who is watching. It is therefore important that these features are easy to activate.

This is of particular importance for the most commonly used universal design feature – captions. However, if the equipment contains other universal design features, such as a configurable user interface or spoken output, users may have bought that particular item because of those features, so they might also be considered essential in that case. For example, in a 2004 U.S. survey of people with disabilities by Fain, the provision of dedicated buttons on the remote control for toggling captions and audio description were given the maximum usefulness rating by almost all deaf and blind participants.


Enable users to instantly switch access services on and off (high priority)The remote control should include at least one dedicated button to activate and deactivate access services during viewing.

A button for closed captions can be labelled “CC”. In Ireland and the UK, where captions are usually referred to as “subtitles”, the button can be labelled “S”. A button for audio

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description can be labelled “AD”. The words “Captions”, “Subtitles” and “Audio Description” can be used as labels if they can fit legibly within the design of the remote control.

Figure 12. Remote control with ‘AD’ and ‘CC’ buttons for activating and deactivating audio description and closed captions.

If it is not possible to include dedicated buttons for each access service, a single button can be provided with an option within a set-up menu to change its function from one access service to another, for example from caption activation to audio description activation.

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Access service provision

People who are deaf, hard of hearing, vision impaired or have language understanding difficulties, have particular requirements in order to be able to perceive and understand programming content. Known collectively as “access services” – interlingual subtitles, captions, audio description and visual signing – they are essential for the full understanding and enjoyment of programme content.

A particular benefit of digital television over an analogue service in that access services can be provided as a separate stream, together with timing and other information to allow correct synchronisation. To make use of these services, users will need to activate them through their receiver equipment.

Decode and record access services when they are included with a programme

RationaleIf access services are provided with programmes, viewers will need equipment that can decode them and provide a way to activate or deactivate them during viewing, including with recorded programmes.

Access services are often used in a communal or family setting. The availability of access services through a television or set top box can make it more ‘family friendly’. A 2008 survey carried out by the Royal National Institute of Blind People found that whilst many blind and partially sighted people watch television alone, 60% also watch in a communal setting with other people. One survey participant commented:

"There are two different ways that I will watch TV; one is with the family where we’ll find something that we all want to watch, or we’re just relaxing so it could be a gardening programme or something, or a wildlife documentary. That’s one way and in those cases audio description really enhanced that enormously from what it used to be because it would normally be stuff that I wouldn’t necessarily have chosen to watch, but we’re just together."

Access services may be switched on and off by different family members, depending on the needs and preferences of whoever is watching at the time. It is therefore very useful if these features are easy to activate and deactivate on a programme by programme basis.

Once activated, users will usually want the access service to remain activated when the programme or channel changes or when they power down the receiver. To have to reactivate them with every programme change would be tedious and would make it very difficult to switch between programmes and channels. Even to have to reactivate the setting every time the receiver is switched on or has its software upgraded would be an unnecessary burden.

One of the most popular features of a digital television service identified in the survey of Irish television users is the ease with which a programme, or series of programme can be recorded. It is essential for the enjoyment of recorded content that access services can also be recorded with the programme

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Decode standard access services (high priority)The receiver should have the capability to decode access services that are provided in standard formats within their location. For example, Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) subtitles and DVB audio description are supplied with most digital terrestrial services.

Enable users to easily activate and deactivate individual access services (high priority)Users should be able to activate and deactivate access services during viewing, for individual programmes. Ideally, dedicated buttons can be provided on the remote control. A button for closed captions can be labelled “CC”. In Ireland and the UK, where captions are usually referred to as “subtitles”, the button can be labelled “S”. A button for audio description can be labelled “AD”. The words “Captions”, “Subtitles” and “Audio Description” can be used as labels if they can fit legibly within the design of the remote control.

Figure 13. Remote control with ‘AD’ and ‘CC’ buttons for activating and deactivating audio description and closed captions.

If it is not possible to include dedicated buttons for each access service, a single button can be provided, with an option within a set-up menu to change its function from one access service to another, for example from caption activation to audio description activation.

Retain access service settings over time (high priority)Access service settings should be stored in a way that ensures they persist over time, across programme or channel changes, after powering up and powering down and after automatic software upgrades.

Allow users to record access services along with the programme (high priority)Equipment that enables programmes to be recorded should provide a facility to record access services along with programmes. This can be user configurable to allow maximum flexibility in trading off the anticipated future need for access services and the amount of data

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storage required. A flexible solution giving maximum control to the user would be to provide a global setting with the following options: Always record all access services;

Always record specified access services only (allowing the user to make multiple selections from a list of all access services);

Record whatever access services are activated at the time of recording; Ask at recording time which access services should be recorded;

Never record any access services.

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Spoken output

The only way to make all the information displayed on screen available to people with no vision is to have it spoken. Without spoken output, the menus, channel and programme names, programme guide, pop-up warnings and other on-screen text will always remain unavailable to blind users.This section describes how to achieve the best spoken output – what to speak, how much, when, and in what way. It deals only with spoken output of the equipment user interface. It does not cover speaking of subtitles or text embedded in the programme (e.g. news tickers or phone numbers shown on screen). Some of those issues are covered in the guidelines sections on ‘Translating, Subtitling and Captioning’ and ‘Text and graphics displayed within a programme’.The guidelines presented here assume that there is a visual user interface displaying programme information, menus, warnings, etc. as text and graphics. The spoken output will then consist largely of a spoken equivalent of this text and graphics. This is in line with a mainstreaming approach to design where the speaking facility is added to standard existing equipment which includes a standard visual display.

The basic aim of spoken output in this context should be to give blind or vision impaired users information that is equivalent to that received by sighted users. The requirement for equivalence means that it is not always necessary, or even desirable, to repeat the visual content verbatim, as visual content often relies to some extent on its presentation (e.g. shape and position) to convey meaning. It is also not necessary to give blind viewers more information than sighted viewers receive, unless the extra information is specifically required by the blind user. For example, when switching channels, if the visual user interface displays the new channel and programme names but not the start and end times, it is not necessary to add the start and end times to the spoken output.However, there are some pieces of information that are not important to sighted users but essential or very helpful for blind users. Examples are the number of items in a menu, the ordinal number of the current item (e.g. this is the 3rd menu item) and whether a programme includes audio description. Information such as this should be spoken even if it is not explicitly included in the visual display.

Include the ability to speak all displayed information

RationaleAny information that is displayed to sighted users should also be available to blind users. The visual display provides information to sighted users in a number of different ways. Most of the text in the user interface contains important information that vision impaired users also need to have available to them. The use of colours, text styling or graphical images may also give important information on top of what is contained in the text. Visual layout and positioning can provide additional context that is needed to make sense of the written information. Changes to what is displayed usually also indicate something important.


Include the ability to speak any element of the visual display that provides information (high priority)Any text or graphics displayed on screen that conveys information should be able to be provided as spoken output.

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This includes most of the text and graphics displayed on screen. There are a few exceptions, such as continuously displayed company logos, images used purely for aesthetic purposes or images used to visually reinforce information already provided in text. These should not be spoken.

Figure 14. Samsung Smart TV screenshot.

For example, in the screenshot shown in figure 14: Each of the main functions and the recommended apps is represented by an icon and a

text label, e.g. ‘Cinema Now’, ‘Source’, ‘Web Browser’, ‘Blockbuster’, ‘Accu Weather’, etc., The text label should be spoken when the item is selected.

The icons for programmes and apps at the top of the screen under ‘Your videos’ and ‘Samsung Apps’ do not have text labels but are informational. An equivalent text alternative should be spoken.

The texts ‘Your videos’ and ‘Samsung Apps’ are descriptive headings for the collections of items beneath them. They should be spoken.

The screen title ‘SMART HUB’ identifies that this is the ‘home screen’ when first opening or returning to this screen. This should be spoken.

The X button in the top right is a graphic meaning should “close smart hub” or “return to viewing”. This should be spoken using an approriate text alternative, depending on what it actually does in the context.

The two dots beneath the main function icons indicate that this is the first of two screens. The left and right arrows to the sides indicate how to get to the next screen. This is information so it should be spoken when the user navigates to the first icon. This can be done by speaking an appropriate text alternative such as “main functions, screen 1 of 2, press left and right arrows for previous and next screen”.

The choice of text alternatives for a given interface can best be determined by testing prototypes with people with vision impairments.

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Speak information that is implicit in the layout (high priority)If the layout of elements on the screen provides important information, this should be available as speech.

For example, in a two-dimensional grid or table the meaning of the data contained in a cell depends on its row and column position, described by the row and column headers. In the example screen shot in figure 15, the row and column headers reveal that Match of the Day is on BBC 2 England starting at 10pm. This information should be available with the programme title.

Figure 15. On-screen programme guide in grid view.

Speak information that is implicit in changes (high priority)If screen changes or transitions provide a visual confirmation that a command has been activated, this feedback is information and should be spoken. Similarly, a lack of screen change or activity may signify that a command has not been activated. This is also information that should be spoken if it is important and would otherwise not be known.

Identify elements that are visually recognisable but unnamed (high priority)When the user navigates to a screen, functions or area of the interface is visually identifiable as a separate logical element but does not have a title displayed on screen, this should be announced in speech if important.An example is where the on-screen programme guide does not have a title such as ‘programme guide’ displayed on screen. When it appears, a sighted person may immediately identify it as the programme guide. Even in the absence of a visible title, a screen name should be spoken so that the blind user knows where they are.Figure 16 shows a screen containing three logical sections that have titles that can be read out when the user navigates into that section – ‘Your Videos’, ‘Samsung Apps’ and ‘Recommended’. But the fourth section, the main functions – ‘Cinema Now’, ‘Source’, ‘Web Browser’, etc. – does not have a title. When the user navigates to this section, an appropriate title should be spoken, such as “main functions” or “main menu”.

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Figure 16. Samsung Smart TV screenshot.

Inform the user when there is nothing to speak (high priority)If a screen or list is empty with no elements to speak, this fact should be spoken.

Provide spoken feedback when nothing is happeningFor any delay in receiver operation of ten seconds or more for which there is no change in the onscreen notification, spoken feedback should be used to let the user know about the delay. One way of doing this is simply to repeat the displayed message periodically.

Let the user know when spoken output is not possibleIn some parts of the interface it may not be possible to provide spoken output. For example, a receiver may provide spoken output of the menu system and the programme guide, but not the interactive services.

In this case, a warning message should be spoken, giving details of how to exit this section of the user interface.

Speak the appropriate information at the appropriate time and in the appropriate order

RationaleDeciding what to speak and when is crucial to the usability of the interface.

“Interface design is an art as well as a science. An intelligent designer can create an interface that wrings all the performance it can out of the hardware. But it must also accomplish much more. It must anticipate user needs, abilities, assumptions and preferences while striking just the right balance between ease of use and intrusive handholding. An interface that is confusing, illogical or inconsistent can drive a user away. But an interface that goes too far in the other direction, offering so much assistance and guidance that it actually prevents the user from making any forward progress, can be equally maddening.”

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– Developer's Guide to Creating Talking Menus for Set-top Boxes and DVDs, WGBH National Centre for Accessible Media.

Users do not necessarily need to hear all the information that is displayed. For example, in a programme listing, the user may need only enough information to decide whether they are interested or whether they want to go on to the next item. For this reason, information should be prioritised by reading the important information and to allow the user to stop the speech output or move on to another item before it is finished.

Not all of the available information needs to be spoken every time it appears or changes. To use an extreme example, sometimes the viewer will want to know the time, but the displayed time may change every minute or even every second and repeatedly reading out the time whenever it changes would be intrusive and unhelpful.

Some good evidence regarding when to speak which information is provided by a 2007 survey by the Royal National Institute of Blind People of blind and partially sighted television viewers. Almost 70% said they would want the current time spoken “anytime I ask for it” and 20% said “never”. Very few want the time spoken “when I switch the TV on” or “each time I change the channel”. 75% of blind and partially sighted people said they would want similar on-demand access to the programme summary and the ‘now & next’ programme information. Almost 70% would like the programme start and end time spoken “anytime I ask for it”. For the channel number, channel name and programme name, the preferences were more variable, as shown in table 1. Significant numbers would like it spoken on channel changes and on request.

“each time I change the channel” “anytime I ask for it”

Channel name 54% 40%

Channel number 40% 49%

Programme name 38% 54%

Table1. Preferences of blind and partially sighted people for receiving information about which channel or programme they are watching.

The findings of this study are reflected in the following directions and techniques. However, these findings are limited by the fact that the survey respondents did not have any real experience of spoken output, so it might be difficult for them to know, for example, whether they would like the current time spoken when the programme guide opens.


Speak information only when relevant or on request (high priority)The following default behaviours should be adopted: The current time should not be repeatedly spoken but should be available on request.

When the viewer changes channel, speak the channel number, channel name and programme name.

The programme summary and the ‘now & next’ programme information should be available on request.

The channel number, channel name and programme name should be available on request.

More information or user testing is required to determine other requirements, for example what should be spoken when the programme guide opens.

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Speak the most important information first (high priority)Information should be prioritised and the most important spoken first. For example, when switching to a new channel or selecting channels in the programme guide, information can be given in the following order: Channel number

Channel name Programme name

This gives users the essential information first, allowing them to move on when they have heard enough without waiting to hear the whole spoken output. For example, given the channel numbering shown in figure 17, the viewer can change from channel 105 to channel 111 by repeatedly pressing the down arrow button and the following information can be spoken:

106, Sky1, An Idiot Abroad.

107, Sky Living, Britain’s Next Top Model....

111, Dave, Live at the Apollo.The user can move on as soon as they have heard the channel number – “6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11”, without waiting to hear the channel names and programme names. Viewers who are less familiar with the channel numbers may want to listen to the name and number of each channel before moving on, but not the programme name.

Figure 17. On-screen programme guide showing multiple channels.

The example above prioritises the task of navigating by channel number and name over the task of navigating by programme name. Which is the most important task would need to be ascertained by user testing and it is likely that there will be differences among users. It is difficult to give hard and fast rules covering every possible situation. To find out what is best, it is most useful to have prototype designs tested in a realistic situation by people with sight loss.

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Pop-up warnings should be given priority over everything else, interrupting the currently spoken output.

Speak the right amount of information (high priority)The amount of information spoken should not be so much as to overwhelm the user. For example, the programme guide in figure 17 includes some essential information – the screen name “TV guide” and the fact that this is a list of all channels. It also contains a lot of instructional information – the functions of the coloured buttons and how to view or record a programme. Speaking all this information before speaking the current channel and programme would not be helpful. Unfamiliar users may find it useful to be told the most important instruction – how to view a programme – so when first opened it might start by reading “TV guide, All channels, 101 BBC 1 London, Single Father, Press Select to view.”.

Avoid speaking information that is already known (high priority)When information is repeated in the user interface it should not be re-spoken unnecessarily. For example, if the current date and time is displayed on every screen or pop-up message, it is not necessary to read it every time. It may be spoken if it is likely to be needed at a specific time, such as when a user first enters the programme guide. Then it would be useful to speak the current time, so that the user has something to relate the programme times to.

Another example of unnecessary repetition is where the user scrolls through the chronological list of programmes on a single channel. The channel number and name should not be read out for every programme, but only when the user first selected that channel.

How you could test for thisTest prototype speech output with a number of blind users, using a Wizard-of-Oz methodology, to determine whether users find it informative, sufficient, succinct and satisfying. The Wizard-of-Oz methodology enables the tests to be carried out at an early stage, before the speech output is implemented, by using an experimenter to act the part of the speaking user interface. Tests should be task-based, in which users are required to understand and react to the information provided as speech in order to carry out typical viewing, navigation and set-up tasks. While the user operates the visual interface using the remote control, the experimenter speaks what the interface would output in response to each user action. This allows various approaches or variations of speech output to be trialled without the cost of implementing any of them first.

Ensure that the spoken output is understandable

RationaleUsers will have difficulty understanding spoken output that is not clearly spoken in their own language or dialect. Responsiveness is also an issue. If speech is delayed and lags behind the event being spoken, users may become frustrated or misunderstand what is being referred to, leading to errors.


Synchronise spoken output with events or focus (high priority)Spoken output should be synchronised with the event that is being described, such as the change of focus from one item to another when the user presses a button on the remote control. This will ensure that that spoken output is perceived as belonging together with the event being spoken.

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Having sufficient processing power to avoid time lags is important in this regard so the requirements will need to be taken into account in the early stages of designing products with spoken output.

Use an appropriate language (high priority)Text-to-speech software should be designed to speak the language of the receiver user interface. A speech synthesizer designed for one language will not read another language with the correct accent and may therefore be unintelligible.

It is preferable to use a language or dialect local to the users of the equipment.

Make sure the information itself does not rely on vision to be understoodDo not write information and instructions in the user interface in a way that relies on the perception of shape, size, colour or position. For example, the instruction to “choose from the options on the right”. will be difficult to follow unless the user interface provides a simple and intuitive way for moving left and right and the list of options is the only thing “on the right”. Even if this is the case, it is still likely to present problems for some users who will wonder “am I on the right yet?”.

If instructions like this exist within the user interface, the text to speech engine should substitute a more explicit alternative description.

Speak clearlyText to speech engines should avoid stuttering or pauses in speech. This can occur if the speech processor is too slow to keep up with what it is being asked to do, so the processor requirements will need to be taken into account in the early stages of designing products with spoken output.

Put the information into the right words

RationaleMuch of the on-screen information that needs to be spoken is in the form of text that can be read out as it is. However, there is also a lot of information contained in images or implicit in the visual layout. An example is where the programme guide is presented as a grid in which the rows and columns add meaning or context (e.g. channel and time) to the items in the cells (e.g. programme name). Blind users should be given all the information they require without overwhelming them with unnecessary details or repetition.


Speak text content as it would be read, unless it can be improved upon (high priority)Text on screen should usually be spoken just as it appears. Text that is designed to give the required information will usually be suitable for vision impaired users and there is usually no need to paraphrase or embellish the text in the user interface.However, in some cases the on-screen text may have been abbreviated in order to save screen space and a fuller version will be clearer. Figure 17, shows an example where the on-screen abbreviation “AUDIO DES” can be spoken as “audio description”.

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Figure 18. On-screen menu showing audio description option abbreviated to “AUDIO DES” to fit the available space.

Abbreviations should be announced as they would be read. For example, ‘EPG’ should be read letter-by-letter as “ee pee jee” rather that “eppug”, whereas ‘PIN’ should be read as a word, as “pin” rather than “pee eye enn”. It is not necessary to expand abbreviations. For example, the instruction “Enter your PIN” should not be expanded to “Enter your Personal Identity Number”.In some cases, where the meaning is ambiguous, it may be necessary to embellish. For example, if there are two “Next” buttons on an interface, one referring to the next programme and the other to the next page of information. In this case, it may not be possible for the user to know which is being spoken, so expanding them in the spoken output to “Next programme” and “Next page” can be useful.

Provide spoken equivalents for images (high priority)If images provide information that is not also provided in the text, that information should be spoken.Speaking the information in an image is not the same thing as describing the image. What it looks like may be irrelevant. It is what it means that is important. For interactive elements, such as buttons, the meaning is what it does. This should be spoken briefly, e.g. “Home” or “Next” rather than “Home button” or Select for Next”.A good example is shown in figure 18, where programme names are followed by coloured icons containing numbers that give additional information. The numbers and colours are only visual representations of the information. It is the information that the icons represent that should be spoken, such as: “first run” and “recorded on tuner number 3”.

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Figure 19. Informative icons that need to be described.

Describe information that is implicit in the visual layout (high priority)Information that is not expressed in individual text or graphical items but which can be inferred by sighted users from the visual layout of a screen should be spoken. For example, a programme guide may provide options to be displayed as either a list view or a grid view. A sighted user will immediately recognise which view is being displayed when they see it, due to the layout. This is important information because the expected information and the interaction methods may be different for each view.This information should be given in speech by describing the view type on opening. For example, “programme guide, list view” or “programme guide, grid view”.

Describe menus, options and values (high priority)When a menu first appears, speak all of the following information: The name of the menu.

The number of items in the menu. The number of the currently selected item, if there is one.

The name of the currently selected item. The current value of the selected item, if a value is shown.

When a new menu item is selected, it is sufficient just to speak its name, number and value. When a new value is selected for an item, speak the item and value.

The following collection of screenshots shows a sequence of steps through a menu, with approriate speech output for each step.

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User action: press System Setup button

Speech output:“system setup menu, 8 items, 1, picture settings”

User action: press down arrow

Speech output: “2, sound settings”

User action: press Select button

Speech output: “sound settings selected”“sound settings menu, 6 items, audio output, stereo, use left and right arrow keys to change audio output”

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User action: press right arrow

Speech output: “audio output, mono”

User action: press down arrow

Speech output: “volume, 3, use left and right arrow keys to change volume”

User action: press right arrow

Speech output: “volume, 4”

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When the volume of the speech output itself is being increased, each increment – “speech volume 5”, “speech volume 6”, etc. – should be spoken at the increased volume level.

Read numbers and dates in a natural wayNumbers should be spoken in a way that makes most sense given the context. This could be one of:

a natural number, e.g. “one thousand nine hundred and eighty four”; a date, e.g. “nineteen eighty four”;

digit by digit, e.g. “one nine eight four”.The day can be spoken in a number of ways, again depending on what is likely to be most easily understood. Take into account that the user may be unaware of the surrounding contextual information. Possible ways of speaking a day are:

the name of the day, e.g. “Wednesday”; the date;

a relative value, such as “yesterday”, “today” or “tomorrow”.

How you could test for thisTest prototype speech output with a number of blind users, using a Wizard-of-Oz methodology, to determine whether users find it informative, sufficient, succinct and satisfying. The Wizard-of-Oz methodology enables the tests to be carried out at an early stage, before the speech output is implemented, by using an experimenter to act the part of the speaking user interface. Tests should be task-based, in which users are required to understand and react to the information provided as speech in order to carry out typical viewing, navigation and set-up tasks. While the user operates the visual interface using the remote control, the experimenter speaks what the interface would output in response to each user action. This allows various approaches or variations of speech output to be trialled without the cost of implementing any of them first.

Give the user control

RationaleThe choice of what to speak, how much and when, is always an attempt to give the user the information they need without overloading them with too much information, which can be both annoying and distracting. What is needed and what is too much will vary from one user to another, depending on their familiarity, their ability to process information and their personal preferences. It is therefore very useful for individual users to be able to control the amount of information that is spoken.A high verbosity mode which provides more detailed descriptions and instructions can be very useful for new users or those who have difficulty understanding or remembering the interface. A low verbosity mode may be preferred by experienced users.

The clarity of particular voices varies from person to person, so it can be useful to allow users to control voice characteristics such as accent, pitch and volume. Control over speed is also very useful. Users of spoken output (in computer screen reading software for example) often increase the speed as they get more used to it, up to a point far beyond what is understandable to a novice user. This increases efficiency and reduces frustration.As previously noted, many users of spoken output watch television in a family or communal situation with other viewers who may not need or want the spoken output. It therefore helps if the speech can be easily enabled and disabled. This makes the equipment suitable for a

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wider range of users, including, for example, families with one blind member who do not want a television that talks all the time but would like to have the facility available.To allow maximum control, it is useful to have dedicated buttons on the remote control for enabling and disabling spoken output, repeating and stopping speech.


Give the option of turning on spoken output at start up and during operationA message should be spoken when the receiver is started up asking users whether they would like spoken output, if it is not already enabled from the previous session. If not activated within a particular time limit, the receiver can default to no speech. This start up message should include instructions for enabling or disabling speech during operation, if this is different from the method at start up.

Provide a means to easily switch the spoken output on and offIn addition to providing an option within the set-up menus for switching spoken output on or off, a means should be provided for the user to do this while watching a programme without leaving the program to go to the menu.The most usable method is to have a button on the remote control assigned to toggling the spoken output.

Allow the user to stop or repeat the spoken outputA dedicated button “stop speaking” button on the remote control should be provided to allow users to cut short the spoken output when they have heard what they need to know and before it has finished speaking.A ‘repeat’ button can be provided to repeat the last spoken output or, if it is currently speaking, restart the current speech from the beginning. If the information has changed since the last presentation, for example the time, the updated information should be presented rather than repeating the previous information.In some cases, it may be useful to add additional information when repeating, such as navigation information for the current screen.

Give the user control over how much is spokenAllow users to change the verbosity of the spoken output.In high verbosity mode, the output can include detailed instructions on how to operate the equipment. For example, when entering the programme guide it might announce “Use the arrow buttons on your remote control to select a programme. Press up or down to go to the next or previous channel. Press left or right to go to the next or previous programme. To watch the currently selected programme, press the Select button.”.

Giving the user control over how it is spokenUsers should be able to control the presentation of speech. This can include changing the volume of the speech output independently of the television volume, changing the speed and pitch of the spoken output and selecting from a range of voices, including male and female of different accents.

Retain spoken output settingsSettings should be stored in a way that ensures they persist over time and are unaffected by powering down or system software upgrades.

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Documentation and consumer information

Documentation and consumer information refers to any piece of promotional or support information that accompanies a product or service. This includes information that is made available before purchase, during the ordering process or provided to the customer along with the product or service. This includes instruction manuals, quick start guides and product information. It may be provided in print, online, by telephone or built into the product. It may be in the form of text, graphics or audiovisual.Consumers are presented on a daily basis with an abundance of information through media, the internet, mobile communications and other sources. An overload of information on products and services can cause considerable confusion. When information is clear, concise and understandable, it not only supports usability, it makes the entire customer experience more positive and enjoyable.

Products and services that have been designed to address a range of needs can in fact be made unusable if the information that accompanies them is itself not accessible and understandable. Documentation and consumer information is therefore a key catalyst for ensuring that a product or service is universally designed.


RationaleDocumentation is the link between a user and the product or service. If a user cannot understand the information that accompanies the product or a service, they will be unable to use it to its full potential, or in some cases at all. If a potential user cannot understand information about a product or service that they wish to order, they may not order it and the provider may lose a valuable customer.A lot of people find instructional information very difficult to follow. Information that is overly technical or that is not written for the widest possible audience will confuse and frustrate users. Information that is clear, concise and understandable will be of benefit to even the most tech-savvy of users. Almost every user can understand clear concise guidelines, while only a minority can understand technical guidelines. Even very tech savvy users will appreciate instructions that are well thought out and designed for ease of use.The more users are able to understand the documentation, the more they will be able to use the product or service independently. This will result in fewer customer service calls to be answered by the service provider.


Use simple language in written and verbal communications (high priority)Write the instructions for the least experienced user, not the most experienced. Wherever possible, use clear, concise, non-technical language, according to Plain English guidelines. This approach uses short sentences and avoids jargon and complicated words or phrases. It helps readers to understand something the first time they read it.

“If it was more plain English. Just ordinary words. You don’t have to have all the big words.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

Organise instructions around user tasks, rather than system components. Where a number of assembly and/or installation steps are required, it is helpful to number the steps in sequence and to include a text and graphic image for each step.

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Application forms should also be designed in a way that makes them easy to understand and complete. By making both the content and the layout clear and concise, users will know what information is required, in what form and where to enter it. Follow Plain English guidelines for forms.Customer service representatives should also be able to describe technical terms in a non-technical way.

“Most try to help and are patient but you need tech knowledge.”“Difficult to access specific information by phone. Marketing people do not understand the lack of knowledge of old people in the "press-button" age. Old people have poor skills in choosing in this digital age. Instructions too complicated. Lack clarity.”– Guidelines survey respondents.

Give relevant information in a logical order (high priority)Identify the key information that the user is most likely to require and ensure that it is up front and as prominent as possible. In many cases it can help to imagine that the instructions are telling a story, walking the user through an action step-by-step. Starting with a list of the required components, explain how these should be prepared, then give step-by-step instructions in the exact order in which they should be carried out.

Provide at least the key information in a number of different waysExploit the fact that people take in information in different ways. Provide key information in both text-based and graphical forms.

Provide a way for users to get further clarificationProvide clear information about sources of further information, such as a contact number, an email address or a website. Remember that not every user will have internet access and not every user can use a telephone, so providing a range of options is key to meeting the needs of as many users as possible.

How you could test for thisTo find out whether efforts to make documentation and information understandable will be successful, it is necessary to test it with a wide range of users, including people with low literacy, cognitive impairments and reading disorders. This can be done by asking the users to set up and use the product or service by referring to the documentation. Further tests could also be included within general long term user trials encompassing the whole process of setting up, learning and using the product or service.

Ensure that information is available to every user in a form that is accessible to them

RationaleDocumentation and consumer information can be provided in a variety of forms – text, graphics, audio, video, etc. – and through a variety of channels – print, online, email, telephone, etc. For each form and channel, there will be some users for whom it is not accessible. For example, people with sight loss, low literacy or reading disorders may find it difficult or impossible to read printed information. People who are deaf or hard of hearing will have difficulties with audible information or telephone conversations. Online information can be designed to be accessible to the widest audience but not everyone has access to the internet or email.

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Adopt a widely accessible standard format for printed information (high priority)Adopt a standard print format that is as accessible as possible to the largest number of people, within the constraints of branding, marketing considerations and production costs. Making the standard format as accessible as possible minimises the need to produce additional formats for individual users.

Aim for clarity at all time when choosing a typeface or designing a layout. If in doubt, keep it simple.

An appropriate standard format may, for example: use a font size that is easily read by the widest range of users possible. Depending on

the typeface used, 12 point could be considered as the minimum type size for standard format. 14 point is commonly used, so more people can access the standard format. Print above 16 point is considered to be large print. Be printed on matte finish paper, not glossy;

Use a good contrast with a plain background for text; Be written in easy to read language, using a mixture of text and graphics.

For more detailed guidance, refer to Plain English and Make it Clear guidelines and the section on Literature and Application forms in the Smart Card Guidelines.

Make digital and online information accessible to people with disabilities (high priority)Online documentation should be made accessible to users with disabilities by following the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), part of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). By following these guidelines it is possible to make web-based documentation maximally accessible to almost all users, without compromising significantly on its design and functionality. The result will be a flexible format that individual users can transform to meet their needs by resizing it, changing the colours, having it read out as speech or converting it to Braille for example.WCAG is the de facto international standard for web content accessibility and is referenced in legislation in a number of countries. In Ireland, compliance with WCAG at level AA is recommended in the NDA Code of Practice on Accessibility of Public Services and Information provided by Public Bodies. This is an approved code of practice for the purposes of the Disability Act, 2005 and relates to sections 26, 27 and 28 of the Act which cover access to information and services.

Supply additional accessible formats where required (high priority)Users who cannot read the standard printed information and do not have access to online documentation (e.g. those without internet access) should be able to request the information in additional formats that meet their needs. These may include large print (of various sizes), Braille or audio.

Information on accessible formats can be found in The NDA publication First Steps in Producing Accessible Publications.

Information contained in an alternative format should be equivalent to that contained in the standard format. This may require information that is presented using diagrams or screen shots to be made available within the text instructions.

How you could test for thisOnline documentation and information sources should be tested for accessibility and usability. This testing can take the form of an audit or user testing, including testing by

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http://w3.org/WAI

http://www.ncbi.ie/services/services-for-organisations/making-print-and-multimedia-accessible-mcs/make-it-clear


people with disabilities. An accessibility audit can be conducted on all key sections of the website to ensure that they adhere to the relevant web accessibility guidelines. The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability Authority provides guidelines on web accessibility auditing which describe how to commission and what outputs to expect.

Include as much useful information as possible with the product

RationaleThe instructions that accompany a piece of equipment are potentially the most critical source of information for users. If they are not accessible and understandable, many users will be unable to set up or use their equipment without assistance. This assistance is often at the expense of the service provider as they have to answer customer queries, customer complaints, carry out home visits or in some cases they risk losing the customer’s business completely. A manual or guide that enables as many people as possible to set up and use their equipment as independently as possible is of benefit to both the service provider and the customer.Research by Accenture has estimated that in 2011 “US consumer electronics (CE) manufacturers, communication carriers and electronics retailers will spend an estimated $16.7 billion to receive, assess, repair, rebox, restock and resell returned merchandise”. According to this research for more than two thirds of these costs (over $11 billion US Dollars) the products did not meet the customer’s expectations, or the customer believed that there was something wrong with the product, when in fact it was working perfectly.The packaging that equipment arrives in is the first part of the product that a user sees. The information provided on the package has the power to “make or break” the set-up and installation of any piece of equipment. It therefore needs to be clear, concise and contain the essential information in order to minimise confusion and mistakes. This is of particular importance for people who have little of no prior experience of setting up or using the equipment in question.


Identify the most useful information to include (high priority)Design information around the out-of-box experience. The customer’s experience, from purchasing a product to successfully using the product, should involve a natural task flow in which the required information is available when it is needed. It is useful to storyboard this task flow from the user’s point of view, starting with reading the packaging, opening it, retrieving the parts, putting them together, installing them in the home, plugging in, switching on and so on, right through to successfully watching television programmes and using all the equipment’s functionality. Walking through this process, ask “what does the user need to know at this point?”.

Convey clear information about the functions of the equipment. Where appropriate, use official recognised logos.

Include instructions for common home connecting scenarios for common combinations of equipment.

Provide a trouble shooting guide, including information about when the user needs to reboot the system.

Identify the most frequently asked questions to the customer service helpline. Revise the instruction manual to address the most common issues.

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http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/ict/webaccessibilityauditing



Include essential information on the packaging itself (high priority)Identify and prioritise the key user information that must be included on the different layers of packaging. For example, the packaging might (1) identify the product, (2) list the product specifications, (3) list what is included in the packaging, (4) list what is not included in the packaging but is needed for the product to work, and so on. Identify which of these pieces of key information must be on the outermost packaging, which can be on the secondary packaging and which can be placed on the equipment itself (e.g. a Quick Set Up Guide sticker on the top of a set top box, which easily peels off).Identify the critical steps that the user must take between opening the packaging and setting up the equipment. Can this be simplified? If possible, keep the initial set-up to a small number of critical steps (e.g. three steps to “Quick Set Up”). Print these clearly on the packaging itself and number them. More detailed guidance can then be provided in the instruction manual or user guide.

Identify any other critical information, such as “How to check for digital reception” and include information about this on the packaging.

The packaging may contain lots of different pieces of information aimed at people, other than the user. For example, the product code for manufacturing staff and the product name, specifications and bar code for retail staff. This information should be grouped and presented in a way that distinguishes it from the information aimed at the user.

Provide information about the accessibility features of the product (high priority)The packaging information should include details of any accessibility features that are included in the equipment. This may be the deciding factor for a customer buying this product or selecting one that is clearly labelled as having a particular accessibility feature.

If there is an accessibility help line or specific access services, this should be included on the packaging information.

How can you test for this?Run user tests with users from a range of age groups and including people with low literacy, cognitive impairments and reading disorders. Ask them to unpack, set up and use the product by referring to the information provided. It is particularly important to include people who have difficulty with technology (whether this is to do with sensory, cognitive or physical limitations or due to lack of experience with technology), but also include tech savvy users. User testing only with existing customers is not effective, as they are already able to use the technology. It is important to get feedback from people who are unable to use it at all (and hence are not customers) if you are to find design solutions for the problems they encounter.

Identify the most frequently asked questions to the customer service helpline. These will help you to identify what customers are looking for in a product and what they are not getting from your product as it is currently designed. Revise documentation and customer information accordingly.

Talk to your customers, request feedback on what they like and what they do not like. Let this information guide the design of both the equipment and the accompanying information.

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Programme Content

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Introduction to Programme Content

In designing and presenting television programme content, the aim should be to ensure that it can be perceived, understood and enjoyed by the maximum number of its intended viewers. There are two areas where particular attention must be paid in order to make sure that this aim is achieved: The presentation of text and graphics displayed within a programme. For example,

competition entry instructions, opening and closing credits, contact telephone numbers, names of people being interviewed, foreign language subtitles, website addresses, sports scores, scrolling news tickers, and so on.

Access services provided for people with sensory impairments or language difficulties. These include interlingual subtitles, dubbing, captions, audio description and visual signing.

For text and graphics displayed within a programme, the aim should be to ensure that the information they contain is available, readable and understandable for all viewers.

For access services, the aim is to ensure they can be correctly read, heard or seen and that they are understandable, informative, unobtrusive and contribute to the enjoyment of watching the programme. Access services include the following:Interlingual subtitles: On-screen text included as subtitles within a programme to provide a translation from the language spoken or written in the programme to another language. Commonly used to translate imported foreign language programmes into the national language. Also used to translate programmes into the natural languages of different sections of the viewing population.

Captions: On-screen text included as subtitles within a programme to convey the information contained in the programme audio (speech and other important sounds) to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Referred to in the UK and Ireland using the more general term ‘subtitles’.

Audio description: A narrative voiceover inserted between the dialogue and other programme sounds to convey the information provided by visual content to viewers with vision impairments.Visual Signing: The use of a sign language (one that uses hand shapes, movement, body language and facial expressions to convey meaning) to convey the information contained in the programme audio (speech and other important sounds) to viewers who are deaf.

Spoken subtitles: A spoken voice that reads aloud interlingual subtitles for viewers with vision or reading impairments. This can be either included with the programme or generated by the viewer’s receiver using speech synthesis.Dubbing: The editing of the audio track to replace voices in one language with voices in a different language.Lectoring: A spoken narration over the existing audio which is reduced in volume but can still be heard in the background. Sometimes used in preference to dubbing, which is similar but completely replaces the original audio.

This section includes detailed guidelines for the main access services – subtitles, captions, audio description and visual signing.

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Text and graphics displayed within a programme

While watching a programme, viewers may see various messages displayed on screen as part of the programme content. These include competition entry instructions, opening and closing credits, contact telephone numbers, names of people being interviewed, website addresses, sports scores, scrolling news tickers, and so on. This text should be written and presented in a way that all viewers can access and understand.

It may be difficult or impossible to retrofit existing programmes with more readable, legible or understandable text and in some cases there may exist rights issues with translation of foreign content. However, producers of all new programme content should aspire to adhere to these guidelines to the greatest extent possible.

Production costs can be a constraint for programme development and many television and film projects have strict budgets. With this in mind, it should be noted that most of the recommendations in this section refer to text that should have at least some degree of flexibility in its format and layout. If these guidelines are adopted from the beginning of the planning and production phases, they should not incur any extra costs. For example, if a decision is made at the start of production, it costs nothing to use a larger text size and a more legible colour combination for phone numbers, embedded captions and the like.The guidelines in this section apply only to text within the programme picture. They do not apply to subtitles or captions that are provided as textual data alongside the programme. Neither do they apply to metadata about the programme (name, synopsis, etc.) that is displayed on screen by receiver equipment. These issues are dealt with in other sections. However, many of the requirements for making embedded programme text universally accessible are the same as the requirements for subtitles, captions and receiver-displayed text.

Ensure that the text is readable by all users including those with limited vision or reading disorders

RationalePeople with vision impairments may have difficulty reading text that is not in large, clear static type and contrasted well against the background.

“Colour…. (blue on blue) can make it hard to read.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

People with colour vision deficiency can have problems with particular combinations of colours. Similar problems may occur within graphics. In addition to the text and graphics itself, poor layout or the existence of moving content that distracts the eye can make reading difficult. Some of these problems also affect people with reading disorders, even if their vision is perfect.


Ensure that text and graphics appear within the area of the screen that can be clearly seen (high priority)All informational text and graphics should appear within the title safe area. That is the visible area where the text will not be cut regardless of the over scan (margin of the video image that is normally not visible) of the television used.

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Use a clear typeface and lettering for easy on-screen reading (high priority)To ensure readability, use a screenfont – a typeface that has been specifically designed for viewing on television displays at typical viewing distances.

The text size should be sufficient to be readable across a wide range of visual acuity. The recommendation of DigitalEurope in the Industry Self-Commitment to Improve the Accessibility of Digital TV Receiving Equipment Sold in the European Union is to use 24 line minimum for body text and 18 minimum for upper-case text on a 576 line display.

Italic, underlined, oblique, condensed, all upper case or fancy fonts can cause problems for some people and should be avoided in favour of plain, mixed case lettering.

Blinking or moving text or graphics should be avoided as it can be difficult to track and can distract the eye, making it difficult to read other static text.

Carefully choose colours and colour combinations (high priority)A sufficient contrast between text and its background is required for it to be easily distinguished and read. Dark colours on a light, non-patterned background or light colours on a dark background can both be used. Combinations of red and green should be avoided since they can be difficult to differentiate for people with the most common form of colour vision deficiency. Saturated or bright colours such as pure white or absolute black should also be avoided. The European Industry Self-Commitment recommends that colours be limited to an absolute maximum of 85% saturation to avoid text appearing to distort or flicker.

Graphics should be treated in a similar way to text, with similar requirements for contrasts between adjacent, overlaid or background colours.

Information should not be presented using colour alone. There is nothing wrong in using colour to indicate meaning, as long as it is not the only indication.

Adopt a layout that makes reading easyIn cases where there is a lot of text, for example the introductory or background text that appears at the beginning of some films or programmes, use left-aligned text in preference to centred, right-aligned or justified text. Left-aligned text is generally easier to read.

Use short paragraphs in preference to long ones.Avoid using multiple columns as these can lead to content comprehension problems or disorientation for some users. If multiple columns are used, ensure there is a sufficient margin between columns and an adequate column width.

Text should have adequate line and paragraph spacing. Recommended line spacing is at least half the height of the text. Recommended paragraph spacing is one and a half times the line spacing.

How you could test for thisTo find out whether text is readable, it is necessary to run tests with a wide range of viewers, including people with a range of vision impairments and people with reading disorders such as dyslexia. These tests can be carried out in the viewer’s own home and could be run as a questionnaire in which the user has to report back the information they see on the screen, with feedback about how easy it was to read.

Ensure that information is available to users with no sight

RationaleInformation that is presented on screen in the form of text or graphics must also be made available in an audible form for non-sighted people.

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Provide spoken output of textThe only way to make all visual text available to people with no vision is to have it spoken. There are two ways to speak this information:

As part of an audio description track. By the presenter, narrator or reporter, as part of the programme audio itself.

For programmes with an audio description track, the dialogue and other sounds will have to be paused for long enough to allow the information to be spoken in the audio description. This is difficult in some cases because presenters often want to continue speaking while the information is shown. Also, the time taken to speak the information in the audio description is usually less than the time the information needs to be displayed to give viewers long enough to read it. The best editorial decision is often not to rely on audio description but to ensure that the presenter, narrator or reporter reads out the information during the programme. This is always necessary for programmes without an audio description track.

Information such as contact details or details of entry into a competition should be read out clearly, and in full. Email or online addresses should be read out letter by letter (or number by number) if they cannot be voiced as easily understood words. Bear in mind that people who have been blind since birth or an early age have relied on hearing rather than visual reading so often have difficulties spelling words. Unless an address consists of common words that are spelled phonetically, it is usually best to spell it out letter by letter.

In quiz shows where information shown to the viewer is hidden to the contestants, a voiceover can be used to call out information that is visible and not described by the quiz show presenter.Contributors (such as news readers or people being interviewed) should be identified verbally on their first appearance, or at some other editorially logical point.In some cases it may be possible for subtitles of foreign language contributions to be translated in the main programme language using a voiceover.

Provide spoken descriptions of important graphicsAs much of the pertinent information presented in graphics as possible should be described verbally. For example, rather than simply saying “as you can see, the figures show a big change and it’s betting bigger”, a presenter could say “the figures show an increase of 45% since 2007 and 30% in the past year alone”.

It may help to instruct the narrator or presenter to imagine that he or she is describing the information to radio listeners.

How you could test for thisThe simplest test for this is for a researcher to watch programmes with the screen hidden and listen out for any instances where textual information is referred to but not fully described in speech. However, this can be quite difficult and disorientating for a person who is not used to it, so it may be better to get the input of blind viewers.

Blind viewers will be able to give feedback on their experiences watching a television programme and the information can be collected by telephone interview after the programme. However, it is also useful to run some tests where the researcher sits with the viewer while they watch the programme. This is because it is difficult for a blind person to record instances of missing information while they are watching the programme and they may not remember all of them if asked afterwards.

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RationalePeople with low literacy, reading disorders, cognitive or intellectual impairments may have difficulty reading, understanding and remembering text and graphical symbols. Particularly if they are not simple, familiar and unambiguous or if they are displayed for only a short time.


Allow sufficient reading time (high priority)Where possible, information should remain on display until it is absolutely necessary to remove it or for long enough for users who require more time to read.

Use simple language and intuitive symbolsAcronyms, abbreviations and jargon words should be avoided in preference for complete, standard words and phrases.

For numbering, Arabic numerals (1, 2, 3, ...) are more recognisable and easier to understand than Roman numerals (I, II, III, i, ii, ...).

For English language instructions or explanatory text, follow Plain English Guidelines as far as possible. Guidance on how to write instructions and descriptions in Plain English is also available on the Simply Put website.

Tell viewers where additional or supplementary information can be foundIf complicated information is being portrayed (for example, detailed results and statistics presented during an election count), clearly announce where further information can be found. For example, provide the web address or appropriate contact details for further information.

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Translating, Subtitling and Captioning

To cater for viewers who are not fluent in the language of the programme, synchronised translations of the speech into another language can be presented in one of three ways: Dubbing, in which a new audio track is created by voice-over actors in the target

language. Lectoring, in which a spoken narration is created in the target language and played over

the existing audio which is reduced in volume but can still be heard in the background. Subtitles, in which a translation is created in the target language and displayed as on-

screen text within the programme.Subtitles are not only used for language translations. They may be provided with a programme for one of two purposes: To convey spoken dialogue, written signs, etc. in a different language.

To convey all programme audio (speech and other important sounds) to viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

In Ireland and the UK, both types are usually referred to using the general term ‘subtitles’. Internationally, it is becoming more common to use the specific term ‘captions’ when referring to subtitles for deaf or hard of hearing viewers. To avoid confusion, these guidelines use the terms in the following way:

Interlingual subtitles: Subtitles that translate the programme dialogue into a different language.

Captions: Subtitles that convey the programme audio as text for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Subtitles: Either of the above two.Some of the guidelines in this section apply equally to both types of subtitles – captions and interlingual subtitles. For example, the guidelines concerning reading speeds. Other guidelines apply only to captions for deaf or hard of hearing viewers. For example, captioning sound effects.Captions are vitally important for the full understanding and enjoyment of television programmes by people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Television is an audiovisual medium and the audio aspect is often as important or more important than the visual aspect. A simple experiment shows this. For a single evening, watch your normal television programmes with the sound turned off. The next evening, watch with the sound on but the picture off. Depending on the types of programmes, you may find that muting the sound removed far more information than turning off the picture. In particular, for news, current affairs, interviews and chat shows, almost all of the information is contained n the spoken words. This may also be true for many dramas, movies and documentaries. This illustrates the importance of captions.Good subtitling requires great skill in balancing different considerations. It is not simply a matter of translating the spoken dialogue accurately into text or another language. The maximum rate at which words can be spoken far exceeds the rate that a written transcript can be read. It may therefore not be feasible to provide a full translation. But it is still necessary to give the equivalent meaning, so some careful editing may be required. For captioning, it is not only the speech that needs to be conveyed. Captions may also need to convey tones of voice, non-speech utterances, background noises, music and incidental sounds, plus information about the sounds, such as which person or direction they are coming from. Balancing the need to caption all relevant audio content with the need to allow adequate reading time is an art. The BBC Online Subtitling Editorial Guidelines, which

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concern captioning (though referred to as subtitling), give an idea of the flexibility required of subtitlers:

“Good subtitling is a complex balancing act ... It will never be possible to apply all of the guidelines all of the time, because in many situations they will be mutually exclusive ... different types of content, different items within an AV clip, and even different sections within an item, will require different subtitling approaches.” – BBC Online Subtitling Editorial Guidelines

Live subtitling involves still more complication. A good introduction to live subtitling and the limitations of the technologies used is given by the BBC See Hear programme - How Subtitles Are Made. The programme discusses the problems that viewers often have with subtitles, particularly live subtitles. Problems such as delays, misspellings, missing information and not having enough time to both read the subtitles and watch the action on screen. The programme shows how live subtitles are created using the respeaking method and gives insights into why it is difficult to avoid all of these problems.

Provide translations in the languages of significant audience segments

RationaleIn multilingual regions or those with a large immigrant population there may be a significant number of viewers whose first language, and the only one they are fluent in, is different from the language of the programme. To fully understand and enjoy the programme content, they will need to be provided with a translation in some form.


Provide interlingual subtitles, dubbing or lectoring in the required languagesLanguage translations should be provided in one of three forms: interlingual subtitles, dubbing or lectoring. See the introduction to this section for definitions of these terms.

Viewer’s preferences should be taken into account. In some regions, viewers are used to one technique or the other and may have a preference for it simply because it is more normal. In regions where dubbing is common for example, subtitles may be associated with hearing impairments and viewers may be prejudiced and resistant to interlingual subtitles. Conversely, in regions where dubbing is not used, viewers often think of dubbing as something that destroys the atmosphere of a programme and may therefore prefer interlingual subtitles.Technical constraints may help determine the choice. Depending on the delivery system, it may not be possible to include multiple closed subtitle streams or alternative audio streams for viewers to choose between.

Production and delivery costs also need to be taken into account. The production of alternative audio tracks is different from the production of text subtitles. The cost and availability of skilled translators, subtitlers and voice-over actors may depend on which technique is more commonly used for language translation in the region.

For programmes aimed at very young children, use dubbing or lectoring in preference to subtitlesChildren under the age of 6 who cannot yet read in their mother tongue need dubbing or lectoring in order to follow a programme.

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Ensure that subtitles are easy to read

RationaleViewers will need to be able to read and understand the subtitles at the same time as taking in the action on screen. There is a lot of information to process. While a subtitle is displayed, the entire scene must be viewed including all objects, activities and interactions. To make sense of the subtitles the speaking characters’ facial expressions must also be analysed, including cues from lip-reading in the case of captions. In order to be sure of their interpretations, viewers often need to flick their visual attention back and forth between the subtitles and the visual scene, sometimes re-reading parts of a subtitle. This all takes time and mental energy. Viewers may give up on programmes if they involve too much effort.Subtitles must therefore be well written and presented in a way that makes reading and understanding them easy. One of the biggest challenges is in allowing for a reading speed that displays the subtitles for long enough to ensure that all viewers have enough time to read them. Reading speed is a complex issue. It is affected by the quality of the subtitles, the amount of action on screen and the complexity of the subject matter. The maximum reading speed that a person can achieve will also vary according to their age, the degree and duration of their deafness, their level of literacy, the extent to which they rely on subtitles, their familiarity with subtitles, their familiarity with the programme or genre and even the time of day, because this affects their alertness and concentration level.


Ensure subtitles are in standard readable language (high priority)Without unnecessarily altering the meaning or the words that are spoken, write the subtitles in normal written language, using standard punctuation.For children, take account of the reading age and reword or reduce the text accordingly.

Present subtitles in blocks, not word-by-wordSubtitles should be displayed in blocks, rather than one word at a time. A subtitle that is displayed one word at a time will take longer to read than the same subtitle displayed all at once as a block. Studies carried out within the DTV4All project show that word-by-word subtitles cause very chaotic reading patterns requiring almost twice as many visual fixations as block subtitles. Fast readers may experience problems due to ‘getting ahead’ of the subtitles and casting their eyes on gaps where no word has been displayed. This leads to poorer comprehension compared with block subtitles.

Start and end subtitles at natural, logical points (high priority)Subtitles should end at natural linguistic breaks, preferably sentence breaks. To reduce reading time, two or more short sentences can be combined into a single subtitle.Very long sentences that are too long to fit into a single subtitle can be broken into two or more pieces using ellipsis (‘...’) or reworded to form two or more separate sentences and displayed as consecutive subtitles.

Choose line breaks within a subtitle carefullyIf a subtitle contains more than one line of text, a number of considerations should be used to determine where best to put the line breaks: Each line should end at a natural linguistic break.

Line breaks should minimise the distance the eye has to travel from the end of one line to the beginning of the next. This means that breaks may be different for left justified, centred, or right justified subtitles of the same text.

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If left justified, centred and right justified subtitles are used together (for example to distinguish each speaker when captioning a conversation), line breaks can be used to better distinguish between them, by creating shorter lines.

For centred or right justified subtitles, avoid very short phrases on one line followed by very long ones on the line below, otherwise the second line may be read first.

Line breaks can be positioned to avoid disrupting the background picture.

Allow adequate reading timeFor English language subtitles for a general audience, do not exceed 170 words per minute. If possible, keep to about 140 words per minute. These limits apply to individual subtitles. Even if an average of below 170 words per minute is achieved over a longer time period, short bursts of dialogue or complex multi-speaker scenes may exceed this limit and cause problems for viewers. The BBC online subtitling editorial guidelines contains a useful guide to timings for example sentences of different lengths.

This may vary for different audiences. For example, for many pre-lingually deaf children, experiments suggest that a presentation rate of 70-80 words per minute is best for English language captions.Allow extra time if the subtitles contain unfamiliar words, long numbers or labels or if the scene contains several speakers, shot changes or a lot of action or detail to take in.

Use a clear visual presentation (high priority)Subtitles should appear within the title safe area. That is the visible area where the text will not be cut regardless of the over scan (margin of the video image that is normally not visible) of the television usedUse a screenfont designed for viewing subtitles on television displays at typical TV viewing distances.Avoid scrolling or moving text as this can be difficult for some viewers to focus on.

Use mixed case lettering, except for label prefixes and other special cases.For the display of subtitles, make sure the text contrasts well against the background. The most legible colour combinations are blue on white, white on blue, red on white, white on red, cyan on blue and blue on cyan. Use colours with a saturation index of less than 85% to avoid distortion and flicker.Consumer equipment can give users the option to change the text presentation such as size, colour and background colour. It is useful to provide a number of preset options, including a high contrast option. However, size changes should never result in text being outside the visible area.

Position subtitles to avoid obscuring important contentAvoid obscuring any burnt-in subtitles or scrolling news tickers.Avoid obscuring any part of a speaker’s mouth.

Avoid obscuring any important activity. For example, the usual position for subtitles, at the bottom of the screen, may not be appropriate for a sport like snooker where the most important activity often occurs around the black ball, which is at the bottom of the screen in the common overhead shot.

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Ensure that subtitles match the timing of on-screen activity

RationaleThe display of subtitles should, as far as possible, match the onset and duration of the associated on-screen activity. Delays in either the onset or disappearance of subtitles can cause significant difficulties in following the programme. This is particularly important for dramas and other programmes with continuous changes of shot.Studies show that viewers direct their attention to the subtitle area as soon as speech starts and may unnecessarily re-read captions that remain too long on the screen. Subtitles that appear or disappear very close to shot changes or that persist over unrelated scenes can cause considerable perceptual confusion.For live subtitling using currently available methods, such as respeaking, it may be impossible to synchronise exactly. However, every effort should be made to keep the delays as short as possible. Delays of more than two seconds can cause significant difficulty, with longer delays making the subtitles impossible to understand.


Synchronise subtitles with programme soundSubtitles should not lag behind the dialogue or commentary.Subtitle appearance should coincide with the start of speech because this is when viewers will direct their attention to the subtitle area. Subtitle disappearance should coincide roughly with the end of the corresponding speech segment. This is because viewers may unnecessarily re-read captions that remain too long on the screen.Synchronisation should occur at naturally occurring pauses in speech-sentence boundaries, or changes of scene.

Avoid overrunning shot changesAvoid subtitles overrunning shot changes. Shot changes that take place while a subtitle is being read can cause the viewer to return to the beginning and re-read the subtitle.

If shot durations are short and changes frequent, it may not be possible to avoid overruns. In this case, at least ensure that the subtitle does not appear or disappear within one second either side of a shot change. ‘Anchoring’ the subtitle over a shot change by at least one second gives the viewer time to adjust to the new picture.

Avoid combining logically separate elements into one subtitleThere may be some circumstances in which two utterances or sounds are logically separate and should not be presented together in the same subtitle. An example is on a quiz show where a question or prompt is followed, a short time later, by the answer from a contestant. Viewers like to test their own skills by trying to answer the questions themselves, so the answer should not be displayed at the same time as the question.

Caption all relevant audio content

RationaleThe aim of captioning is to give the information that a hearing person receives by listening. Not only is information provided through dialogue and narration, but many other sounds, or even a lack of sound, may also be vital to the understanding of content, context or plot. All of these must therefore be conveyed through captions.

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Caption all speech (high priority)All obvious speech should be captioned. Even that which does not appear to have any important content. If a viewer knows that someone is speaking but does not know what they are saying, they will not know whether they are missing something important. This causes frustration and possible confusion.

Research from eye-tracking studies by Jensema has revealed that people look at the captions in response to the facial movements of the people on screen, so if a person speaks, it is assumed that a caption will appear.

Caption relevant sound effects (high priority)Sound effects for action that is not visually obvious should be captioned. For example, a doorbell, a distant gunshot or a ringing telephone. This includes incidental background noises such as lively chatter in a crowd scene, which often gives important context or atmosphere.

Describe music and songs (high priority)Music contained in a programme should be captioned if it is part of the scene or if it is important to convey context or atmosphere. This includes background or incidental music.State the title if it is known and/or the type of music. For example, “Thumping disco music”. For songs, caption the lyrics if they are important or if someone can be seen singing or listening to them.

Identify periods of silence (high priority)If there is a long period without any sounds that can be captioned, indicate this with a caption such as “Long pause”. Otherwise, the viewer may wonder whether the caption system has failed.

Report caption failures (high priority)If captions fail, transmit an appropriately worded apology and explanation as early as possible, then regularly after that.

Ensure that captions provide equivalent information

RationaleThe aim of captioning is to replace the information that a hearing person receives by listening. The captions must therefore be equivalent to the programme audio, providing the same information and meaning, but in a different form. Deaf and hard of hearing viewers don’t necessarily need to receive the exact wording that is spoken, although this is the best way of ensuring equivalence. But equivalent information also includes the information given in tones of voice, non-speech utterances and other sounds, plus information about the sounds, such as where they come from.


For speech, try to convey what is actually said (high priority)As far as possible, caption the speech exactly as it is spoken. However, because people generally speak much faster than the text of their speech can be read, it is often necessary to edit the speech in order to shorten it. This should be done without altering its meaning or ‘flavour’. Some things to consider are:

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Avoid changing the style by introducing words or phrases that conflict with the speaker’s nationality, age, cultural background, social context, etc.

Do not simplify what is said, except in special circumstances (e.g. for young children).

Do not simply edit out the joining words or phrases like "but", "so", "you know" and "actually". These can be important for meaning or feeling, so treat them in the same way as other text.

Do no remove entire sentences. Instead, remove parts of a number of sentences. This makes it more likely that all of the meaning will be retained.

Avoid removing the names of people being addressed. These are often important for following the plot.

Do not remove any words that can be clearly lip-read. This usually includes the start or end of a speech if the speaker is visible. Lip-readers will easily notice this and the captions may appear deficient.

Do not censor speech (high priority)Do not censor speech in order to remove language or ideas that may appear crude or offensive. This is unnecessary and condescending. If the audible content is deemed suitable for its intended audience, it is also suitable for a hearing impaired member of that audience. The captioner’s comfort level when translating sexual or disturbing language should not be a factor.

Identify individual sources (high priority)If a scene contains a number of different speakers or sound sources, it should be clear which caption belongs to which source. This can be done using labels, colour or positioning.Captions can be labelled by adding a prefix giving the speaker’s name or identifying the source. This works if the names are certain to be known to the viewer or if it is obvious, from the name, which source is indicated. Labels can also be used when the source is not visually apparent, such as someone off screen, a person in a crowd or a radio. It may only be necessary to add the label to the first caption from that source. Subsequent captions from that source may be obvious, or the source may be represented by colour after that.Different colours can be used to identify different sources over a period of time if the sources are clearly identified initially.The position and justification of captions can be used if the speakers maintain their positions on the screen. Left justified captions for a source on the left, right justified for a source on the right and centred for a source in the middle.

If the source is off-screen and the location is important, a descriptive label or arrow that points in the relevant direction can be used.

Speech should be distinguished from non-speech sounds so that the viewer does not think that the sound being described was part of what someone said. A differentiator such as upper case lettering or a different colour can be used. Song lyrics can be preceded by an appropriate symbol indicating music. This may be a musical note character if the screen font provides one, or the hash symbol, ‘#’ which resembles the sharp symbol in music.

Indicate tone of voice where critical to meaning (high priority)Sometimes a speaker’s tone of voice conveys things like sarcasm that is not apparent from the words spoken, the facial expression or body language. In this case, punctuation marks such as ‘(!)’ should be used to indicate the intended meaning.Similarly, the sound of someone’s speech may be important, and should be conveyed by adding a description as a prefix, e.g. ‘(SLURRED)’.

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It may also be useful sometimes to use visual emphasis such as changes in case or colour to emphasise individual words where this is critical to meaning.

Adopt recognised good practice style guidelines for captioning where they existConveying the relevant information as accurately as possible, in a way that is easy to read and that fits into the time available to viewers to read it, is a skilled editorial task. There are a number of captioning resources available that offer detailed guidance on how to achieve this. These are very useful as sources of further guidance on techniques that may be used to meet many of the functional guidelines presented here. They provide suggestions on such matters as how to indicate different types of sounds, how to convey the speed or pace of sound, when to indicate the name of the speaker and how to present text on screen for maximum readability, and other aspects. They may cover stylistic considerations down to a fine level of detail, such as whether to use onomatopoeia.

Some of these are official or recommended style guides for a particular organisation or industry. An example is the bbc.co.uk Online Subtitling Editorial Guidelines which outline the requirements for AV content commissioned by the BBC for bbc.co.uk. Another is as the Closed Captioning Standards and Protocol for Canadian English Language Television Programming Services, adopted by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters as the mandatory guide to Canadian English language closed captioning for television.

Test the quality of subtitles and invite audience feedbackThe best way to assess the quality of subtitles is to run user tests with members of the intended target audience – non-native speakers or people who are deaf or hard of hearing. Tests should aim to assess all important characteristics, including readability, comprehensibility, accuracy, completeness, timing and suitability for the programme content and audience.Broadcasters can also provide a way for viewers to give feedback on quality issues by providing a telephone number that will accept both voice calls and texts along with other quick access channels such as email and Twitter.

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Audio description

The purpose of audio description is to replace the important visual content with equivalent spoken information inserted as a narrative between the dialogue and other programme sounds. Audio description is essential for the full understanding and enjoyment of television programmes by people with vision impairments.

"It’s a very complicated gangster film and I saw it without audio description and I switched off half way through thinking it was a load of rubbish. Then I saw it with audio description and I thought it was one of the best gangster films I’d ever seen."- Quote from a participant in a 2008 survey of blind and partially sighted people carried out by the Royal National Institute of Blind People in the UK.

The term ‘video description’ is often used to refer to audio description of audiovisual material, with the term ‘audio description’ being used for the describing of visual presentations in general, including theatre, sports and events.

It is not just vision impaired viewers who benefit from audio description. It can be very helpful to any viewer who is unable to give the programme their full visual attention because they are engaged in another task such as driving or cooking. A study of sighted older users by the Audetel project showed that audio description improved comprehension and enjoyment of a police drama programme.A good description helps convey the situations, places, events and characters in a way that brings the programme to life and allows the viewer to create a full mental ‘picture’. It must do this with clarity and unobtrusively, taking into account the style and culture of the programme and its intended audience.These guidelines are intended for those wishing to get an idea of what good audio description should be like and the basic rules it should follow. They are intended to answer questions that broadcasters might have, such as:

Which programmes should be described? When should descriptions be inserted?

What content should be described?

How should content be described?

What should it sound like?

They should be sufficient to perform a general appraisal of an audio description but they do not go down to the level of specific English linguistic mechanisms to use in different situations. This level can, however, be very important for the ultimate quality of the description. Those seeking to create professional audio description can therefore start here but should go to other sources for more detailed fine-grained advice and training.Different resources sometimes differ in their recommendations. These differences may seem trivial at first, but some of them touch on very important issues that can make a big difference to how the description is perceived by viewers.

An example illustrating differences of opinion occurs in Joe Clark’s critique of the ITC Guidelines on Standards for Audio Description. The ITC recommends the use of present continuous tense for ongoing activities. Joe Clark gives examples: “Mrs. Brady is unpacking the groceries” and “Justin is mixing a martini”, describing this as being like “sighted friends telling you what’s happening as you both sit in a movie theatre”. It makes the editorial voice of the describer too apparent, as if the information is being given begrudgingly in response to repeated requests from the viewer to know “What’s happening now?”. It also has the effect

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of continually “resetting the clock: He’s doing this. Now she’s doing this. Now he’s doing that. You’re no longer watching a flowing program that unfolds moment by moment”.These guidelines do not cover workflow issues or procedural tips, such as how best to rehearse prior to recording. Again, these issues can have a significant affect on the quality and also on the cost of audio description, so describers are encouraged to access some of those other resources.

Prioritise programmes according to the costs and benefits of audio description

RationaleGiven the cost of audio description, it is usually not possible to add descriptions to all programmes. The decision on which programmes to prioritise should take into account both the costs of the description and the benefits for viewers. The cost may vary for different programmes, depending on the programme type, length and possibly other factors. For broadcasters, there is likely to be a significant cost difference between buying in pre-described programmes and producing or commissioning new descriptions. The benefits will certainly vary because the addition of audio description benefits some programme types more than others.


Prioritise the most popular programmesIf time, resource or technical constraints make it impossible to describe all programmes, concentrate initial efforts on the most popular programmes. People with vision impairments are no different in most respects to sighted people. They therefore like to watch the same sort of programmes, with news, documentaries, dramas and special events being among the most popular.

Prioritise programme types that benefit mostIf time, resource or technical constraints make it impossible to describe all programmes, prioritise programmes that contain a lot of important but describable action, such as dramas, as these benefit most from audio description. Soap operas in particular often make use of gestures and body language to convey emotion and intention which can be described. In contrast, programmes that contain a lot of talking but little acting, such as chat shows, news and current affairs, benefit least.Quiz programmes and game shows may offer little opportunity for audio description because they often have tightly-worded almost continuous scripts with few gaps in which to insert descriptions.

Some programmes may be too fast moving for a description to be really helpful.

Describe the most relevant visual content

RationaleIt isn’t possible to describe everything that can be seen on screen, but it isn’t usually necessary either. Vision impaired viewers will only want to know about the visual things that are relevant and important in helping them to understand and enjoy the programme. These are the attributes of people, places, objects, animals, actions or events that contribute to the understanding and enjoyment of the programme and are not already identified or described

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in the programme audio. Given the variable amount of relevant information in a scene and the variable amount of space between dialogue where descriptions can be inserted, it is often necessary to prioritise information for inclusion within the description.


Describe what the viewer needs to knowThis may include information about:

who is in the scene, their appearance, age, etc.; what they are doing and what else is happening;

when it is happening and how much time has passed; where things are happening (in the world, after scene changes and positions within the

scene).

Prioritise the most essential things and move from the general to the detailedWhen deciding what to include in the description, prioritise those things that are most essential for understanding and appreciating the programme.

Describe context and generalities first, then add details as required.

Do not provide any more information than is visible or already knownDo not reveal details that are not known to sighted viewers. For example, when a new character appears, do not name them unless they have already been referred to by name. Instead, use a significant physical characteristic to identify or describe them, e.g. “A tall thin man wearing a cowboy hat”. Similarly, do not use words that give away the relationships between characters unless that relationship has already been revealed.

Describe visual details and positionsWhere possible, include details that bring the scene to life and provide a richer source of mental visualisation, such as size and even colour. Small details often have significance. This is well illustrated by the following quote from a visually impaired participant in a survey carried out by the Audetel project:

“It may not mean much to me, but it might mean something. A man wearing a white shirt and dark trousers indicates somebody who is quite smart. If he’s wearing a tie, that also indicates tidiness and a seriousness of purpose.”

Most visually impaired people have at some time seen colours and have either retained the visual memory of colour or can remember the significance and impact of a particular colour.Describing positions of objects and directions of movement can help users organize the information they hear.

Do not describe too muchDo not try to describe everything. It is not possible or even helpful to describe every visual detail in a scene. A continuous running commentary can obscure other important sounds such as voices, sound effects, music and even meaningful silences. Too much description can ruin the ambience and may be tiring or annoying to listen to.

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Ensure that descriptions are accurate and unfiltered

RationaleAudio description aims to replace important visual content with equivalent audible content. Equivalence requires accuracy, objectivity and completeness. A description that is inaccurate or subjective cannot possibly be equivalent. Given the time constraints and the amount of visual information in a scene, absolute completeness is seldom possible. But descriptors should strive to be impartial in what is included and what is left out. If not, they are interpreting or censoring the content, which is discriminatory by nature.


Describe what is seenThe describer’s intention should always be to state what they see, not their interpretation of what they see. This is often described as the ‘first golden rule’ of audio description. For example, motivations and intentions should not be described because they are not directly seen. However, visuals that are important for revealing motivations and intentions should be described.On the surface this ‘rule’ seems quite simple but it is sometimes difficult to achieve. For example, suppose a character in a drama uses body language to demonstrate a particular emotion that is very important to the plot. The ‘golden rule’ would say not to name the emotion by saying the character is “angry” or “suspicious”, but to describe the body language that gives the emotion away, such as “clenching her fists” or “frowning”. The problem is that body language can be subtle and multifaceted. It may be difficult to describe in a way that gives the same information as can be got from seeing it. A person clenching her fists may be either angry or scared. A person frowning may be either suspicious or confused. It may be clear by seeing the frown that it is a ‘puzzled expression’ or a ‘suspicious look’, but saying either of these could be seen as interpretation. However, describing the action as “frowning” may risk provoking the wrong interpretation. Particularly in cases where the correct interpretation relies on combining many contextual clues including a collection of expressions or gestures, and describing them all is not possible. In some cases, the clues may be intentionally imprecise so that different viewers will come up with their own interpretations. These subtleties can make this guideline difficult to know how to follow but this should not lead to it being ignored. It still stands that viewers do not want the describer’s interpretation, they want to make their own interpretations and this is the crux of the matter. The guideline is pointing at the general idea that it is not up to the describer to tell the viewer what to think. Dealing with challenges like this is what makes audio description a creative art that can be helped by guidelines and honed by experience and audience feedback, rather than a science that can be precisely described in a set of exact rules.

Do not censor Do not leave out objects or actions just because they may be offensive. This is unnecessary and condescending. If the content is deemed suitable for its intended audience, it is also suitable for a vision impaired member of that audience. The describer’s comfort level when describing content such as sexual acts or violence should not be a factor.

Be precise and consistentAlways use the unique names of people and objects rather than pronouns like “he” if there could be any confusion about which is being referred to. If there is only one in the scene or it is obvious for some other reason, pronouns can be used.When referring to a character, place, object or other item by name, use the same name throughout the programme.

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Use precise, vivid words. People frequently “walk” but they also “amble”, “stagger”, “shuffle”, “saunter” or “stroll”. These words may more accurately describe the scene and may enable the viewer to create a richer mental image.

Take account of what viewers already knowIf an item has already been mentioned, e.g. “a vase”, refer to it as “the vase” as long as it is clear which vase is being referred to.

Insert descriptions between the programme sounds

RationaleThe benefits of audio description will be reduced if it obscures speech or other important sounds. It should therefore be used only in the audible gaps, though not necessarily in every gap.


Avoid talking over dialogue or commentaryAvoid obscuring dialogue or commentary with audio description. This is sometimes referred to as one of the ‘golden rules’ of audio description. Since dialogue and commentary are important for understanding and enjoyment, obscuring them with description is generally counterproductive. However, due to time constraints it is not always possible to fit the required descriptions into the gaps between programme sounds. If it is more important for the listener to hear a particular description than to hear the dialogue, then dialogue may be sacrificed. This should be done carefully however and in a way that does not make it obvious that dialogue has been removed. It would be wrong to mute the dialogue mid-sentence because the viewer would then realise that dialogue has been removed and may wonder if they have missed something important.

Avoid obscuring other important soundsIt is not only the dialogue and audio description that provides the information. Background sounds like gunfire, shouting or a car pulling up can also convey vital information, so these must not be obscured by description.

Do not try to fill very short gaps between dialogueIf the gaps between dialogue or commentary are too short, the audio description may be more of a hindrance than a help.

Adopt a style that is easy to listen to and unobtrusive

RationaleViewers are not interested in the audio description itself. They just want the required information spoken to them in a way that is most easily understood and enjoyed. The description should therefore be recognisable as description rather than dialogue, but should not draw undue attention to itself in a way that makes it obtrusive.

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Use present tense, active voiceDescriptions should generally use present tense and active voice. For example, “Malcolm opens the suitcase” rather than “Malcolm is opening the suitcase” or “The suitcase is opened by Malcolm”.

Use an appropriate tone of voiceDescriptions should be unobtrusive and neutral, but not lifeless or monotonous. Wherever possible, use human speakers rather than synthesized speech.

Make sure the describer’s voice is not similar to any speaker’s voiceThe describer’s voice should be noticeably different from those of the speakers in the programme. This can be done by, for example, using a female describer for programmes with predominantly male voices or using a different accent, though not one that is radically alien to the intended audience.

Carefully control the volume of the programme audio and the descriptionThe volume of the description should be constant.The volume of the programme audio should be reduced, but not completely muted, while the description is being spoken and restored when the description ends. If a background noise such as traffic or laughter continues across three or four consecutive but closely spaced descriptions, the volume can be kept low throughout, rather than bursting in and out repeatedly.

If possible, music that has been quietened during a description should be reintroduced quickly but not instantly, to avoid a sudden burst of sound.

Use language and a style of delivery that is consistent with the programme content

RationaleThe role of audio description is simply to convey information. It should not add to or detract from the feel or atmosphere of the programme. A description that is radically different in language from the programme content or that uses an inappropriate tone can destroy the feel.


Use language consistent with the nature of the programmeUse terminology, idioms, etc. that match the programme content. Otherwise the description may well disrupt the feel or atmosphere and unnecessarily draw attention to itself.

Make the delivery fit the nature of the programmeIn a tense thriller or drama, the delivery should be steady and where the background music is menacing, the voice should reflect the tension, without becoming melodramatic. In comedy, the narration should also be steady but can be delivered with a slight smile in the voice, but never laughter.

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Adopt a language and style that is suited to the audience

RationaleThe audio description should convey the information in a way that is suited to the needs and preferences of the audience, taking into account factors such as culture and age.


Use an accent that is suited to the audienceFor locally produced programmes or programmes with no specific cultural reference, viewers may prefer a familiar local accent for the audio description over a foreign accent. For instance, a description for an Irish-based drama would generally work better for an Irish audience if it were to use an Irish voice rather than an English or French voice. Not only will this be easier for viewers to understand but it may be culturally more acceptable and will help the audio description to sound like it has been created as an intrinsic part of the programme rather than an add-on. This promotes the feeling of inclusion. A way to think about this is to ask “if this programme featured a narrator, what sort of accent would be expected?”.How deep and widespread this preference is will depend on the cultural makeup of the audience. The only way to know viewers’ needs and preferences in this respect is to ask them.

For young children, adopt an appropriate language and styleFor programmes aimed at young children the language should be simpler and a more personal style can be adopted. For example, “we see a cat sitting on the wall”, rather than “a cat sits on the wall”, as would be more appropriate for an adult audience.

The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) guidelines on Audio Description for Children provide some useful general guidance in this area.

Adopt recognised good practice style guidelines where they existConveying the relevant information as completely as possible, in a way that is easy to understand and that fits into the time available, is a skilled editorial task. There are a number of audio description resources available that offer very detailed guidance on how to achieve this, including specific tips on the use of English linguistic mechanisms. For example, the Audio Description Coalition Standards includes guidance such as:

Use “while” and “as” to join two actions only if there is a connection between them: “John picks up the knife as Jill turns away.”

These are very useful as sources of further guidance on techniques that may be used to meet many of the functional guidelines presented here.They provide suggestions on such matters as how to indicate different types of sounds, how to convey the speed or pace of sound, when to indicate the name of the speaker and how to present text on screen for maximum readability, and other aspects. They may covering stylistic considerations down to a fine level of detail, such as whether to use onomatopoeia.Some of these are official or recommended style guides for a particular organisation or industry. An example is the BBC online subtitling editorial guidelines which outline the requirements for AV content commissioned by the BBC for bbc.co.uk. Another is as the Closed Captioning Standards and Protocol for Canadian English Language Television Programming Services, adopted by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters as the mandatory guide to Canadian English language closed captioning for television.

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Test the quality of audio description and invite audience feedbackThe best way to assess the quality of audio description is to run user tests with blind viewers. Tests should aim to assess all important characteristics, including the understandability, accuracy, objectivity, completeness, helpfulness, timing, volume level, distinguishability, obtrusiveness, voice characteristics and suitability for the programme content and audience.

Broadcasters can also provide a way for viewers to give feedback on quality issues by providing a telephone number that will accept voice calls and texts along with other quick access channels such as email and Twitter.

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Visual Signing

Visual Signing is the use of a sign language to convey the information contained in the programme audio (speech and other important sounds) to viewers who are deaf.Sign languages use hand shapes, movement, body language and facial expressions to convey meaning. Sign languages differ from country to country. For example, Irish deaf people use Irish Sign Language, in India they use Indian Sign Language. Different sign languages have their own unique grammar and vocabulary. Even within a country, there are often regional dialects and differences in some of the signs used by different cultural groups.

It is a commonly held misconception that the provision of captions removes the need for visual signing on television. This is false for two reasons:

Sign Language is the first language of many members of the Deaf community who may be far less fluent in reading written English. It is therefore as important to them as a foreign translation of an English programme would be to a non-native English speaker.

Language is not just about communicating speech. It is also about emotion, concept formation, identity and belonging. To a person born deaf who learned sign language as a child and uses it as their primary form of interaction with their peers, only sign language can communicate these vitally important aspects.

Sign language can be used in television programmes in two ways:

As the native language used by the programme’s presenters, contributors and characters.

As an interpretation of the speech and other sounds contained in a programme.A sign language interpretation is usually created separately from the programme and must be added into the programme video before delivery. An exception is where a signer is present during the recording, such as when a sign language interpreter travels with a news reporter to the scene of a news story.Visual signing can be added using either an ‘open’ or ‘closed’ format. In the ‘open’ format, the programme video is delivered as a single track, in which the image of the signer is included within the video and is seen by all viewers. In the ‘closed’ format, the visual signing is delivered with the programme, but in a way that allows the individual viewer the choice of whether or not to view the signer. Closed visual signing can be achieved in one of two ways – ‘broadcast mix’ or ‘receiver mix’. In broadcast mix, two separate video streams are delivered, one containing the image of the signer and the other without. The viewer simply chooses between the two. In receiver mix, the video of the signer is delivered as a separate stream with synchronization information. The viewer’s receiver can then mix the two and display the result, at the request of the viewer. Receiver mix potentially gives viewers greater control over how the signer is displayed, allowing them to choose the preferred position and size for example. It also has the benefit that the visual signing track can be delivered using a different means, so terrestrial broadcasters with restricted bandwidth can deliver the video signing over IP for example. This requires a hybrid receiver with the ability to mix the two streams.

In contrast to subtitling, captioning and audio description, there is relatively little research and guidance available on visual signing in television. Some of the guidelines here are therefore somewhat speculative, paralleling issues that have been recognised for these other access services and may be expected to be similar for visual signing. They may therefore provide less guidance on what constitutes best practice and fewer tried and tested techniques for achieving that. But they have been included in order to direct attention to the issues, even in the absence of clear solutions.

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Prioritise programmes according to the costs and benefits of signing

RationaleGiven the cost of producing visual signing, it is usually not possible to add it to all programmes. The decision on which programmes to prioritise should take into account both the costs of visual signing production and the benefits for viewers. The cost may vary for different programmes, depending on the programme type, length and possibly other factors. For broadcasters, there is likely to be a significant cost difference between buying in pre-signed programmes and producing or commissioning new signing. The benefits will certainly vary because the addition of visual signing benefits some programme types more than others.


Prioritise the most popular or important programmesIf time, resource or technical constraints make it impossible to sign all programmes, concentrate initial efforts on the most popular programmes. Deaf people are no different in most respects to hearing people, so they are likely to enjoy the most popular types of programmes – news, documentaries, dramas and special events. Concentrate initial efforts on these programmes and move on to less popular programmes later.An exception to this is programmes made specifically for deaf people, concerning deafness itself or aspects of Deaf culture that are shared by those people who consider themselves part of the Deaf community. These are likely to be very popular.

The importance of programme content should also be taken into account. News reports warning of natural disasters and other vital public information notices should always include visual signing. This is often done by having a sign language interpreter travel with the news team.

Prioritise programme types that benefit mostIf time, resource or technical constraints make it impossible to describe all programmes, prioritise programmes that contain a lot of talking, such as chat shows, news and current affairs, as these may benefit most from visual signing. There is little research on the ease of following visual signing while simultaneously watching on-screen action, so it is difficult to say how successful the signing of programmes with a lot of action and dialogue, such as fast-paced dramas, would be.

Ensure that the signing is understandable

RationaleThere is not one fixed universal sign language but many national and even regional or cultural variations. Deaf viewers will need language that they can understand, presented by someone who is fluent in that language. If sign language is the primary language of the programme, then other viewers may need a translation into written or spoken language.


Use the language of the audience (high priority)Signing should be done using the appropriate national sign language for the audience. It may also be appropriate to use a specific regional or cultural dialect if the programme is aimed a very specific audience.

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Use fluent signers who are trained in television signing (high priority)Sign language presenters, narrators, reporters and interpreters should be fluent to the level of native competency. They should also be trained in communicating effectively on television. There may be qualifications available.

Translate sign language into captions and speech if necessaryIf the programmes is delivered in sign language by the presenters, contributors and characters, it should also be translated into both speech and captions for the benefit of viewers who do not understand sign language or cannot see the signer.

Ensure that the signer is easy to see and read

RationaleSigning involves many movements, particularly of the hands and facial expressions, which must be clearly seen in order to understand the meaning. This is a particular issue with translations delivered in an ‘open’ format, where the signer takes up only a small part of the television screen, making their hands and facial features appear relatively small.


Show all relevant movements (high priority)The full upper trunk of the signer should be visible at all times, including arms, hands, shoulders, neck and face and allowing for the full extent of their movements.

Ensure that the signer is shown large enough to be seen and understood (high priority)The signer should to appear on the screen at a sufficient size and resolution to enable viewers at normal viewing distances to clearly see and accurately recognise all movements and facial expressions.This requirement is difficult to quantify in terms of an adequate proportion of the picture, because it depends on the size of the viewer’s screen, their viewing distance and their visual acuity. The practical recommendation provided by Ofcom in the UK is that the signer should be no smaller than one sixth of the picture.For closed visual signing delivered in a receiver mix format, individual viewers may be able to resize and position the signer according to personal preferences, if their receiver equipment provides that functionality. This situation is rare, however.

For open visual signing of programmes primarily aimed at deaf people, the main visual image can be reduced in size leaving a blank area in which the signer can be placed.

Use colours of clothing and background that are easy to distinguish (high priority)The colours and tones of the signer’s clothing and background should be such that all movements can easily be seen. Lighting has a large part to play in this.

Position the signer to avoid obscuring important contentAvoid obscuring any important activity. The usual position for a signer, at the lower right hand side of the screen, may not be appropriate for programmes where important activity most often occurs in that area. To avoid obscuring subtitles or scrolling news tickers, it may be necessary to move the signer up a little from the bottom edge.

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Ensure that signing matches the timing of on-screen activity

RationaleThe signing should, as far as possible, match the onset and duration of the associated on-screen activity. Mismatches may cause difficulties in following the programme. This is particularly important for dramas and other programmes with continuous changes of shot.


Synchronise the signing with programme soundApart from visual signing of live programmes, where it is difficult, signing should start at the same time as speech. The duration should be as close as possible to the duration of the speech.

Avoid overrunning shot changesAvoid the sign language interpretation overrunning shot changes. Shot changes that take place while interpretation is being done may cause the viewer to be distracted from the signing.

Interpret all relevant audio content

RationaleThe aim of visual signing is to give the information that a hearing person receives by listening. Not only is information provided through dialogue and narration, but many other sounds, or even a lack of sound, may also be vital to the understanding of content, context or plot. All of these must therefore be conveyed through sign language.


Interpret all speech (high priority)All speech should be interpreted if time permits.

Sign relevant sound effects (high priority)Indicate the presence of sounds such as a ringing telephone, a doorbell or a gun shot. Draw attention to significant sound effects.

Ensure that interpretations provide equivalent information

RationaleThe aim of visual signing is to replace the information that a hearing person receives by listening. The interpretation must therefore be equivalent to the programme audio, providing the same information and meaning, but in a different form. Equivalent information includes the information given in tones of voice, non-speech utterances and other sounds, plus information about the sounds, such as where they come from.

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Identify individual sources (high priority)Ensure that it is clear whose speech is being interpreted. This can be achieved using the interpreter’s eye gaze or body positioning, giving the speaker’s name or reflecting the speaker’s manner, which is known as ‘characterisation’.

Do not censor speech (high priority)Do not censor speech in order to remove ideas that may appear crude or offensive. This is unnecessary and condescending. If the audible content is deemed suitable for its intended audience, it is also suitable for a deaf member of that audience. The interpreter’s comfort level when interpreting sexual or disturbing language should not be a factor.

Use language and a style of delivery that is consistent with the programme content

RationaleThe role of visual signing is simply to convey information. It should not add to or detract from the feel or atmosphere of the programme. An interpreter or interpretation that is radically different in style from the programme content can destroy the feel.


Use an interpreter and language consistent with the nature of the programmeThe age and appearance of the interpreter and the language they use should match the programme content. For programmes aimed at a wide audience and with culturally neutral content, such as a wildlife documentary for example, age and appearance may not matter. But for culturally specific shows such as those aimed at a younger audience or an older audience, the interpreter and their language should fit culturally.The interpreter can be considered in the same way as a speaking presenter. For example, a fashion programme requires a presenter/signer who is fashionable, whereas a news programme might require someone who looks more serious. Having the interpreter follow the same rules as the presenter makes the interpreter feel more like an integral part of the programme, fostering a feeling of inclusion among deaf audience members.

The interpreter’s visual appearance should not be distracting, however.

Test the quality of audio description and invite audience feedbackThe best way to assess the quality of visual signing is to run user tests with deaf viewers. Tests should aim to assess all important characteristics, including the understandability, accuracy, objectivity, completeness, helpfulness, timing, visual appearance and suitability for the programme content and audience.Broadcasters can also provide a way for viewers to give feedback on quality issues by providing a telephone number that will accept voice calls and texts along with other quick access channels such as email and Twitter.

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Flashing Content

Flashing content within a television programme, even if shown for just a few seconds, can trigger seizures in people with photosensitive epilepsy.

Eliminate the risk of causing seizures


Avoid flashing content (high priority)Keep within general flash and red flash thresholds.

Notify the audience of flashing content (high priority)If a programme contains flashing content beyond the recommended thresholds, viewers should be warned with a visible on-screen message snd sn sudible announcement at the start of the programme.

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http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/seizure-does-not-violate.html#general-thresholddef


Customer Service

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Introduction to Universal Customer Service

Meeting the needs of all existing and potential customers should be the primary goal of every customer service department. This requires an appreciation of the diversity of needs among the user population, regardless of people’s age, size, ability and disability. In recent decades, the voice of the general public has become more prominent and more influential. People are more confident to speak up when they have a complaint and information and communication technologies have made this increasingly easy. Direct pressure from consumer groups as well as direct engagement with their customers have encouraged many companies to evolve their design process and improve their customer services to accommodate a wider range of people.

Effective universal customer service emerges from clear policies and procedures. This should be backed up by training in the communication needs of all customers and ongoing evaluation of customers’ experiences with products and services. All these aspects are covered within these guidelines.

The value of good customer service, both to the customer and the supplier, should not be underestimated. In a survey of Irish digital television users carried out during the development of these guidelines, of the respondents who had a good experience when buying or ordering their current TV service, an overwhelming number of them stated that it was because of a good customer service experience. Similarly, most of those who had a bad experience stated that it was due to poor customer service. For these consumers in particular, customer service is a great differentiator and an important reason for choosing one supplier over another. Many of the guidelines here are illustrated by quotes from participants in the survey.

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Guidelines for Universal Customer Service

Develop universal customer service policies and procedures

RationaleBy developing a universal customer service policy, an organisation can ensure that universal design receives the attention and respect it requires amongst all levels of staff. Such a policy will outline the vision and goals that the organisation strives to achieve in addressing the needs of customers with disabilities.Procedures can be defined on the basis of this policy. An organisation that has consistent procedures in place on how to address the needs of customers with disabilities will provide higher quality customer service.

“I decided to go with my current digital TV provider due to the number of channels available and they appear to take accessibility more seriously than other providers. As they have an accessibility department that can answer questions, plus they add a lot of audio description to much of their programming. Plus with my old provider, I found their service unreliable.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

Identifying the legal requirements applicable to your organisation in relation to accessibility and usability of products and services for people with disabilities is important and can act as an effective driver for change internally.It is impossible to identify the needs and wishes of your customers without talking directly to your customers and the organisations that represent them. Establishing a formal dialogue with customers and with representative organisations is crucial.

In order for an organisation to successfully address universal design, it needs also to ensure that any services or systems it procures are accessible and usable. If elements of the customer service that are outsourced to other companies (such as management of customer orders, or management of a website) do not successfully address the needs of your customers, this will counteract the efforts made by your own organisation.

“The guy who came to my house to install the TV tried to be helpful but unfortunately the device was inaccessible.”“The service guys were great and tried to help me as best they could with totally inaccessible equipment.”“I received accessibility information from the accessibility department of my digital TV provider. It was quite useful when I had an issue with service. However, no information on how to make the box more accessible apart from how to turn on audio description was offered.”– Guidelines survey respondents.


Produce a universal customer service policy (high priority)A universal customer service policy should demonstrate the organisation’s commitment to take the issue of universal design seriously at the earliest stages. Guidance on how to produce a universal customer service policy in the context of the energy provision industry in Ireland is currently under development and when published will provide a framework for developing a customer service policy that meets the needs of the widest range of users possible.

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Identify legal requirements (high priority)Staff should have a full appreciation of the legal requirements of meeting (and failing to meet) the needs of customers, in particular those with specific requirements such as persons with disabilities..

Consult with customers When developing customer service strategies or product information, consult with consumer groups and customers representing a wide range of users needs. Specific guidance on consulting with persons with disabilities and their representative organisations consultation can be found in the National Disability Authority guidelines ‘Ask Me: Guidelines for Effective Consultation with People with Disabilities’.

Develop a customer service handbookA customer service handbook is an internal document for the use of management, maintenance personnel and new staff to ensure consistency in the quality of the service the organisation provides to all customers. This can be presented as a sub-section of a larger employee handbook or a policy and procedures manual.

It should include the following: The overall universal customer service policy.

Universal customer service policies and procedures for each area of operation. For example, premises that are open to the public, telephone support lines, electronic communications (websites, email, etc.), products with particular universal design features, procedures for addressing customers with specific needs.

Contact details of members of staff who will act as the point of contact for queries that require specialist knowledge such as those relating to access services so that such queries are dealt with properly and consistently.

Specify universal design in procurementsTo ensure that externally supplied products or services also meet universal design criteria, these should be specified as a requirement during the tendering or commissioning process.

Those responsible for procurements in an organisation can refer to the NDA IT Procurement Toolkit, which outlines the various stages of procurement and where universal design should be addressed.

Train staff in universal customer service

RationaleDeveloping staff competencies in universal customer service is vital to ensure that they have the knowledge, attitudes and skills to fully address all customers’ needs and give a consistently high quality of customer service. This training gives staff the opportunity to explore how their attitudes and organisational processes could be a barrier to certain customers and to good customer service in general. It can also allow staff to explore their roles and the roles of all stakeholders in creating a more accessible and usable environment for all.

It is not just the attitude, friendliness and communications skills of the general customer service representative that are important. Customers will need answers to specific questions about the universal design features of products. Customer support staff will need to be kept up to date with this knowledge.

Some customers may have very specific requirements and questions, so the option to talk to a customer service representative who is willing and able to address their specific requests

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http://www.nda.ie/Website/NDA/CntMgmtNew.nsf/0/AF4DB8120103088D80256C830060FB2F?OpenDocument

http://www.nda.ie/Website/NDA/CntMgmtNew.nsf/0/AF4DB8120103088D80256C830060FB2F?OpenDocument


can make a considerable difference. The following quotes made by customers in the survey of Irish television users carried out for these guidelines (in this case both persons with a vision impairment) illustrates two different approaches, one far more successful than the other.

“Customer service are not equipped to deal with issues that fall outside of mainstream. They pass it on to managers who do not respond.”“I found customer support quite helpful. I talked to the accessibility department who went through the process step by step to ensure that the issue was sorted.”– Guidelines survey respondents.


Ensure that all customer-facing staff have awareness of the diverse range of customer needs and requirments (high priority)The training all customer-facing staff and their managers receive should incorporate a significant portion of awareness raising and skills training regarding the diverse range of customers’ needs and requirements. In some cases it may be necessary to provide training to existing staff about the needs of specific customer segments such as older people and people with disabilities.

All procured services (e.g. outsourcing of administrative or HR responsibilities) and contracted staff should be aware of universal design policies and procedures and their staff should receive relevant training.The National Disability Authority has developed Guidelines for Purchasers of Disability Equality Training to assist organisations with the development of their disability equality training programme. The Guidelines set out for purchasers what to look for in a trainer, how the trainer might work with the organisation and the broad content of disability equality training programmes.

Assign responsibilities to staff members and advertise these within the organisation (high priority)Roles and responsibilities relating to specific and specialist customer service toles, such as providing advice on access services) should be identified and assigned to relevant members of staff.In larger organisations, more than one member of staff may be required. It can be helpful to develop an internal working/cross functional team of staff responsible for universal design matters.

All staff who deal with customers should be made aware of these roles and should know who they should refer to when receiving specialised requests from customers.

Outsourced services and contracted staff should also be made aware of universal design policies, procedures and responsible staff members.

Ensure that customer-facing staff are aware of universal design features of productsCustomer support staff should be kept up to date with knowledge about the full range of design features that enable all customers to use the service and limitations of products and any special adaptations or services that are available for people with particular requirements.

How you could test for thisThe effectiveness of staff training in universal customer service can be assessed by running a mystery shopping exercise. This involves representative customers with a wide range of

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abilities, disabilities, size and age interacting with customer facing staff and reporting their experiences.It would seek to judge all relevant aspects of the service quality, such as:

The ability of staff to communicate effectively with customers with limited experience or ability in using technology, from different age demographics or who have impairments that affect communication;

Staff knowledge of the universal design features of products and services;

The accessibility and usability of information provided to customers; The ability of staff to deal efficiently and courteously with all customers regardless of

their age, ability, disability or size.

Ensure that public premises are accessible to and usable by all customers

RationaleIf a customer or potential customer is unable to access and use a retail premises, they are likely to be disinclined or unable to purchase the products and services it provides. A building that is inviting and designed to be comfortable in its use by the widest range of people possible is critical to enabling as many customers as possible to buy new products and service or retain existing customer loyalty.


Follow universal design guidance for buildings (high priority) [The National Disability Authority publication ‘Building for everyone: Inclusion, access and use’ contains detailed guidance on all aspects of universal design of the built and external environment. The key issues for consideration are covered by this set of guidance documents, including the following: Management: Access handbook, access and safety, responsibilities and commitment Transport: Getting to the building, location, set down areas External Environment: car parking, routes, ramps, steps and doors Vertical and Horizontal Circulation: steps and stairs, lifts, corridors and internal doors Facilities: reception, toilets, seating areas, changing rooms, restaurants and

refreshments Interior Design: lighting, colour and contrast, fixtures Evacuation: emergency equipment, alarms, signage, evacuation equipment, evacuation

plans Communication Facilities: signage, telephones, tactile features, acousticsMore detailed information on buildings accessibility is available on the built environment section of this website.This content to update in light of the new BfE]Building regulations concerning access should be complied with. These cover physical layout, signage, maintenance and cleaning practices, presence of customer service representatives, and so on.

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http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/builtenvironment

http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/builtenvironment


In Ireland, ‘Part M of the Building Regulations’ is the collective term used to refer to the regulations that address access to and use of the built environment. Existing buildings must comply with the Building Regulations 1997 – 2010. Design specifications can be found in ‘Technical Guidance Document M: Access for People with Disabilities 2000’. Buildings built on or after 1st January 2012 must comply with ‘Building Regulations (Part M Amendment) Regulations 2010’. The new design specifications for these regulations can be found in ‘Building Regulations 2010: Technical Guidance Document M: Access and Use’.

Use appropriate means to communicate with customers

RationaleFor communication to be successful, it has to be provided through an appropriate channel, in an appropriate format and with appropriate content. This applies to all types of communication between the organisation and the customer, including advertising or promotional material, information on a website, any form of communication that is used for ordering, setting up an account, billing, customer support and complaints procedures.Meeting the needs of all customers involves giving choice. Information provided through a range of channels (e.g. post, telephone, text message, email and online) and in a range of formats (e.g. electronic, print, large print, easy to read, Braille) is more likely to cater for the needs and preferences of all customers.

“My bill is accessible! It’s either available in Braille or online.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

A person with a hearing impairment may not be able to hear spoken or audible information.

“I indicated that I was deaf, and to text me. They called my phone several times trying to confirm the order!”– Guidelines survey respondent.

Written or printed information may not be accessible to a customer with a vision impairment.

“They refuse to provide information in Braille but are happy to send the bills in print.”– Guidelines survey respondent.

Information which is overly technical or not stated in clear language may not be understandable by a customer with limited experience of using technology, low literacy or an intellectual disability.

“There’s so much information and detail on the TV bill it's hard to work out how much it actually costs.”“If it was more plain English. Just ordinary words. You don’t have to have all the big words.”“When you have to ring up they ask you a number and it gets confusing. You have to remember a big long number. You’re waiting a long time. If you hang up you’re back to square one again.”– Guidelines survey respondents.

Organisations can ensure that information in digital format, for example on a website or in an email, can be used and understood by all customers by following the recognised accessibility and usability guidelines. Given a well designed, accessible website, individual customers can easily transform it to meet their needs by resizing the text, changing the colours, having it read out as speech or converting it to Braille. This is much more difficult with printed information. However many organisations with large customer bases now offer to provide general and customers specific information such as bills in a range of formats.

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Make information easy to understand (high priority)Wherever possible, written information should be communicated using clear, concise, non-technical language, according to Plain English guidelines. This approach uses short sentences and avoids jargon and complicated words or phrases.Customer service representatives should be able to describe technical terms in a non-technical way.

Provide a choice of communications channels and information formats (high priority)Information should be provided through a range of channels (e.g. post, telephone, text message, email and online) in order to cater for the needs and preferences of all customers.

This also applies to communications from the customer to the organisation, through forms or ordering facilities. For example, if a customer is unable to complete a printed form, they can be given the option to provide their details over the telephone.If providing a range of alternative formats of all communication material is not feasible or will take time to organise, start by identifying the key communications (e.g. order forms, bills) and provide those in as many formats as is deemed necessary.

Make digital and online information usable and accessible (high priority)Web-based information and interactive services should be made accessible and usable to all customers. By carefully following the guidelines the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) from the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI),it is possible to make the contents of a website maximally accessible to almost all users, without compromising its design and functionality. The result will be a flexible format that individual customers can transform to meet their needs by resizing it, changing the colours, accessing it on different devices, having it read out as speech or converting it to Braille.

No equivalent set of international guidelines exist for usability. However there are many resources on usability on the web including Jacob Nielson usability heuristics.

Information and communications provided through other digital channels, such as telephone and information kiosks, should be made universally accessible by following the Irish National IT Accessibility Guidelines which includes specific guidance on telecoms and public access terminals.Electronic forms of communication, such as the organisation’s website (including all online ordering facilities) should be tested for accessibility and usability. This testing can take the form of an audit or user testing with a wide range of users. An audit can be conducted on all key sections of the website to ensure that they adhere to the relevant web accessibility guidelines and usability heuristics. The CEUD provides guidelines on web accessibility auditing.

Adopt a widely accessible standard format for printed informationProvide printed information in a range of formats, such as standard print, large print, easy to read and Braille according to the needs and requests of your customers. Information on accessible formats can be found in The NDA publication First Steps in Producing Accessible Publications.

The need to supply alternative formats can be minimized by choosing a standard format that is accessible without modification to the largest number of people, within the constraints of branding, marketing considerations and production costs.

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http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/ict/irishnationalitaccessibilityguidelines/publicaccessterminals

http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/ict/irishnationalitaccessibilityguidelines/publicaccessterminals

http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/ict/irishnationalitaccessibilityguidelines/telecoms

http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/ict/irishnationalitaccessibilityguidelines

http://www.universaldesign.ie/useandapply/ict/irishnationalitaccessibilityguidelines

http://w3.org/WAI


Aim for clarity at all time when choosing a typeface or designing a layout. If in doubt, keep it simple. An appropriate standard format may, for example:

use a font size that is easily read by the widest range of users possible. Depending on the typeface used, 12 point could be considered as the minimum type size for standard format. 14 point is commonly used, so more people can access the standard format. Print above 16 point is considered to be large print. Be printed on matte finish paper, not glossy;

Use a good contrast with a plain background for text;

Be written in easy to read language, using a mixture of text and graphics.

For more detailed guidance, see the Plain English and Make it Clear guidelines.

Record information about customers’ preferred formats for communicationsProviding a way for customers to state their preferred methods and formats for communication can alleviate the need for repeated requests for alternative formats and help to inform future universal design planning. This can be done during a sign up period or through a mechanism where customers can set their own preferences or provide feedback on how well communications meet their needs.

How you could test for thisDigital and online information can be tested for accessibility and usability by either auditing or user testing. An accessibility audit can be conducted on all key sections of a website to ensure that they adhere to the relevant web accessibility guidelines. The Centre for Excellence in Universal Design provides guidelines on web accessibility auditing which describe how to commission and what outputs to expect.

Where possible, provide personal assistance

RationaleMost people wish to maintain their independence. If a service requires that a family member or friend be present in order to successfully install or alter equipment, this challenges a person’s independence and dignity. The option for a customer to have a representative call to their house can be invaluable.

When dealing with customer service queries by phone, the customer is often required to carry out a task (e.g. plug out a cable, switch on and off a piece of equipment) according to spoken instructions. Notwithstanding the difficulty of giving instructions to a person lacking the familiar range of abilities, following those instructions can cause considerable difficulties for some people.

“I find I need someone else on hand to unplug etc. while following instructions.”“Impossible for a blind person to do so without sighted assistance.”– Guidelines survey respondents.

A call out from a service engineer can be invaluable.

“The service guys were great and tried to help me as best they could with totally inaccessible equipment.”“The engineer did everything. He also went through the remote control with me and explained how it worked.”

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– Guidelines survey respondents.


Offer a callout in cases where the customer is unable to follow instructions given by phone or other meansIf callouts are provided as an alternative to other inaccessible channels of communication, flexibility should be provided in the timing of call-outs and it should be possible for people to get assistance outside of office hours for customers who are working.

Ensure that customers are aware of the universal design features of products and services

RationaleUniversal design features are selling points that need to be promoted so that those customers or potential customers who would benefit from them are aware of them and how they may benefit from them. This is illustrated by early experiences with audio description in the UK reported by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB). During the first seven years of audio description availability on Freeview, sales of the single compatible set-top box were disappointing. According to RNIB, this was not due to a lack of demand or need for audio description, but to low awareness of the service and of this product. Poor sales are not necessarily an indication of lack of demand but may actually be due to fact that customers simply didn’t know that the product exists.

“My digital TV provider has a Disability service. It was useful in telling me what future programs were about to be available in audio description, it should be more widely advertised.”“I didn’t really know there was help available.”– Guidelines survey respondents.


Highlight universal design features within product informationUniversal design features should be highlighted wherever a product or service is described. For example, in promotional mail shots, information included with bills or on shop displays and marketing literature.Retailers and customer service staff should be fully aware of universal design features.

Informing representative organizations for older people and people with disabilities can also help because these organizations communicate directly with the target group and are often also a point of contact for people looking for information about what is available.A dedicated section on the company website can list product features that meet the needs of specific user groups as well as available alternatives for service provision, such as large print or Braille billing for example.

Label productsClear labelling of products should be used to help both consumers and suppliers. A labelling scheme that allows manufacturers to easily display information about the universal design features of a product will not only help potential customers to choose suitable products, but also help to develop the market for these products by increasing awareness.

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http://www.culture.gov.uk/Convergence/submissions/seminar5/RNIB-CTT-Convergence-and-accessibility.rtf


How you could test for thisCustomers can be regularly surveyed to find out whether they are aware of the universal design features of products that would benefit them. Suitable questions can be included within existing marketing surveys.

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Supporting Materials

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Television Viewers’ Experiences: Case Studies

The following case studies were developed using information received from users during the survey of Irish television users. While the quotes are actual, the peoples’ descriptions have been changed to protect their anonymity.

Case Study 1: A lot of things can be too complicatedUna is a 69 year old woman who lives alone. She receives Digital TV into her home from one of the two major Irish pay-TV service providers and has experienced a few difficulties. She uses the Electronic Programme Guide but feels that it could be easier:

“A bit crowded. It could be laid out better.”She particularly likes the ability to record programmes, but found it difficult at first:

“I find it great but a bit hard to get used to at the beginning.”Una was pleased that the installation of the service was very efficient and easy, but she has difficulty with her billing:

“So much information and detail, it’s hard to work out how much it actually costs.”

When she called customer services with a query, she didn’t like the automated response:

“The usual menu to direct and redirect your call. I am not a great fan of this. I would prefer to get through to a person instead of a machine!”

Case Study 2: Audio description reveals the plotTina is a 45 year old Irish woman who has been blind since her late 20’s. Her television provider doesn’t offer audio description, but she has heard it and thinks it’s fantastic, so she is considering switching to another provider. Despite the lack of audio description, Tina is a keen TV watcher and a big fan of the British soap opera Coronation Street, which she is able to understand mostly from the dialogue. Until it comes to the crucial cliff-hanger ending ...

“I watch Coronation Street three or four times a week. I’m an avid follower of the soap's machinations and drama but as a blind person I find the cliff hanger endings completely frustrating. Each week at the end there is a dramatic scene without any dialogue, then the theme tune comes on and I’m left without knowing what happened! I have to phone a friend or my sister who can explain to me what the ending was. Audio description would be so welcome.”

Case Study 3: Deaf customer faces multiple issuesEmer is a 38 year old woman who is deaf. When she ordered her TV service online she mentioned that she is deaf and asked that they contact her by email and/or text message. Despite this, they rang her several times:

“I indicated that I was deaf and to text me. They called my phone several times trying to confirm the order. It was handy ordering online but when customer service refuses to respond via emails etc. it’s mind boggling. “I had a different service provider before, they had excellent customer service but my new provider is a shambles.”

She arranged a time for an installer to call and took time off work to be at home, but the installer didn’t turn up when they said they would.

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“They didn't come when I expected; wasted two days off work.”Emer relies on subtitles but can’t find reliable information about which programmes are subtitled:

“The new one is not as clear as the old provider, I don't know which programmes are subtitled.”

Having paid extra money to subscribe to HD channels, she is annoyed to find that subtitles are not available on them:

“I wish my service provider would stop making excuses about being unable to provide subtitles on HD - if other providers can, so can you!”

And when subtitles are available, Emer sometimes finds that there are problems viewing them on recorded programmes:

“I recorded some programmes on the box but the subtitles often did not record well.”

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Legislation & regulation

This section is written largely from an Irish perspective. However, the delivery of television services in Ireland occurs not only in a national legislative and regulatory context, but within European and international contexts. A lot of this information will therefore be relevant to countries outside of Ireland, particularly other European countries.An international basis for promoting Universal Design in television services is provided by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Convention puts the universal design of information and communication technologies, including electronic services, on the same level as that of transport and the built environment. Article 30 requires signatory states to ensure that people with disabilities can access television programmes in accessible formats. The Convention also requires states to consider accessibility mandates for media, culture and leisure; to promote access for persons with disabilities to new information and communications technologies and systems; and to promote Universal Design in the development of standards and guidelines. Ireland has signed but not yet ratified the Convention. The European Union has ratified it.On a European level, in the Universal Service and Users’ Rights Directive, Article 31(1) allows Member States to impose a requirement on broadcasters to include access services (subtitles, audio description and Irish Sign Language). It also states that these requirements must be regularly reviewed. The accessibility of digital television receivers is covered under the requirements on terminal equipment in Article 23a(2) (Recital 8 of the Telecoms Framework Directive makes this clear). This requires Member States to encourage the availability of terminal equipment offering the necessary services and functions for disabled end-users.The Audiovisual Media Services Directive, adopted by the European Parliament and the Council in December 2007 and replacing the Television Without Frontiers Directive, is the European framework for broadcasting content. In addition to traditional broadcasting, it also covers internet television, mobile television and on-demand services. The directive is weak and vague with respect to Universal Design. It only goes as far as to require Member States to “encourage media services providers under their jurisdiction to ensure that their services are gradually made accessible to people with a visual or hearing disability”.

The main piece of Irish broadcasting legislation, the Broadcasting Act 2009, gives a general direction to the Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI) to provide a regulatory environment that will facilitate the development of a broadcasting sector that is accessible to people with disabilities. It mandates the BAI to administer and report on the Access Rules, requiring broadcasters to meet specific quotas for subtitling, audio description and Irish Sign Language, expressed as percentages of total broadcast time. Apart from the Access rules, there is little of direct relevance to Universal Design in the Act, aside from the ‘must-offer’ and ‘must-carry’ obligations in Section 77 which can be seen as requiring broadcasters to deliver access services to network operators (e.g. Sky satellite and UPC cable) and requiring those operators to then pass on those access services to viewers.

The Disability Act 2005 requires public bodies (e.g. RTÉ) to ensure that their services are accessible for people with disabilities by providing integrated access to mainstream services where practicable and appropriate.Another general piece of legislation covering television services is the Equal Status Act 2000-2004 which prohibits disability discrimination in the provision of goods and services to the public, whether free or charged for.

Internationally, the exemplary piece of legislation in this area is the 21st Century Video and Communications Act in the United States which was signed into law on 8 th October 2010. This is the most progressive piece of legislation yet enacted anywhere concerning television

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access. It instructs the Federal Communications Committee to define regulations to make Advanced Communications Services (including broadcast and online services) accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. This will include setting deadlines for the delivery of closed captioning and audio description by audiovisual media providers.

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Standards

A listing of relevant international standards regarding television services and consumer equipment.

WorldwideDigital Video Broadcasting Project (DVB)EBU, 17a Ancienne Route, CH-1218 Grand Saconnex, Geneva, SwitzerlandTel: +41 22 717 27 14; Fax +41 22 717 2727

Email: [email protected]; Web: www.dvb.org EN 300 743 V1.3.1 (2006) Subtitling systems (Published by the European

Telecommunications Standards Institute). DVB BlueBook A156 (2011) Addition to EN 300 743 v1.3.1 for Subtitles with Plano-

Stereoscopic Content (3D).

InterNational Committee for Information Technology Standards (INCITS)INCITS Secretariat c/o Information Technology Industry Council, 1250 Eye Street NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20005, USA.Tel: +1 202 737 8888; Fax +1 202 638 4922

Email: [email protected]; Web: www.incits.org ANSI/INCITS 389 Protocol to facilitate operation of information and electronic products

through remote and alternative interfaces and intelligent agents: Universal remote console.

International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC)3 rue de Varembé, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.Tel: +41 22 7340 150; Fax: +41 22 7333 843

Web www.iec.ch TR 62678: Audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment activities and

considerations related to accessibility and usability. Edition 1.0.

International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO)1 rue de Varembé, Case postale 56, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland.

Tel: +41 22 749 0111; Fax: +41 22 733 3430Web www.iso.ch

ISO/IEC 24752-1 (2008) Information technology - User interfaces - Universal remote console - Part 1: Framework.

ISO/IEC 24752-2 (2008) Information technology - User interfaces - Universal remote console - Part 2: User interface socket description.

ISO/IEC 24752-3 (2008) Information technology - User interfaces - Universal remote console - Part 3: Presentation template.

ISO/IEC 24752-4 (2008) Information technology - User interfaces - Universal remote console - Part 4: Target description.

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http://www.iso.ch/

http://www.iec.ch/


ISO/IEC 24752-5 (2008) Information technology - User interfaces - Universal remote console - Part 5: Resource description.

ISO/IEC Guide 71 (2001) Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons with disabilities.

ISO/IEC Guide 71.2 Guidelines to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities when developing standards.

ISO/IEC TR 19765 Information Technology - Survey of icons and symbols that provide access to functions and facilities to improve the use of IT products by the elderly and persons with disabilities.

ISO/IEC TR 19766 Information Technology - Guidelines for the design of icons and symbols to be accessible to all users, including the elderly and persons with disabilities.

ISO/IEC TR 29136-1 (2009) Information Technology -- Accessibility Considerations for people with disabilities

o Part 1: User Needs Summary

o Part 2: Standards Inventory

o Part 3: Guidance on user needs mapping

ISO IS 9241-171 Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Guidance on software accessibility. (A restructured version of ISO TS 16071).

ISO IS 9241-20 Ergonomics of human-system interaction - Accessibility guideline for information communication equipment and services - General guidelines.

ISO TR 22411 Ergonomic data and guidelines for the application of ISO/IEC Guide 71 in standards related to products and services to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities.

ISO TS 16071 Guidance on accessibility.

World Wide Web Consortium (W3C)ERCIM, 2004, route des Lucioles, BP 93, 06902 Sophia-Antipolis, Cedex, France.Tel: +33 4 92 38 75 90; Fax: +33 4 92 38 78 22

Web: www.w3.org WCAG Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.

UAAG User Agent Accessibility Guidelines.

Europe-wide

Comité Européen de Normalisation (CEN)36 rue de Stassart, B-1050 Brussels, Belgium.

Tel: + 32 2 550 08 11; Fax: + 32 2 550 08 19Email: [email protected] Web www.cenorm.be

TS 15945 (2011) Packaging – Ease of opening – Criteria and test methods for evaluating consumer packaging.

Guide 6 (2002) Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities. Equivalent to ISO/IEC Guide 71.

European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI)650 Route des Lucioles, F-06921 Sophia Antipolis Cedex, France.

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Tel: +33 4 92 94 42 00; Fax: +33 4 93 65 47 16

Web www.etsi.org DEG HF 00031 Human factors guidelines for IT products and services: Design for all.

EG 201 379: Framework for the development, evaluation and selection of graphical symbols

EG 202 048: Guidelines on the multimodality of icons, symbols and pictograms EG 202 116 (2002) Guidelines for IT products and services: Design for all.

EG 201 472: Usability evaluation for the design of telecommunication systems, services and terminals

EG 202 670: User experience guidelines for real-time communication services expressed in Quality of Service terms

EN 300 468 V1.11.1 (2010), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Specification for Service Information (SI) in DVB systems.

EN 300 472 v1.3.1 (2003), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Specification for conveying ITU-R System B Teletext in DVB bitstreams.

EN 300 707 V1.2.1 (2003) Electronic Programme Guide (EPG): Protocol for a TV Guide using electronic data transmission.

EN 300 708 V1.2.1 (2003) Television systems: Data transmission within Teletext. EN 300 743 V1.3.1 (2006), Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB); Subtitling systems.

EN 300 744 V1.5.1 (2004) Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB): Framing structure, channel coding and modulation for digital terrestrial television.

ES 200 800 V1.3.1 (2001) Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB): DVB interaction channel for Cable TV distribution systems (CATV).

ES 201 381 (1998) Telecommunication keypads and keyboards: Tactile identifiers. ES 202 432 V1.1.1 (2006) Access symbols for use with video content and ICT devices.

ES 300 640 Human Factors (HF); Assignment of alphabetic letters to digits on standard telephone keypad arrays.

ETR 345 (1997) Characteristics of telephone keypads and keyboards; Requirements of elderly and disabled people.

TR 102 520 V1.1.2 Access symbols for use with video content and ICT devices; Development and evaluation.

TR 102 988 Ver. 1.1.1 (2011) Media Content Distribution (MCD); Programme guide information distribution, situation and perspective

TR 102 989 Ver. 1.1.1 (2011) Media Content Distribution (MCD); Subtitles distribution, situation and perspectives

Canada

Canadian Standards Association (CSA)CSA International, 178 Rexdale Boulevard, Toronto, Ontario M9W 1RE, Canada.Web www.csa.ca

B480-02 (2002) Customer Service for People with Disabilities.

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Japan

Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC)1-3-1 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyou 100-8901, Japan.

Web www.jisc.org JIS S 0011: (2000) Guidelines for all people including elderly and people with disabilities

- Marking of tactile dots on consumer products. JIS S 0012: (2000) Guidelines for all people including elderly and people with disabilities

- Usability of consumer products. JIS S 0013: Guidelines for the elderly and people with disabilities - Auditory signals on

consumer products. JIS S 0014: Guidelines for the elderly and people with disabilities - Auditory signals on

consumer products - Sound pressure levels of signals for the elderly and in noisy conditions.

JIS S 0031: Guidelines for the elderly and people with disabilities - Visual signs and displays - Specification of age-related relative luminance and its use in assessment of light.

JIS X 8341-1: Guidelines for older persons and persons with disabilities - information and communications equipment, software and services - Part1: Common Guidelines.

JIS X 8341-2: Guidelines for older persons and persons with disabilities - information and communications equipment, software and services - Part2: Information processing equipment.

JIS Z 8071: Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities.

Korea

Telecommunications Technology Association267-2 Seohyeon-dong, Bundang-gu, Seongnam-City, Gyonggi-do, Korea.Tel: + 82 31 724 0114

Web: www.tta.or.kr/English/new/main/index.htm TTAS.KO-07.0050 (2007) Standard for DTV Closed Caption System.

Spain

Asociacion Espanola de Normalizacion y Certificacion (AENOR)Génova 6, 28004 Madrid, Spain.Tel: +34 914 326 000; Fax: +34 913 103 172

Email: [email protected]; Web: www.aenor.es UNE 153010 (2003) Subtitling for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Subtitling by teletext.

UNE 153020 (2005) Audio description for visually impaired people. Guidelines for audio description procedures and for the preparation of audio guides.

UNE 153030 (2008) Accessibility to digital television.

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UK

British Standards Institute (BSI)389 Chiswick High Road, London W4 4AL, UK.

Tel: +44 20 8996 9000; Fax: +44 20 8996 7400Email: [email protected] Web www.bsi-global.com

BS EN 60417:1999 Graphical symbols for use on equipment. BS EN 61603-7:2003 Transmission systems for audio and/or video and related signals

using infra-red radiation. Digital audio signals for conference and similar applications. BS 700-6 (2005) Management of Inclusive Design.

USA

American National Standards Institute (ANSI)1819 L Street NW, Washington DC 20036, USA.Tel: +1 212 642 4900; Fax: +1 202 293 9287

Web www.ansi.org ANSI/INCITS 389-2005 Protocol to facilitate operation of information and electronic

products through remote and alternative interfaces and intelligent agents: universal remote console.

Consumer Electronics Association (CEA)1919 S. Eads St., Arlington, VA 22202, USA.Tel: +1 866-858-1555 or 703-907-7600; Fax: +1 703-907-7675

Email: [email protected]; Web: www.ce.org CEA-708-D Digital Television (DTV) Closed Captioning.

Federal Communications Commission (FCC)445 12th Street, SW Washington, DC 20554, USA.Tel: +1 888 225 5322; Fax: +1 202 418 2830

Web: www.fcc.gov 47 CFR Part 7 Access to voicemail and interactive menu services and equipment by

persons with disabilities. 47 CFR Section 79.1 (2004) Closed captioning of video programming.

47 CFR Section 79.2 Access to emergency information on television. 47 CFR 79.3 Video description of video programming.

National Committee for Information Technology Standards1250 Eye Street NW, Suite 200, Washington DC 20005, USA.Tel: +1 202 737 8888; Fax: +1 202 638 4922

Email: [email protected] Web www.ncits.org Alternative Interface Access Protocol.

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http://www.fcc.gov/


United States Access BoardUnited States Access Board, 1331 F Street, NW, Suite 1000, Washington, DC 20004-1111, USA.Tel: +1 202 272 0080; Fax: +1 202 272 0081

Email: [email protected]; Web: www.access-board.gov 47 CFR Part 7 Access to voicemail and interactive menu services and equipment by

persons with disabilities. 47 CFR Section 79.1 (2004) Closed captioning of video programming.

47 CFR Section 79.2 Access to emergency information on television.

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References & Bibliography

A listing of publications referred to within the text or that provided significant input into the creation of these guidelines.

General guidelines1 INTECO (Instituto Nacional de Tecnologias de la Comunicación), Spain, 2009, Digital

Terrestrial Television (DTT) Accessibility Recommendations.2 Consumer Expert Group, 2006, Digital TV Equipment: Vulnerable Consumer

Requirements.3 Trisha O’Connell (WGBH NCAM) & Mark Magennis (NCBI CFIT), 2009, G3ict e-

Accessibility Policy Toolkit for Persons with Disabilities: Television.4 Royal National Institute of Blind People, Submission to Think Tank on Convergence at

the Department of Culture, Media and Sport: How do we achieve accessibility in a converged world?

5 Dr. Ruth-Blandina M. Quinn, Broadcasting Commission of Ireland, 2003, Accessing Television.

Consumer equipment6 EICTA (now DigitalEurope), 2007, Digital TV e-Accessibility requirements.7 EICTA (now DigitalEurope), 2007, Industry Self-Commitment, to improve the

accessibility of digital TV receiving equipment sold in the European Union, Brussels, November 30, 2007.

8 World Blind Union, 2011, WBU User Requirements for Television Receiving Equipment.9 Royal National Institute of Blind People, 2009, Text on screen guidelines for television

audiences with a sight problem.10 Chris Schmidt and Tom Wlodkowski, WGBH National Centre for Accessible Media

(NCAM) , 2003, Developer's Guide to Creating Talking Menus for Set-top Boxes and DVDs.

11 W. Bradley Fain, Georgia Tech Research Institute, 2004, An analysis of a survey of 402 participants with disabilities focusing on universal design features found in common consumer products.

Remote controls12 Dr Jonathan Freeman, Dr Jane Lessiter, Andrea Miotto and Eva Ferrari, i2 media

research Ltd. & Department of Psychology, Goldsmiths, University of London, on behalf of the Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, 2008, A comparative study of remote control devices for digital TV (DTV) receivers.

13 Digital TV Group (DTG), 2008, D-Book v6.0 Chapter 25: Remote Control Design and Features.

14 Cardiac Project, 2009, Guidelines on remote controls.

15 Dr Jonathan Freeman & Dr Jane Lessiter, i2 media research Ltd, on behalf of Ofcom, 2007, Easy to use digital television receivers: remote control buttons and functions used by different types of consumer.

Page 118 of 121

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/tv-research/dso.pdf

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/tv-research/dso.pdf

http://www.cardiac-eu.org/guidelines/remote.htm

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/pdf_documents/i2_BERR_DTV-remote-controls.pdf

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/pdf_documents/i2_BERR_DTV-remote-controls.pdf

http://accessibility.gtri.gatech.edu/library/GT%20UD%20Survey%20Data%20Analysis.doc



http://ncam.wgbh.org/invent_build/analog/talkingmenus

http://ncam.wgbh.org/invent_build/analog/talkingmenus

http://www.rnib.org.uk/professionals/Documents/Text_on_Screen_Guidelines.doc

http://www.rnib.org.uk/professionals/Documents/Text_on_Screen_Guidelines.doc

http://www.worldblindunion.org/en/our-work/campaigns/Documents/WBU%20Access%20to%20TV%20equipment%20user%20requirements_consultation%20draft%20-2011%2003%2010.doc



http://www.e-accessibilitytoolkit.org/toolkit/technology_areas/television

http://www.e-accessibilitytoolkit.org/toolkit/technology_areas/television

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/pdf_documents/publications/digtv_equipment-march06.pdf

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/pdf_documents/publications/digtv_equipment-march06.pdf

http://www.inteco.es/file/snb-6ZR2I2DaXKiMJlkT_g

http://www.inteco.es/file/snb-6ZR2I2DaXKiMJlkT_g


Spoken output16 International Electrotechnical Commission, Text To Speech For Television - Part 1:

General requirements.17 DigitalEurope, 2010, Text-to-Speech for TV: Specification version 0.68.

18 Digital TV Group (DTG), 2009, Implementation Guidelines and Recommendations for Text-to-Speech v.1.4.

Documentation19 National Disability Authority, 2005, First Steps in Producing Accessible publications.20 National Adult Literacy Agency, 2008, Plain English guidelines at a glance.

21 National Adult Literacy Agency, Simply Put.

Access services22 Peter Olaf Looms, 2010, The case for DTV access services, EBU Technical Review.

23 Peter Olaf Looms, 2010, The production and delivery of DTV access services, EBU Technical Review.

24 Peter Olaf Looms, 2010, The future of DTV access services, EBU Technical Review.25 DTV4All project, 2008, Detailed Work Plan for the full-scale Deployment of Mature

Access Services.26 DTV4All project, 2010, Final Report on Pilot Services part 1.

27 DTV4All project, 2010, Final Report on Pilot Services part 2.28 DTV4All project, 2008, A Shortlist of Emerging Access Services.

29 DTV4All project, 2010, Interim Report on Expert User Tests.30 DTV4All project, 2010, 2nd Phase Emerging Access Service Demonstrators.

31 DTV4All project, 2010, Final Report on Expert User Tests of Emerging Access Services.

Captioning32 BBC, 2009, Online Subtitling Editorial Guidelines V1.1.

33 The Described and Captioned Media Program & the National Association for the Deaf, 1994, Captioning Key.

34 Independent Television Commission, 1999, ITC Guidelines on Standards for Subtitling.35 Canadian Association of Broadcasters English-language Working Group on Closed

Captioning Standards, 2008, Closed Captioning Standards and Protocol for Canadian English Language Television Programming Services.

36 WGBH Media Access Group, 2002, Captioning FAQ.37 Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (formerly Broadcasting Commission of Ireland), 2007,

BCI Guidelines – Subtitling.38 Mary Carroll and Jan Ivarsson, European Association for Studies in Screen, Translation,

1998, Code of Good Subtitling Practice.39 Ipsos UK for Ofcom, 2005, Subtitling - An Issue of Speed?

40 Rander, Anni and Peter Olaf Looms, DR, 2010, The accessibility of television news with live subtitling on digital television. Pages 155-160. Proceedings of the 8th international interactive conference on Interactive TV & Video, Tampere, Finland June 09 - 11, 2010. ISBN 978-1-60558-831-5.

Page 119 of 121

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/tv-research/subt.pdf

http://www.transedit.se/code.htm

http://www.bai.ie/pdfs/access_sub_guidelines.pdf

http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/services/captioning/faq/sugg-styles-conv-faq.html

http://www.cab-acr.ca/english/social/captioning/captioning.pdf

http://www.cab-acr.ca/english/social/captioning/captioning.pdf

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/uploads/ITC_Guidance_on_Standards_for_Subtitling.doc

http://www.dcmp.org/captioningkey/index.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/guidelines/futuremedia/accessibility/subtitling_guides/online_sub_editorial_guidelines_vs1_1.pdf

http://dea.brunel.ac.uk/dtv4all/ICT-PSP-224994-D36r.pdf

http://dea.brunel.ac.uk/dtv4all/ICT-PSP-224994-D35.pdf



http://dea.brunel.ac.uk/dtv4all/ICT-PSP-224994-D25p2.pdf




http://tech.ebu.ch/news/the-future-of-dtv-access-services-01dec10

http://tech.ebu.ch/webdav/site/tech/shared/techreview/trev_2010-Q3_Access-Services2.pdf

http://tech.ebu.ch/webdav/site/tech/shared/techreview/trev_2010-Q2_Access-Services1.pdf

http://www.simplyput.ie/

http://www.nala.ie/catalog/plain-english-guidelines-glance

http://www.nda.ie/cntmgmtnew.nsf/0/D76D0A507137FD65802570C100348FD5?OpenDocument




41 Carl Jensema, 1998, Viewer reaction to different television captioning speeds, American Annals of the Deaf, 143(4):318–324 (1998).

42 Carl J. Jensema, Sameh El Sharkawy, Ramalinga Sarma Danturthi, Robert Burch, and David Hsu, 2000, Eye-movement patterns of captioned-television viewers, American Annals of the Deaf, 145(3):275–285 (2000).

43 D. I. Fels, J. P. Udo, P. Ting, J. E. Diamond and J. I. Diamond, 2006, Odd Job Jack described: a universal design approach to described video, Universal Access in the Information Society Volume 5, Number 1, Pages 73-81.

Audio description44 Independent Television Commission, 2000, ITC Guidelines on Standards for Audio

Description.45 The Described and Captioned Media Program & the American Foundation for the Blind,

2008, Description Key.46 Audio Description Coalition, 2009, Standards for Audio Description and Code of

Professional Conduct for Describers, 3 rd edition .47 American Council for the Blind Audio Description Project, 2009-2011, ACB/ADP Audio

Description Standards.48 Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (formerly Broadcasting Commission of Ireland), 2007,

BCI Guidelines – Audio Description.49 Royal National Institute of Blind People, 2009, Audio Description for Children.

50 N.E. Tanton, T. Ware and M. Armstrong, BBC, 2004, Audio Description: what it is and how it works.

51 Clive Miller & Nick Tanton, 2003, Audio description user requirements.52 DigitalEurope, 2009, The Provision of Supplementary Audio Streams in Broadcast

Networks.

Visual signing53 Independent Television Commission, 2002, ITC Guidelines on Standards for Sign

Language on Digital Terrestrial Television.54 Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (formerly Broadcasting Commission of Ireland), 2007,

BCI Guidelines – Irish Sign Language.

Customer service55 Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (Ireland), 1997, Quality Customer Service

(QCS) Initiative.56 National Disability Authority, Guidelines for Purchasers of Disability Equality Training.

57 David Douthit, Michael Flach and Vivek Agarwal, 2011, Accenture, A “Returning Problem” Reducing the Quantity and Cost of Product Returns in Consumer Electronics. 2011.

Viewer experiences58 Ofcom, 2009, Digital Lifestyles: Hesitants, Resistors and Economisers.

59 Evans, E. J. and Pearson, R, 2009. Boxed Out: Visually Impaired Audiences, Audio Description and the Cultural Value of the Television Image. Participations: The Online Journal of Audience Studies, 6(2).

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http://www.participations.org/Volume%206/Issue%202/evans.htm

http://www.participations.org/Volume%206/Issue%202/evans.htm

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/media-literacy/digital_lifestyles.pdf

http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-Reducing-the-Quantity-and-Cost-of-CustomerReturns.pdf

http://www.accenture.com/SiteCollectionDocuments/PDF/Accenture-Reducing-the-Quantity-and-Cost-of-CustomerReturns.pdf

http://www.nda.ie/Website/NDA/CntMgmtNew.nsf/0/645DE815F254418D802570C000555E0F?OpenDocument

http://www.onegov.ie/eng/Quality_Customer_Service

http://www.onegov.ie/eng/Quality_Customer_Service

http://www.bai.ie/pdfs/access_sl_guidelines.pdf

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/itc_publications/codes_guidance/sign_language_dtt/index.asp.html

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/itc_publications/codes_guidance/sign_language_dtt/index.asp.html

http://www.tvhelp.org.uk/access/Audio%20description%20user%20requirements.pdf

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp051.shtml

http://www.bbc.co.uk/rd/pubs/whp/whp051.shtml

http://www.rnib.org.uk/professionals/Documents/AD_for_Children_Guidelines.doc

http://www.bai.ie/pdfs/access_ad_guidelines.pdf

http://wiki.description-standards.dreamhosters.com/wiki/ACB/ADP_Audio_Description_Standards

http://wiki.description-standards.dreamhosters.com/wiki/ACB/ADP_Audio_Description_Standards

http://www.audiodescriptioncoalition.org/aboutstandards.htm

http://www.audiodescriptioncoalition.org/aboutstandards.htm

http://www.descriptionkey.org/

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/itc_publications/codes_guidance/audio_description/index.asp.html

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/archive/itc/itc_publications/codes_guidance/audio_description/index.asp.html

http://www.springerlink.com/content/c81ku577g37l4u52/

http://www.springerlink.com/content/c81ku577g37l4u52/

http://www.dcmp.org/caai/nadh130.pdf

http://www.dcmp.org/caai/nadh30.pdf


60 Professor Roberta Pearson and Elizabeth Evans, University of Nottingham, Institute of Film and Television Studies (Commissioned by the Royal National Institute of Blind People), 2008, Boxed Out: Television and people with sight problems.

61 Leen Petré and Edward Chandler, Royal National Institute of Blind People, 2009, Research into Digital Television: Analysis of a 2007 survey on the user habits and preferences of blind and partially sighted people, ISBN-10: 1444500333, ISBN-13: 978-1444500332.

62 Ofcom, 2008, People with visual impairments and communications services.

Miscellaneous63 Department for Culture, Media and Sport (UK), 2005, Report of a Digital Switchover

Technical Trial at Ferryside and Llansteffan.64 National Disability Authority, 2006, IT Procurement Toolkit.

65 Gaymu, J., Ekamper, P., & Beets, G., 2008, Future trends in health and marital status: effects on the structure of living arrangements of older Europeans in 2030. European Journal of Ageing, 5, 5-17.

66 Office for Disability Issues (ODI), 2011, Commissioning accessible video.

w_bradley_fain

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http://www.odi.gov.uk/docs/iod/com-af.pdf

http://depot.knaw.nl/3972/

http://depot.knaw.nl/3972/

http://www.accessit.nda.ie/useandapply/ict/itprocurementtoolkit

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/pdf_documents/publications/Digital_SwitchoverTrial_Report.pdf

http://www.digitaltelevision.gov.uk/pdf_documents/publications/Digital_SwitchoverTrial_Report.pdf

http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/binaries/research/tv-research/visual.pdf