Emma Murphy
ABSTRACT
Visual mathematic notation provides a succinct and unambiguous description of the structure of mathematical formulae in a manner that is difficult to replicate through the linear channels of synthesized speech and Braille. It is proposed that the use of auditory cues can enhance accessibility to mathematical material and reduce common ambiguities encountered through spoken mathematics. However, the use of additional complex hierarchies of non-speech sounds to represent the structure and scope of equations may be cognitively demanding to process. This can detract from the users' understanding of the mathematical content. In this paper, a new system is presented, which uses a mixture of non-speech auditory cues, modified speech (spearcons) and binaural spatialization to disambiguate the structure of mathematical formulae. A design study, involving an online survey with 56 users, was undertaken to evaluate an existing set of auditory cues and to brainstorm alternative ideas and solutions from users before implementing modified designs and conducting a separate controlled evaluation. It is proposed that by involving a wide number of users in the creative design process, intuitive auditory cues will be implemented with the potential to enhance spoken mathematics for visually impaired users.
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Index Terms
- Designing auditory cues to enhance spoken mathematics for visually impaired users
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Reviews
Jeanine M. Meyer
Murphy et al. describe a system for communicating mathematical equations to visually impaired users using speech, augmented speech, and nonspeech sounds. Their design survey evaluates the system and investigates ideas for improvement. The paper does not include a literature review, but it does include many references. The techniques, evoking the Victor Borge comedy routine on punctuation, include spearcons, which are compressed speech, and earcons, which include beeps and upward and downward glissandos for bracketing; stereo effects are used in combination with other techniques. The system is built using Acapela Group speech synthesis (http://www.acapela-group.com/) and the irrKlang three-dimensional (3D) sound system (http://www.ambiera.com/irrklang/). The techniques are described in more detail in another paper [1]; this paper focuses on the survey. The survey involved 35 sighted users and 21 visually impaired users from three countries. The study measured how accurately the users interpreted the features using different techniques. Accuracy was judged using multiple-choice answers-sighted users were presented with visual equations; visually impaired users were presented with "the equivalent verbose lexical version based on Nemeth Mathspeak." It appears as though visually impaired users had twice the burden of sighted users, but there were situations in which their average performance was better. The study also solicited qualitative responses on what techniques worked best. As the paper notes, "a sound example of this equation is also available at http://mcg.computing.dcu.ie/amexamples"; it is worth trying. This study is a work in progress by an able team. The paper closes by noting that a usable auditory math system would serve sighted users in mobile contexts and other circumstances of situational blindness. Online Computing Reviews Service
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