Mobile Phones Accessibility Discussion Axel Leblois, G3ict November 1, 2010 Odessa

Slide 2 Three Tenets of Universal Design 1. User centered: Recognizing the range of different capabilities and skills, past experiences, wants and opinions within the population 2. Population aware: Understanding the quantitative population statistics is vital to inform design decisions 3. Business focused: Achieving profitability in the commercial context and sustainability in the public context

Slide 3 The Raku Raku Story  NTT DoCoMo Market Situation in 2001  Overall penetration of cell phones in Japan: 82.6%  NTT DoCoMo market share: 51%  Opportunity: rate of utilization decreases significantly with age (90+% aged 20 to 50; less than 30% above 70)  Decision to tackle issue across organization, products and services  Adoption of Universal Design principles  Cell phone handsets, stores & services

Slide 4 Source: NTT DoCoMo presentation at ITU – UNESCAP meeting in Bangkok, August 26, 2009

Slide 5 Example of “Raku Raku” Accessible and Assistive Features and Services  A large screen with large characters  Dedicated buttons to call certain pre-recorded numbers automatically  “Read aloud” menus and text  Voice input text messages and  Access to a network of talking books (Bibulio- net, 12,395 titles as of March 2009) with an integrated DAISY player  An optional bone conductor receiver to transmit sound waves directly from bone to nerve

Slide 6 Initiative Launched September 2001  How many Raku-Raku phones have been sold by NTT DoCoMo in Japan since then?

Slide 7 Initiative Launched September 2001  How many Raku-Raku phones have been sold by NTT DoCoMo since then? 15 Million!

Slide 8 The Raku Raku  A real world story involving a leading telecommunications company  When marketing discipline meets accurate demographic statistics  Illustrates the power of Universal Design to address the needs of persons with disabilities

Slide 9 The Demographic Challenge: Data Analysis and Awareness Raising for Policy Development “People with disabilities are often invisible in official statistics” Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2006, UNESCO

Slide 10 Beyond PWDs: 57% of Microsoft Windows Customers Use its Accessibility Features 57% of computer users (age in the US) are likely or very likely to benefit from accessibility features 1 in 4 users experiences a visual difficulty. 1 in 4 experience pain in wrists or hands. 1 in 5 has a hearing difficulty. Study commissioned by Microsoft, Conducted by Forrester Research in 2003 Not likely to benefit 43% Very likely to benefit 17 % Likely to benefit 40%

Slide 11 Mobile Phones and Services Accessibility  Basic accessibility features are easy to implement, and exist today:  Ergonomic design  Adaptive display and sound  Hearing aid compatibility  New handset technology includes:  Text to Speech, voice recognition  Scanner capability  GPS – triangulation positioning  Bone sound conduction  Remote services  Emergency services  Digital libraries  E-Government services  Blue tooth proximity services

Slide 12 Policy Alternatives  Private sector initiative (Japan)  Voluntary multi-stakeholder negotiation (France)  Strict regulation (Canada)

Slide 13 Accessibility Charter among Mobile Operators – France Case Study  Government, users, operators sign charter in 2005  Voluntary program with milestones and monitoring for implementing features with defined priorities: 1.Necessary features 2.Comfort features 3.Desirable new features and evolution 4.Marketing codification of accessibility features

Slide ,000 Brochures Circulated

Slide 15 Accessibility Features Codification

Slide 16 France Case Study - Results  Each operator offers between 10 and 20 accessible handsets in 2009  Specialized point of sales with trained personnel  New services launched (News in sign language, accessible city and accessible mobile tourism web sites etc.)

Slide 17 Accessibility and Assistive Features for Mobile Phones

Slide 18

Slide 19 Basic Hearing Accessibility Features  Visual alerts to notify the user of incoming calls/messages  Adjustable volume control  Display of missed, received or dialed calls through call logs  Visual or tactile indicators showing what has been pressed on the keypad, and visual display of text  Text based messaging options  SMS to Avatar translation for deaf illiterate (Tunisia)  One on one video for sign language communications

Slide 20 SMS and Sign Language

Slide 21 Vision – Basic Accessibility Features  Tactile markers to help orient fingers on the keypad  Audible or tactile feedback to confirm a button has been pressed  Adjustable font sizes  Audible cues for low battery, caller waiting or ending a call and volume level  Adjustable brightness/contrast controls for the display  The size of the main display  Backlit display

Slide 22 VocalisationVocalisation

Slide 23 Speech – Basic Accessibility Features  Text Messaging/SMS   Instant Messaging  Multi-media Messaging  Predictive Text  Re-use of personalized SMS messages  Video one on one for sign language

Slide 24 DexterityDexterity  Ability to use the phone in 'hands-free' mode  Predictive text input  Call answered by pressing any key  Voice recognition for dialing or accessing features within the phone  No pinching, twisting or rotation of the wrist needed  Candy bar design to avoid extra movements (that a phone with a folding or sliding design requires)  Flat back on the phone to allow for operation on a table top rather than having to be held  Optional accessories such as a Bluetooth headset or keyboard making texting and talking much easier

Slide 25 CognitionCognition  Menus and instructions clear and simple to understand  Providing simple instructions when something is required from the user  Providing enough time for people to enter the required information  Ability to associate photos with telephone numbers Other features that may be useful include:  Having a choice between audio, visual or vibrating alerts to let users know when they're receiving a call  Keys provide audio, visual and tactile feedback when pressed  Popular functions such as placing a call controlled by repeating pre- recorded voice commands  Help menus designed to anticipate the information being sought  Keypad shortcuts to make every step quick and efficient

Slide 26 Customer Service Features

Slide 27 What the Future Holds 