TikTok is the most popular social media app that allows users to post, edit, like and share short videos on the platform. It has been downloaded over 2 million times globally. Personalised algorithms and clear, minimalist layout let users spend time on TikTok. This article will critique the TikTok app by Don Norman’s book – The Design of Everyday things.
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Ask any well dressed person walking the Manhattan streets- they probably got part their ensemble from Zara. Zara is a e-commerce website that sells clothing, accessories, shoes, beauty products and perfumes. This article attempts to critique the websites design decision using Don Norman’s book- “The Design of Everyday Things” and the 10 Usability Heuristics coined
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“Assistive Technology: Oticon More Hearing Aids” by Brianna Stamm The Oticon More hearing aid is an assistive technology designed for people with hearing loss or deafness. Oticon describes this particular model as a “revolutionary hearing aid designed to work like your brain, because it learned through experience”. The online gallery touts the offering phrase- “you can
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Smart speakers are devices that act as a loudspeaker and voice-user interface with an integrated virtual assistant. The Echo Dot is a smart speaker with Alexa, the virtual assistant technology in Echo Dot that allows interaction through voice commands. Through Alexa, users can perform various tasks by talking to their smart speakers like searching for information, creating to-do lists, and shopping on Amazon.com, among others. This post aims to evaluate how users with disabilities may interact with some features of the Echo Dot.
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The Quha Zono Mouse is an assistive technology for anyone who can’t effectively or easily use a hand-operated computer mouse. It works gyroscopically, meaning it allows the user to move the cursor on a screen with head movements. Three iterations of the mouse exist: the original Zono, the Zono 2 and the Zono X. Components
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The Nike Go FlyEase is accessible designed footwear that can be put on and taken off without any hand-held assistance. Slipping the shoe on and stepping down allows the shoe to lock into place. The shoe opens when one foot steps on the “kickstand” heel, allowing the shoe to pop up, and open. The design
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Assistive technology is a term that describes tools used by people with disabilities to accomplish tasks. For this blog entry, the assistive technology I chose to discuss is 3-D printing prosthetics design. I was introduced to this technology through PBS’s program Move to Include. (Link to 3-D prosthetics segment) Move to Include is a PBS-produced
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Read Aloud: A Text to Speech Voice Reader by LSD Software is a free text to speech (TTS) browser extension (or “add-on”) that allows internet users to hear webpages read aloud to them. Some webpages may offer an audio file in addition to the text but most do not. It is designed for any internet browser or EPUB reader to listen to written text from almost any page narrated to them. As a functional solution, Read Aloud widens the scope of both how users and which users can engage with webpages.
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The Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is a staple e-reader that offers users the ability to read and listen to books on an LED-backlit screen. While not designed for use only by disabled users, the Kindle is an assistive technology that allows for flexible usage depending on individual accessibility needs. The Weight of Reading I have a
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For people who stutter, Electronic Fluency Devices may be used to enhance fluency in speech production. These devices alter the feedback users receive when speaking to create a “choral effect, or the perception that one is speaking in unison with others,” according to the Cleveland Hearing & Speech Center. “Choral speaking has long been a method used in therapy to increase fluency or decrease stuttering.” Devices like SpeechEasy, though costly, may help people who stutter with speech fluency if desired.
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