Abstract:

The design and development of educational applications to enhance the learning experiences of blind and visually impaired people have improved considerably in recent years, but research suggests there is a need for further improvement. Despite the increasing prominence of accessibility features in mobile devices, barriers remain in providing efficient learning resources for these students, especially in STEM topics like mathematics. This paper discusses the design and usability evaluation of AccessMath, a mobile application designed to help blind and visually impaired primary school pupils learn mathematics. The application was developed using accessibility design guidelines, offering adjustable intrinsic brightness, multimodal feedback, a comprehensive settings panel, and intuitive swipe control functions. A usability test was carried out with five blind and visually impaired students employing a variety of metrics, such as task completion time, Usability Metric for User Experience (UMUX), NASA Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), and the System Usability Scale (SUS). The results revealed improved usability, lower cognitive load, and satisfactory user experiences, highlighting the usefulness of the implemented guidelines for designing and developing accessible mobile applications for blind and visually impaired users.

Methodology:
a) Design and Development of AccessMath (Shoaib, M. et al., 2024)
The AccessMath app was designed to focus on four essential accessibility features: changeable intrinsic brightness, multimodal feedback, user settings panel, and swipe controls. These features enable them to better use their visual skills by changing brightness and contrast to minimize dependency on visual information by audio cues. Auditory, vibro, and gestural inputs help them navigate the app easily. With the help of a user-controlled setting panel, users can customize the app extensively to their preferences.

b) Usability Evaluation:
A usability test was conducted with five blind and visually impaired users to examine the app's usability, cognitive load, and user experience. The study utilized measurements, i.e., task completion time to measure efficiency, the UMUX for perceived usability, NASA-TLX to evaluate cognitive workload, and the SUS for overall user satisfaction. Participants interacted with the app to perform the task and access the mathematical information. Later, they provided valuable feedback on the effectiveness and accessible features of the application.

c) Participant Information:
Five blind and visually impaired students were involved in this study, two males and three females. Their ages ranged from 9 to 12 years. All students had experience using mobile applications with assistive features. Ethical considerations were observed carefully, and all students were given informed consent before the study. This study has two phases (named "Design and Development of AccessMath" and "Usability Evaluation"). First, it expands existing accessibility guidelines to better suit the mobile context for blind and visually impaired users. Second, it presents empirical information on the usability and user experience of AccessMath, giving valuable insights for developers and researchers in accessible educational technology.

Keywords:

Blind, Visually Impaired, Design Guidelines, Mathematics, Education.