Object Manipulation Using Speech Interaction to Support People with Physical Impairments

Komal, Farkhandah Aziz (2023) Object Manipulation Using Speech Interaction to Support People with Physical Impairments. Doctoral thesis, Birmingham City University.

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Text Farkhandah Aziz Komal PhD Thesis published_Final version_Submitted Sept 2022_Final Award Dec 2023.pdf - Accepted Version Download (3MB)

Abstract

Speech input presents an alternative interaction approach that can make creative visual design more inclusive for people with physical impairments. Three core studies were conducted to explore this area further. The first focused on object positioning using three speech-controlled approaches: Speed Control; Location Guides; and Positional Guides. An evaluation with 25 non-disabled participants highlighted a preference for Location Guides which was found to be more usable, efficient, and accurate in positioning objects. A follow-up study with 6 participants who have physical impairments was conducted and validated that Location Guides could support people with physical impairments in accurately positioning digital assets.

A second study investigated object resizing via a prototype that enabled users to alter the size of digital assets using voice-controlled transformation handles. The system was evaluated with 12 non-disabled participants and was found to provide an effective approach for resizing objects, although usability issues were identified. To address these challenges, three new voice-controlled object resizing techniques were developed: NoSnap; UserSnap; and AutoSnap. These approaches were evaluated with 25 participants who have physical impairments where results found that AutoSnap was more efficient, accurate, and usable for resizing assets.

The final study explored the rotation of digital objects via speech input – an elicitation study was conducted with 12 participants having physical impairments to capture rotation voice commands. Findings informed the design of a speech-based prototype for object rotation that was evaluated with 12 participants with physical impairments who were able to successfully rotate digital assets, although some interaction challenges were highlighted. This led to the development of three speech interaction techniques for object rotation: Baseline Rotation; Fixed Jumps; and Animation Rotation. These were evaluated with 25 participants with physical impairments where results found Animation to be more usable, efficient, and accurate than the other approaches. The contributions presented in this thesis highlight that speech input is a viable alternative method that can support people with physical impairments in effectively manipulating digital assets within a creative visual design context.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Dates:	Date Event 30 September 2022 Submitted 14 December 2023 Accepted
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Assistive Technology; Accessibility; Speech Technology; Voice Interaction; Object Manipulation; Inclusive Design.
Subjects:	CAH10 - engineering and technology > CAH10-03 - materials and technology > CAH10-03-06 - others in technology CAH11 - computing > CAH11-01 - computing > CAH11-01-04 - software engineering
Divisions:	Doctoral Research College > Doctoral Theses Collection Faculty of Computing, Engineering and the Built Environment > College of Computing
Depositing User:	Jaycie Carter
Date Deposited:	04 Mar 2024 10:22
Last Modified:	04 Mar 2024 10:22
URI:	https://www.open-access.bcu.ac.uk/id/eprint/15315

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