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xPress: Rethinking Design for Aging and Accessibility through an IVR Blogging System

Published: 06 December 2017 Publication History

Abstract

Although many older adults are active online, certain age-related disabilities, such as late-life vision impairment, make sustaining online participation difficult. Motivated by the need for accessible online spaces for people experiencing vision impairment in older adulthood, we developed xPress, a voice-based online blogging community. Through a 10-week deployment with seven older adults with acquired vision loss, we analyze how this type of online community enables connecting with peers, sharing experiences, and offering social support in new ways. The design of xPress also highlights the importance of human voice in accessible social platforms and reveals expectations around community participation. We discuss designing for age and disability through the lens of intersectionality and offer design considerations for similar voice-based online communities.

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  • (2024)“It’s weird for the people who aren’t used to it. And I want to make it less weird”: Blindness community bloggers as legitimate voices of their lived experiencesNew Media & Society10.1177/14614448241229424Online publication date: 23-Feb-2024
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    cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
    Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction  Volume 1, Issue CSCW
    November 2017
    2095 pages
    EISSN:2573-0142
    DOI:10.1145/3171581
    Issue’s Table of Contents
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    Publication History

    Published: 06 December 2017
    Published in PACMHCI Volume 1, Issue CSCW

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    Author Tags

    1. accessibility
    2. interactive voice response
    3. older adults
    4. online community
    5. vision impairments

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    • (2024)Knocking on doors: The use of blogging sites by visually impaired people in the USA preliminary studyConvergence: The International Journal of Research into New Media Technologies10.1177/13548565241261963Online publication date: 14-Jun-2024
    • (2024)Applying intersectionality in vision impairment research: A scoping reviewBritish Journal of Visual Impairment10.1177/02646196241261626Online publication date: 27-Jul-2024
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