As Content and Layout Co-Evolve: TangibleSite for Scaffolding Blind People’s Webpage Design through Multimodal InteractionCreating webpages requires generating content and arranging layout while iteratively refining both to achieve a coherent design, a process that can be challenging for blind individuals. To understand how blind designers navigate this process, we conducted two rounds of co-design sessions with blind participants, using design probes to elicit their strategies and support needs. Our findings reveal a preference for content and layout to co-evolve, but this process requires external support through cues that situate local elements within the broader page structure as well as multimodal interactions. Building on these insights, we developed TangibleSite, an accessible web design tool that provides real-time multimodal feedback through tangible, auditory, and speech-based interactions. TangibleSite enables blind individuals to create, edit, and reposition webpage elements while integrating content and layout decisions. A formative evaluation with six blind participants demonstrated that TangibleSite enabled independent webpage creation, supported refinement across content and layout, and reduced barriers to achieving visually consistent designs.2026JLJiasheng Li et al.University of MarylandVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)Universal & Inclusive DesignTangible User Interface DesignCHI
CodeA11y: Making AI Coding Assistants Useful for Accessible Web DevelopmentA persistent challenge in accessible computing is ensuring developers produce web UI code that supports assistive technologies. Despite numerous specialized accessibility tools, novice developers often remain unaware of them, leading to ~96% of web pages that contain accessibility violations. AI coding assistants, such as GitHub Copilot, could offer potential by generating accessibility-compliant code, but their impact remains uncertain. Our formative study with 16 developers without accessibility training revealed three key issues in AI-assisted coding: failure to prompt AI for accessibility, omitting crucial manual steps like replacing placeholder attributes, and the inability to verify compliance. To address these issues, we developed CodeA11y, a GitHub Copilot Extension, that suggests accessibility-compliant code and displays manual validation reminders. We evaluated it through a controlled study with another 20 novice developers. Our findings demonstrate its effectiveness in guiding novice developers by reinforcing accessibility practices throughout interactions, representing a significant step towards integrating accessibility into AI coding assistants.2025PMPeya Mowar et al.Carnegie Mellon University, Robotics InstituteGenerative AI (Text, Image, Music, Video)Universal & Inclusive DesignCHI
Investigating the Intersection of Cultural Design Preferences and Web Accessibility Guidelines with Designers from the Global SouthCultural background influences aesthetic web design preferences, and aesthetic design impacts accessible design. However, limited research has focused on this intersection of cultural background and accessible web design. With the majority of HCI and design resources originating from the Global North, we investigated the conflicts experienced due to the cultural background of digital designers from the Global South and current web accessibility guidelines. We conducted a design activity and interview study with 10 designers from five countries in the Global South to identify how current web accessibility guidelines conflict with our participants' cultural design preferences. We found there are specific cultural challenges encountered in accessible web design, both at the design level (e.g., typography and color scheme) and within broader societal contexts (e.g., designer-client interactions). Our paper also offers suggestions from our participants to make the accessible design process more culturally inclusive by improving the web accessibility resources to become culturally customized and engaging more cultural perspectives in accessibility research and education.2025LNLaleh Nourian et al.Rochester Institute of Technology, Department of Computing and Information SciencesCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Universal & Inclusive DesignInclusive DesignCHI
DesignChecker: Visual Design Support for Blind and Low Vision Web DevelopersBlind and low vision (BLV) developers create websites to share knowledge and showcase their work. A well-designed website can engage audiences and deliver information effectively, yet it remains challenging for BLV developers to review their web designs. We conducted interviews with BLV developers (N=9) and analyzed 20 websites created by BLV developers. BLV developers created highly accessible websites but wanted to assess the usability of their websites for sighted users and follow the design standards of other websites. They also encountered challenges using screen readers to identify illegible text, misaligned elements, and inharmonious colors. We present DesignChecker, a browser extension that helps BLV developers improve their web designs. With DesignChecker, users can assess their current design by comparing it to visual design guidelines, a reference website of their choice, or a set of similar websites. DesignChecker also identifies the specific HTML elements that violate design guidelines and suggests CSS changes for improvements. Our user study participants (N=8) recognized more visual design errors than using their typical workflow and expressed enthusiasm about using DesignChecker in the future.2024MHMina Huh et al.Visual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)Universal & Inclusive DesignUser Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)UIST
AccessTeleopKit: A Toolkit for Creating Accessible Web-Based Interfaces for Tele-Operating an Assistive RobotMobile manipulator robots, which can move around and physically interact with their environments, can empower people with motor limitations to independently carry out many activities of daily living. While many interfaces have been developed for tele-operating complex robots, most of them are not accessible to people with severe motor limitations. Further, most interfaces are rigid with limited configurations and are not readily available to download and use. To address these barriers, we developed AccessTeleopKit: an open-source toolkit for creating custom and accessible robot tele-operation interfaces based on cursor-and-click input for the Stretch 3 mobile-manipulator. With AccessTeleopKit users can add, remove, and rearrange components such as buttons and camera views, and select between a variety of control modes. We describe the participatory and iterative design process that led to the current implementation of AccessTeleopKit, involving three long-term deployments of the robot in the home of a quadriplegic user. We demonstrate how AccessTeleopKit allowed the user to create different interfaces for different tasks and the diversity of tasks it allowed the user to carry out. We also present two studies involving six additional users with severe motor limitations, demonstrating the power of AccessTeleopKit in creating custom interfaces for different user needs and preferences.2024VRVinitha Ranganeni et al.Motor Impairment Assistive Input TechnologiesIntelligent Tutoring Systems & Learning AnalyticsTeleoperation & TelepresenceUIST
#A11yDev: Understanding Contemporary Software Accessibility Practices from Twitter ConversationsIt is crucial to make software, with its ever-growing influence on everyday lives, accessible to all, including people with disabilities. Despite promoting software accessibility through government regulations, development guidelines, tools and frameworks, investigations reveal a marketplace of inaccessible web and mobile applications. To better understand the limitations of contemporary software industry in adopting accessibility practices, it is necessary to construct a holistic view that combines the perspectives of software practitioners, stakeholders and end users. In this paper, we collect 637 conversations from Twitter to synthesize and qualitatively analyze discussions posted about software accessibility. Our findings observe an active community that provides feedback on inaccessible software, shares personal accounts of development practices and advocates for inclusivity. By perceiving software accessibility from process, profession and people viewpoints, we present current conventions, challenges and possible resolutions with four emergent themes: cost and incentives, awareness and advocacy, technology and resources, and integration and inclusion.2023SHSyed Fatiul Huq et al.University of California, IrvineUniversal & Inclusive DesignUser Research Methods (Interviews, Surveys, Observation)CHI
Recentering Reframing as an RtD Contribution: The Case of Pivoting from Accessible Web Tables to a Conversational Internet Design produces valuable knowledge by offering new perspectives that reframe problematic situations. Research through Design (RtD) contributes new frames along with design work demonstrating a frame’s value. Interestingly, RtD papers rarely describe how reframing happens. This gap in documentation unintentionally implies a romantic account of design, it implies that the first step of an RtD project is to have a brilliant idea. This is especially problematic in cases where the reframing causes a pivot that leads to a new research program. To help address this gap, we describe a case where through a series of three design experiments we experienced a research pivot. We describe how our work to improve web-table navigation for screen-reader users broke our frame. The break led to a new research program focused on constructing a conversational internet. This paper offers our case along with reflection on reporting design work that drives reframing.2022JZJohn Zimmerman et al.Carnegie Mellon UniversityVisual Impairment Technologies (Screen Readers, Tactile Graphics, Braille)Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC)Participatory DesignCHI