International
Conference on Universal Access in Human-Computer Interaction
UAHCI 2001
jointly with HCI International 2001,
Vol. 3, pp. 31-35, August 5-10, 2001, New Orleans, LA, USA
Designing Internet-based Systems and Services for All: Problems and Solutions
Koutsabasis Panayiotis*, Darzentas Jenny S.*, Abascal Julio**, Spyrou Thomas*, Darzentas John*
*
Univ.
of the Aegean, Dept of Product &
Systems Design Engineering, Ermoupolis,
Syros, Greece, GR-84100, Email: {kgp, jennyd, tsp, idarz}@aegean.gr
**
Laboratory of Human-Computer Interaction for Special Needs, The University of
the Basque Country, Donostia, Spain, E-mail: julio@si.ehu.es
Abstract:
Most current electronic services do not address the breadth of design issues necessary to comply with ‘design-for-all’ concepts, despite the fact that various design-for-all tools are available. One important reason for this gulf seems to be that most of the aforementioned work has not been provided to designers and Information Technology (IT) industry in a form that can enable them to easily include it in their design processes. This paper argues that design-for-all practical tools and methods need to be presented to designers, in an easily understandable and applicable manner, which will be generic enough to cover a wide range of requirements. The paper illustrates some of the obstacles preventing designers of Internet based systems and services from designing for all and suggests the need for a design aid environment that would bring the results from this work within the reach of designers.