Non-Visual Programming - Challenges and Technologies (C-Code)
Primary supervisor
Additional supervisors
- Markel Vigo
Additional information
- Raz N., Striem E., Pundak G., Orlov T., Zohary E., 2007, Superior Serial Memory in the Blind: A Case of Cognitive Compensatory Adjustment,
- Stephanie L., Mohammed A., Yuji F., Priya S., Spencer H., JBrick: Accessible Lego Mindstorm Programming Tool
- Lauren R., Richard E.L., Blocks4All: Overcoming Accessibility Barriers to Blocks Programming for Children with Visual Impairments
- Stefik A., Hundhausen C., Smith D., On the Design of an Educational Infrastructure for the Blind and Visually Impaired in Computer Science.
Contact admissions office
Other projects with the same supervisor
- Web Users with Cognitive Disabilities: Interaction Differences and Coping Strategies
- "A la carte": multimodal development of tailored dashboards
- Empirical Web Accessibility Evaluation for Blind Web Users
- Arousal and Scanpath Trend Analysis (a-STA)
- Empirical Web Accessibility Evaluation for Blind Web Users
- "A la carte": multimodal development of tailored dashboards
- Web Users with Cognitive Disabilities: Interaction Differences and Coping Strategies
- Arousal and Scanpath Trend Analysis (a-STA)
Funding
- Competition Funded Project (Students Worldwide)
This research project is one of a number of projects at this institution. It is in competition for funding with one or more of these projects. Usually the project which receives the best applicant will be awarded the funding. Applications for this project are welcome from suitably qualified candidates worldwide. Funding may only be available to a limited set of nationalities and you should read the full department and project details for further information.
Project description
Programming is a visually demanding task. Programmers tend to use Integrated Development Environments to code, debug and execute their code. These IDEs aim to simplify the task or guide developers in coding, but programming is inherently a challenging task. It is even more challenging for people who cannot see, in particular for visually disabled people who mainly rely on their screen readers for visual interaction. Previous studies, however, have also shown that visually disabled people are predisposed to cognitive tasks similar to programming. However, there are very few studies in which experiential difficulties of visually disabled programmers observed. Existing studies are typically conducted with a very small group of programmers, and more importantly, not many technologies are developed to support programming non-visually, and the technologies developed tend to be an after-thought. Present applications are based on only one type of interaction (mostly working with voice commands) or one specific kind of platform. In that sense, our primary objective in this project is to reveal the true problems that visually disabled programmers experience and address these problems with technological advancements. To achieve this primary objective, the following research questions need to be investigated:
RQ1. How do the visually disabled programmers code?
RQ2. What are the problems they experience?
RQ3. How can we address those problems systematically?
To address these research questions, the PhD candidate will have to be willing to use a multidisciplinary approach that involves:
- Observational studies and unobtrusive measures.
- Data science.
- Programming.
- Non-Visual Interaction, Audio-interfaces.
For these PhD positions, split-side PhD with Middle East Technical University Northern Cyprus Campus (METU NCC)
Person specification
For information
- Candidates must hold a minimum of an upper Second Class UK Honours degree or international equivalent in a relevant science or engineering discipline.
- Candidates will be expected to comply with the University's policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion.
- Candidates must meet the School's minimum English Language requirement.
Essential
Applicants will be required to evidence the following skills and qualifications.
- You must be capable of performing at a very high level.
- You must have a self-driven interest in uncovering and solving unknown problems and be able to work hard and creatively without constant supervision.
Desirable
Applicants will be required to evidence the following skills and qualifications.
- You will possess determination (which is often more important than qualifications) although you'll need a good amount of both.
- You will have good time management.
General
Applicants will be required to address the following.
- Discuss your final year Undergraduate project work - and if appropriate your MSc project work.
- How well does your previous study prepare you for undertaking Postgraduate Research?
- Comment on your transcript/predicted degree marks, outlining both strong and weak points.
- Why do you believe you are suitable for doing Postgraduate Research?