[CAIA A11Y Research - PILOT]: Ask VA - TTS Pilot - Form (August 2024)

[sara-amanda]

[!IMPORTANT]

• TICKET STATUS: Scheduled
• PILOT DATE: 8/2/2024 at 3 p.m. ET - Zoom link to join
• TYPES OF ASSISTIVE TECH: TTS: MacOS Voice Command (the built-in voice tool on Mac)
  • Info on AT being tested in user sessions needed, to prep and conduct pilot.
• PROTOTYPE: Staging Link
• PILOT PREP NOTES: TEMPLATE (Duplicate) and link in task list

CAIA A11y Support

This is a child ticket of the research ticket 87480 - created to track work, completed from this TTS pilot session.

[!TIP] DEFINITION OF DONE: Refer to the task list in this ticket, for actionable items.

CAIA Assignee(s)

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- @coforma-jamie - @sara-amanda

Team Info

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- Team name: Ask VA - OCTO-DE product owner: Becky Phung - Product manager: CeeCee O'Connor and Terri Hollar - Designer: Tyler Gindraux, Thomas Michaud - FE engineer: Eddie Otero, Hemesh Patel - Product/team Slack channel: #ask-va-public

Description

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**A CAIA a11y will participate as a user in a pilot of this research study.** - **Researcher**: The VFS team researcher will test their prototype and conversation guide by conducting the pilot session with a CAIA A11Y. - **User**: The CAIA A11Y team member will act as a real user in the pilot session. - **Assistive Tech**: The CAIA A11Y team member will follow the prompts given by the VFS Researcher, while using and demonstrating how the behavior of a `screen reader` would behave. ### Pilot Session - **Date:** 8/2/2024 from 3- 4 p.m. ET - MacOS Voice Command (the built-in voice tool on Mac) - **Prototype - Figma**: [Ask VA - Figma Prototype](https://www.figma.com/proto/nI0nYMdLamogjKq9t5atj8/Ask-VA-Prototype-R4-(Staging)?node-id=2001-81942&t=qOlK188ntSKlJfwi-1) - **Prototype - Staging:** [Ask VA - Staging Link](https://staging.va.gov/contact-us/ask-va-too/.) - `To be used in testing, per conversation guide.` - **[Research Convo Guide](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/ask-va/design/User%20research/07-2024%20Assistive%20tech/Form/Conversation%20guide.md)** - **[Research Plan](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/ask-va/design/User%20research/07-2024%20Assistive%20tech/Form/Research%20plan.md)**

Assistive Tech Options

[!TIP] DEVICE SUPPORT DURING RESEARCH SESSIONS

• Available AT: Screen readers on a desktop device is currently the primary source of AT that CAIA A11ys are able to support, in addition to screen magnification for user research sessions.
• Additional Specifications: If there is a particular test user, browser or operating system you would like us to use, please let us know in advance via this ticket's comments, tagging the assignee - or reach out to @coforma-terry in the CAIA Slack Channel: #sitewide-content-accessibility-ia

12 Veterans:

• minimum of 3 sessions with screen reader users
• minimum of 2 sessions with alternative navigation users
• minimum of 1 session with a screen magnification user

Recruitment Criteria

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- "We'd like to recruit people who use a mix of different screen readers, such as, [NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver (Apple) and Talkback (Android)](https://depo-platform-documentation.scrollhelp.site/research-design/testing-your-prototype-with-assistive-technology-u#Testingyourprototypewithassistivetechnologyusers-Screenreaders)." - **Source:** [Cohort 1: Screen Reader Users, Recruitment Criteria Ask VA, Research Plan](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/ask-va/design/User%20research/07-2024%20Assistive%20tech/Form/Research%20plan.md#cohort-1-screen-reader-users) - "We'd like to recruit people who use a mix of [switch systems, Dragon, Voice Control (Apple), One-handed keyboards, a head mouse, or a sip and puff device](https://depo-platform-documentation.scrollhelp.site/research-design/testing-your-prototype-with-assistive-technology-u#Testingyourprototypewithassistivetechnologyusers-Alternativenavigation)." - **Source:** [Cohort 2: Alternative Navigation Users, Recruitment Criteria Ask VA, Research Plan](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/ask-va/design/User%20research/07-2024%20Assistive%20tech/Form/Research%20plan.md#cohort-2-alternative-navigation-users) - "We'd like to recruit people who use a mix of different screen magnification software, such as, [ZoomText, ZoomText Fusion, Magnifier (Windows) and Zoom (Apple)](https://depo-platform-documentation.scrollhelp.site/research-design/testing-your-prototype-with-assistive-technology-u#Testingyourprototypewithassistivetechnologyusers-Screenmagnification)." - **Source:** [Cohort 3: Screen Magnification Users, Recruitment Criteria Ask VA, Research Plan](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/ask-va/design/User%20research/07-2024%20Assistive%20tech/Form/Research%20plan.md#cohort-3-screen-magnification-users)

Definition of Done

### A11y Tasks
- [x] **Schedule CAIA a11y:** Jamie
- [x] **Share link to [Assistive Tech Pilot Guide](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/teams/CAIA/accessibility/assistive-tech-pilot-guide.md) with team, if they haven't reviewed it yet**
- [x] **Determine date and time for pilot:** 8/2/2024 at 3 p.m. ET
- [x] **Update CAIA A11y Capacity Calendar:** Add invite for pilot, when scheduled
- [ ] **Review research** [conversation guide](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/ask-va/design/User%20research/07-2024%20Assistive%20tech/Form/Conversation%20guide.md) and provide feedback in comments.
- [x] [Request AT device and tech to be used in sessions](https://github.com/department-of-veterans-affairs/va.gov-team/blob/master/products/ask-va/design/User%20research/07-2024%20Assistive%20tech/Form/Research%20plan.md#recruitment-criteria)
- [x] [Receive AT device and tech from Team in research ticket](LINK) to be used in sessions to prep for pilot - _**CAIA and the team will determine what AT will be used in this session, specifically.**_ `MacOS Voice Command (the built-in voice tool on Mac)`
- [ ] **Review prototype** in `Staging` - `Provided via convo guide`: [Staging Link](https://staging.va.gov/contact-us/ask-va-too/.)
- [ ] **Run pilot** with VFS Researcher
- [ ] **Optional: Note Taking:** If there is only one a11y, notes cannot be taken due to pilot participation. [Pilot Notes Doc](https://docs.google.com/document/d/1_9HkULYJE4CeBmjVFf64oDRUKLSFy7no7YkPfWIiG5k/edit?usp=sharing)

[sara-amanda]

CAIA does not have Dragon - so MacOS Voice Command will be utilized.

[coforma-jamie]

Findings

• The participant initially had difficulty with voice commands ("Click 42" and "Click 41").
• Successful execution of "Click 1" indicates that some voice commands are functioning correctly.
• The participant reverted to using a mouse for certain actions, suggesting challenges or limitations with voice control.
• The screen sharing process is being actively used, with a mix of voice control and manual intervention.
• Voice control commands were partially successful, with some commands working well while others required retries or adjustments.
• The grid overlay method was used as a fallback, though it was noted to be less efficient and more time-consuming.
• Issues with interactive elements like radio buttons suggest improvements in coding or grouping may be necessary.
• The participant's familiarity with voice control challenges provided valuable insights into potential areas for enhancement.
  • Recommendation: Investigate and address issues with shadow DOM elements to improve voice control functionality.
• Enhance coding and grouping of interactive elements to ensure compatibility with voice control.
• Explore alternative voice control tools and compare their effectiveness.
• Consider user feedback to refine and optimize the navigation experience for users relying on voice control.

You can also review our full notes and reference our Slack conversation.

cc @tygindraux