Notes from meeting with Noel on 2019-04-16

[beausmith]

Notes from meeting with Noel on 2019-04-16

Possible Action Items

• screen reader: simplify to necessary vs optional info
• should not have any "html" voice. All UI should be voting specific.
• need physical controllers for speech speed and volume.
• Button aria label: "press select to go to next contest"
• How does BMD get activated? Poll worker scans QR code.
• Add precinct number/name? too much info or necessary?
• View VO text specified in VSAP system.
• button to reset focus to start of page, "Where am i?"
• voter needs closure on every single action. data-attributes for text to read if user clicks button in various conditions.
• screen to explore keyboard - ask Noel for best practices on this screen.
• Research time between page load and first text speech.
• Audio indicator for button press and contest advance

Beau Raw Notes

• Round edges - sharp edges are offensive to visually impaired.
• Braille labels - No braille in the strike area.
• Navigation Cross

Start Screen

• Too much info is also not helpful.
• simply "2020 Election" is acceptable
• How to indicate "button"
• Add summary, then advise how to proceed.
• Add precinct,
• UI can command vs invite.
• Tap the next button to start voting.
• closure on every single action.
• add keyboard explore menu (accessibility screen)
• many may start at slow speed setting, then speed up as they get through.
• volume needs to be adjusted on the fly to match ambient noise.
• should be tactile controls for volume and rate.
• to start voting, press the X button.
• Command, vs opportunity/invitation.
• Feedback on all control presses.

Candidate Contest

• seems to be long time between page load and first text speech.
• provide intro to the page with instructions, then pause until I advance focus.
• would prefer to hear "Selected" vs "checked", Should be as voting specific as possible.
  • use buttons with updated text "Selected…"

Ben Raw Notes

• Check-in: depends on the election official.
• Vsap poll pass
• Noel has fought with LA county about constrained OCR.
• Noel feels the whole way through. Corners of controllers can hurt. Too sharp on Xbox adaptive controller. Braille labels.
• Noel likes vsap keypad design. California law requires pause key. Noel doesn't think it's a good idea for this.
• Los Angeles is not gonna right es&s patent, redesigned the keypad.
• “Where are earphones?”
• Extra buttons on controller are confusing. Directional are too small. Rocker not clear. Left hand directional is weird.
• Need Braille labeling for buttons. But only 10% use it.
• Directional should be shaped like arrows.
• Need separate speaker for reset and what not.
• Sound indicators when going to next screens.
• “Get started” means what?
• Too much text on intro screen. Audio needs to start with most important information. “Does voter need to know?”
• This shouldn't work like a computer, it shouldn't have extraneous information. User information should be very specific.
• Where is language selection?
• Don't want to read the whole screen
• Start screen: precinct number, not date.
• “To start voting, tap the next key.”
• There should be closure on every action. Button press should do something.
• People may need to change volume and speed at middle of it.
• Volume should restart with every session.
• Inclusive and other manufacturers that make controllers.
• Don't assume user knows “button”
• Watch long delays.
• Pregnant delays. :(
• Faster response. At least a click.
• Don't read the whole page.
• List number of candidates.
• For 2 button controller, maybe show the list of contests first.
• Voting specific terminology only.
• What happens when voter is lost?

[beausmith]

Documenting as issue for future reference.

[whitneyq]

Add precinct number/name? too much info or necessary?

• Necessary. It's both a point of complete information and a potential hack to change contests.

Should not have any "html" voice. All UI should be voting specific.

• Agree. This is the difference between a general screen reader and a ballot marking device voice, which is used by many different people who have different needs.

How does BMD get activated? Poll worker scans QR code.

• Anyone can scan the QR code if it's set up right, but poll worker assistance should be available for all voters.

Audio indicator for button press and contest advance

• Agree, let's talk about how this happens, because it's useful for people not using the audio as well. (And that it's lower priority)

Research time between page load and first text speech.

• Good opportunity for a "working" earcon.

Voter needs closure on every single action. data-attributes for text to read if user clicks button in various conditions.

• We have been working on spec'ng this.

Button aria label: "press select to go to next contest"

• Is this just an example of what the button would read? Best practice is "Go to next contest" without repeating the instructions. And, people using the 5-button interface would press the right arrow.

Buttons suggestions: There's lots of desire for physical buttons for things that are good to want, but I'd have to say that the more buttons we saw on a voting system controller, the more difficulty a range of users had with it. Volume and play/pause were easy to teach, but on systems that had a special button to restart a contest, no one ever found them, even when they had heard them in the opening instructions. By the time they needed them, they had forgotten. I was sad about this, but it's what happened.

A lot of this hinges on how much we can control ChomeVox.