http://www.onlinejournal.net/afb/AW/1999/1/0/prod_eval2.html
Start of article.
A Review of IBM Home Page Reader and pwWebSpeak

Crista L. Earl, Jay D. Leventhal, and Koert Wehberg

Those shrieks coming from the computer room are not because of visiting
Alfred's Haunted House on the Internet. It is just some frustrated users
trying
to get the baseball scores, find a local restaurant's address, or listen to
some music without worrying about how each Web site was designed or
remembering
five sets of hot keys. Users frequently complain that screen readers
combined with mainstream browsers are difficult to learn to use. In the
following
evaluation, we consider these questions: Do "special" browsers give more
comprehensive access than that provided by a mainstream browser and a good
screen
reader? Are they easier to use or more efficient? Is the time spent learning
the "special" software worth the lost time not spent learning to use the
screen
reader? Have special browsers kept up with the ever-changing technology of
the Web?

We also review Home Page Reader version 2.5 from IBM and pwWebSpeak version
2.5.14 from The Productivity Works, two Web browsers designed to make
browsing
easier and more effective for visually impaired users. After you read this
review (and the sidebar, "Mainstream and Special Browsers"), you can decide
for yourself if special browsers offer more efficient and comprehensive
access and which product best suits your needs.

Beginning of Sidebar

Mainstream and Special Browsers

A mainstream application with a screen reader can be a formidable tool to
learn to use. Users who are inspired to take on the Internet with Netscape
or
Internet Explorer will need to learn conventional interface characteristics
and screen reader commands. They will also need to develop strategies for
deciphering
the visual display. These skills transfer to all other aspects of computing
and using the Internet and can be superb practice.

One factor that greatly complicates the blind user's success in accessing
information through a mainstream browser is the process by which information
is
delivered in braille or speech. When a mainstream application displays
information, it converts it into a visual version. Then the screen reader
must rearrange
the visual version into an aural or braille version. In addition, because
control of the mainstream application is designed purely around the visual
interface,
the blind user must use tricks and a great deal of knowledge to control the
application.

A "self-voicing" application (such as a special browser), by contrast,
presents its information directly in a fashion understandable to the blind
user,
and the developers design the controls with the blind user in mind. No
third-party need make any further interpretation of the information. This
approach
ought to lead to an efficient method of making the information intelligible
to the blind user. However, historically, "special" applications have had
technical
problems, such as incompatibility with certain systems, and have lagged
behind mainstream applications in the addition of innovative features.

End of Sidebar

IBM Home Page Reader 2.5

The IBM Home Page Reader (HPR) functions in conjunction with Netscape
Navigator, which handles many of the basic chores involved in connecting to
Web pages.
HPR converts the layout of a page to make it easier for a visually impaired
user to navigate. When HPR is opened, Netscape stays primarily in the
background,
but moves to the foreground to download files and to present some error
messages.

Getting Started and Getting Help

HPR's installation dialog boxes are read by a recorded human voice, so we
were able to install the software without a screen reader. The last step of
the
installation explains the steps required to set up Netscape (if Netscape is
not already installed), but the recorded voice was not available, so a
screen
reader or sighted assistance was needed for this last step. HPR's on-line
help page is displayed in the form of a Web page, so users can familiarize
themselves
with how HPR formats Web pages while they are learning to use the program.

Command Structure

HPR's command structure is based on the PC keyboard's numeric keypad. Number
keys are used for navigating a Web page, moving through menus, and changing
speech settings. The commands, including the menu structure, differ from
conventional Windows commands and from those of Windows-based screen
readers.
Thus, the beginning user has to learn a set of commands that will not
transfer to any other Windows application. HPR uses the number keys 1-9 for
navigating
through items on a Web page. Commands exist for navigating by word, item,
character, and link. HPR's settings menu contains all options that can be
changed
by the user. Here, too, the number keys are used to navigate and select the
item to be changed.

Browsing a Simple Web Page

HPR displays Web pages in text format. The pages can also be displayed in
the Netscape window, allowing a sighted user to see part of the text in the
background.
Opening a Web page, searching the Web, and searching for an item on the
current page are all initiated with the same key combination.

HPR's main display is divided into three sections: "Contents," which gives
the text version of the Web page; "Location," which gives the URL of the
current
page and a history list; and "Links," a list of all items on a page with
which the user is able to interact. The user can type a letter in the
"links"
list and jump to the first link that begins with that letter. HPR includes
frames and form elements in the links list, as well. Keys on the numeric
keypad
can be used to navigate through links in the "Contents" window. Basic text
pages, such as the New York Times page (
www.nytimes.com),
work very well with HPR.

Browsing a Complex Web Page

HPR does not support Javascript. Since Javascript is often used for online
banking and other sites that allow users to buy items, this is a major
shortcoming.
For example, Citibank's online banking page, (
https://home.da-us.citibank.com/signin/indexkiosk.htm),
which is extremely easy to use with Internet Explorer and a good screen
reader, did not work with HPR due to the lack of Javascript support.

HPR allows the user to navigate frames by presenting them as separate
sections, and a frame's content is made available only after a frame has
been chosen.
The user is given a display with the name of the frame and its number. If
users want to see links associated with a frame, they can either click on
the
frame or press a key combination, which will expand the frames on the page.
By contrast, with Internet Explorer 5.0 and a screen reader, the beginning
user can hear the content of the Web page and then move from link to link
without regard to frames. A more knowledgeable user can press Control-Tab to
move to the next frame.

HPR supports Web pages in several languages. A keystroke switches from one
language to another. If the user sets the language to "automatic," HPR will
read
the page in the correct language as it opens. However, the list of links,
forms, and messages such as "end of page" will be read in the default
language--English
in our case. IBM plans to release other versions of HPR with different
default languages.

Reading Tables

HPR's most powerful feature is reading tables. HPR reformats tables and
presents each cell as a separate item. The user can move easily through
simple tables
using normal navigation keys. For more complicated or larger tables, HPR has
a special mode that allows the user to jump to the top of the column, the
beginning of the row, and so on. It is very easy to move down any column,
read specific entries, and to find the associated heading. This special mode
also provides table summary information, so that users can ascertain the
size of the table and their current position within it.

Filling Out Forms

Simple forms such as the search form at <
www.webcrawler.com>
work easily. Forms with list boxes and radio buttons can be tedious because
each option in the list is presented as a separate item in the "Links" list.

Downloading Files

HPR allows users to navigate FTP sites, but when users try to download from
an FTP site or Web page, HPR identifies the material as "special data" and
opens
Netscape so the file can be downloaded. Because HPR does not continue
providing speech output while Netscape is handling this download, the user
will require
a screen reader or sighted assistance for this task.

Although HPR uses the computer's sound card to produce its speech, audio
files can be downloaded easily and opened with few problems. HPR does not
speak
while the audio file is playing.

pwWebSpeak

In addition to its speech capabilities, pwWebSpeak presents text in high
contrast, uncluttered screens and provides options to change font size.
These features
make it more attractive than HPR for users with some usable vision.

Getting Started and Getting Help

Installing pwWebSpeak is simple and takes less than five minutes. A screen
reader or sighted assistance is required, since the installation program
does
not speak automatically. Users have a choice of three synthesizers.
Softvoice, the default, works well with pwWebSpeak.

PwWebSpeak's user's manual is straightforward and is presented as a book
with chapters in a contents list that can be navigated as a Web page. Links
for
technical support and to the Productivity Works home page are also helpful.

Command Structure

PwWebSpeak's command structure is basic and can be learned in a very short
period of time. Many commands are assigned to function keys, and less
frequently
needed settings are accessed through one main menu. The arrow keys are used
to navigate the page. New users will find the structure simple and easy to
remember. The hot keys can be customized.

Browsing a Simple Web Page

PwWebSpeak displays a Web page in plain text. It reads the heading of a page
when it opens and can be set to read the page automatically. Links are
labeled
with the word "link" next to them. Graphics are identified as "images." On
text pages, such as the New York Times page, pwWebSpeak performs well. Its
"search
current page" command allows the user to find a specific line of text.

Browsing a Complex Web Page

Besides presenting the text of the Web page in one continuous window
accessible by pressing the down arrow, pwWebSpeak has windows for links and
forms.
This feature makes it easy for the user to jump directly to a form without
having to scroll through all preceding text. Pages with more complicated
formats
and advanced page elements proved difficult. PwWebSpeak does not support
Javascript, which makes it impossible to use certain sites, such as
Citibank's
online banking system, or to purchase items, since the program does not
support secure sockets that ensure the private, encoded transmission of
data. PwWebSpeak
also does not read the titles of frames when navigating through a page. The
user may frequently have to guess at what links belong with which frame.

Reading Tables

By default, table cells are broken apart and displayed as separate lines of
text within the pwWebSpeak window, the same approach used by HPR and by some
screen readers with Internet Explorer. The user can simply press the down
arrow to hear each cell of the table read. For simple tables, this approach
is
sufficient. For more complex tables, pwWebSpeak provides a short menu of
commands to jump to the beginning of the row, the beginning of the table,
the
next table, or the next or previous cell.

Unfortunately, it is necessary to jump to the menu and choose these
commands, so browsing from one row of the table to the next involves six
keystrokes.
This approach makes it clear that the current item is the first cell of the
new row, but is prohibitively tedious for meaningful reading. There is no
command
to move directly down a column other than the first. For example, in looking
for a game with a particular opponent in the New York Knick's schedule (<
www.nba.com/knicks/schedule2000.html>),
there was no efficient way to move down the column of opponents.

PwWebSpeak had one other minor problem with the U.S. Department of Labor's
"The Economy at a Glance" page (
<stats.bls.gov/eag.table.html>).
One row listed a month name and year in each cell, but with the year below
the month within the same cell. PwWebSpeak attached the first month's year
to
the second month's name, and so on, making it difficult to know which pair
actually belonged together.

Filling out Forms

Filling out forms is quick and easy. PwWebSpeak creates a list of all links
and forms on a page. The user presses Enter on the form and then fills it
out.
List boxes and radio buttons are presented as conventional controls that can
be found in Windows dialog boxes. The user simply arrows up or down in a
list
box or uses the space bar to check a check box. This method provides maximum
control in filling out forms.

Downloading Files

Downloading files from Web pages is easy with pwWebSpeak. However, we were
unable to connect to ftp sites to download from them. Downloading audio
files
is simple and requires little effort. PwWebSpeak stops speaking when an
audio file is open.

What It All Means

HPR's strength is its handling of tables. This feature alone makes it worth
the price. If you want to keep your life on the Internet simple, the choice
is pwWebSpeak. If you want the maximum access to the Web and are willing to
learn a full set of screen reader commands, Internet Explorer 5.0 and a good
screen reader are for you.

Manufacturers' Comments

IBM

"We recognize the JavaScript issue, which is shared by all text browsers,
and we are investigating ways to resolve this problem."

The Productivity Works

"E-commerce will be supported in the next release, and we are working hard
to ensure that popular E-commerce sites function well with our product. We
are
working on supporting Java scripting present in Web content, although we
cannot commit to a date since providing good accessibility to dynamic
content
is not a simple problem. PwWebspeak can read frame titles if Alt-Text (a
text description) is present. FTP should be fully functional. We will
investigate
the difficulty the authors had."

Product Information

Product: IBM Home Page Reader

Manufacturer: IBM Special Needs Systems;
Building 901, Internal Zip 9171;
11400 Burnet Rd.;
Austin, TX 78758;
phone: 800-426-4832 or 512-838-4598;
Web site: <
http://www.ibm.com/sns>

Price: $150.

Product: pwWebSpeak

Manufacturer: The Productivity Works,
7 Belmont Circle;
Trenton, NJ 08618;
phone: 609-984-8044;
fax: 609-984-8048;
E-mail: <
[log in to unmask]>;

Web Site: <
http://www.prodworks.com>.


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