| A growing debate about functional gaps between graphical user interfaces and screen access applications has surfaced. Assumptions made about the topic point at limits in synthetic speech intelligibility and deficiencies at the GUIs' levels of interpretation. In order to determine the proportions in which both constructs were affecting human-computer interaction, the author evaluated different aspects of performance while using JAWS RTM V 5.0 Screen Reader on MicrosoftRTM Windows XP. Measurements included perception of verbal material while controlling acoustic and contextual features as well as task efficiency. Data collected in the form of words recalled, comprehension test scores, and time for tasks such as searching, editing, and transferring information were used to infer about these topics. Nine blind subjects ( n = 9) participated in the experiment. The author did not find a significant effect while controlling synthetic speech rate and noise as contextual factor. However, a significant effect on task dependence was found within the range tested. |
