New Survey Tools Help Blind / Visually Impaired

Cincinnati, OH-based full service firm MarketVision Research has launched a proprietary survey solution to meet the needs of the blind and visually impaired.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) 1.3 billion consumers around the world experience some form of visual impairment or blindness. MarketVision says this is a community currently under-represented in research due to the incompatibility of accessibility software with survey software. Through a partnership with Clovernook Center of the Blind and Visually Impaired, and time spent testing various designs for accessibility and enhanced usability, MarketVision has developed new solutions to improve access to this community.

The solutions - which are compliant with the accessibility requirements of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) - use screen readers to process web pages, and read the contents to the user, so there is heavy focus on limiting unnecessary elements of a web page (for instance, logos and unnecessary text). Audio cues facilitate an improved user experience and survey completion; while high contrast design focuses on providing visual support by adjusting the elements of a traditional survey page so participants can view and respond to questions. Additional visual formatting has been introduced through bolding, color contrasts, and font sizes.

Web site: www.mv-research.com .