Human Factors guidelines for multimodal interaction, communication and navigation

This paper identifies key issues, solutions and actions for multimodal interaction, communication and navigation at the user interface with ICT systems and terminals. It specifically addresses the usage context of transactional interactions for independent living, and focus on the dynamics of multimodal transactions/user dialogues for the consumers of ICT systems and terminals. It identifies how simplifications, translations, sensory transpositions, or other presentation or content manipulations of a multimodal transaction can be used to improve ease of access to telecommunications products and services for people with sensory, motor or cognitive impairments. Consultation with users and user groups were carried out to identify the areas of transactional interactions that are currently providing a barrier to ICT access. To overcome these barriers a structured set of design and implementation principles is presented. The principles given here have been produced from a "design for all" perspective. While they have been produced out of observation and consultation with disabled people they have been constructed to be of value in making multimodal dialogues easier and more effective for all users not just those with special needs.