Literature Reviews

Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.

• Using participatory activities with seniors to critique, build, and evaluate mobile phones

  Michael Massimi, Ronald M. Baecker, Michael Wu (2007) — Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This Assets '07 paper from University of Toronto engages older adults not as subjects of a usability study but as co-designers of a mobile phone system. Massimi, Baecker, and Wu argue that the two dominant trends in 'senior-friendly' phone design — o…

  • mobile accessibility
  • older adults
  • aging
  • participatory design
  • co-design
  • paper prototyping
  • usability
  • design guidelines
  • scenario-based design
  • PICTIVE

• Usability and Accessibility Issues in the Localization of Assistive Technology

  Ira Jhangiani (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This doctoral consortium paper from Virginia Polytechnic Institute examines the usability and accessibility challenges that arise when assistive technology software designed in one country is localized for users with disabilities in another. The rese…

  • assistive technology
  • localization
  • internationalization
  • usability
  • low vision
  • partial sight
  • design guidelines
  • universal design
  • cultural accessibility

• Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project

  Francisco Nunes, Maureen Kerwin, Paula Alexandra Silva (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper presents thirteen design recommendations for TV-based user interfaces for older adults, derived from the eCAALYX (Enhanced Complete Ambient Assisted Living Experiment) project. eCAALYX is a European health monitoring system that uses a TV …

  • older adults
  • interactive television
  • user interface design
  • design guidelines
  • ambient assisted living
  • health monitoring
  • usability testing
  • age-related changes
  • remote control
  • chronic conditions

• Immersive Virtual Reality for Older Adults: Empirically Grounded Design Guidelines

  Vero Vanden Abeele, Brenda Schraepen, Hanne Huygelier, Celine Gillebert, Kathrin Gerling, Raymond Van Ee (2021) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper establishes empirically grounded design guidelines for immersive virtual reality (IVR) experiences targeting older adults. The researchers conducted two complementary studies: first, a systematic literature review that compiled 67 design g…

  • virtual reality
  • older adults
  • aging
  • design guidelines
  • accessibility
  • usability
  • user experience
  • immersive technology
  • Laddering method
  • head-mounted display

• Guidelines for Designing Social Networking Sites for Older Adults: A Systematic Review with Thematic Synthesis

  Amira Ghenai, Philips Ayeni, Jing Yu, Robin Cohen, Karyn Moffatt (2023) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This systematic review synthesizes design recommendations for social networking sites (SNS) targeting older adults, addressing a critical gap: despite being the fastest-growing demographic on platforms like Facebook, older adults face numerous barrie…

  • older adults
  • social networking
  • social media
  • systematic review
  • design guidelines
  • Facebook
  • accessibility
  • inclusive design

• Image Recognition Tools for Blind and Visually Impaired Users: An Emphasis on the Design Considerations

  Sandra Fernando, Chiemela Ndukwe, Bal Virdee, Ramzi Djemai (2025) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This research examines the current landscape of image recognition tools (IRT) designed for blind and visually impaired users, evaluating their capabilities against user needs and ISO ergonomic design standards. The authors conducted both a comprehens…

  • image recognition
  • computer vision
  • blind and low vision
  • assistive technology
  • AI
  • deep learning
  • mobile apps
  • design guidelines

• Exploring Blind and Low-Vision Youth's Digital Access Needs in School: Toward Accessible Instructional Technologies

  Natalie L. Shaheen (2024) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This mixed methods study investigates how blind and low-vision (BLV) youth ages 13-22 experience technology-mediated learning in US K-12 schools. The author, herself congenitally blind and a former teacher of blind students, conducted semi-structured…

  • blind and low vision
  • K-12 education
  • instructional technology
  • access technology
  • screen readers
  • Braille
  • youth
  • design guidelines

• Accessible Web Design for Older Adults: Challenges and Solutions

  Washington Chiriboga-Casanova, Nuria Medina-Medina, Patricia Paderewski-Rodríguez (2025) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This systematic literature review analyzes 4,052 articles published between 2014 and 2023 to comprehensively map the challenges older adults face online and the solutions proposed to address them. Using the PRISMA methodology and PICO framework, the …

  • systematic review
  • older adults
  • web accessibility
  • aging
  • design guidelines
  • accessibility evaluation
  • WCAG
  • adaptive interfaces
  • digital inclusion

• Reading Between the Guidelines: How Commercial Voice Assistant Guidelines Hinder Accessibility for Blind Users

  Stacy M. Branham, Antony Rishin Mukkath Roy (2019) — Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents a qualitative document review of public-facing voice assistant design guidelines published by five leading commercial vendors — Amazon (Alexa), Google (Google Assistant), Microsoft (Cortana), Apple (Siri), and Alibaba (Xiao AI) — …

  • voice assistant
  • blind
  • visual impairment
  • conversational user interfaces
  • design guidelines
  • Alexa
  • Siri
  • Google Assistant
  • screen readers
  • accessibility barriers