Tecla Access for Android
Toronto, Canada- August 2013
Android Application
by Jorge Silva, CTO | Komodo OpenLab Inc.
Together with the Tecla Shield, the Tecla Access App gives access to Android devices to individuals with spinal cord injuries (quadriplegia), multiple sclerosis (MS), ALS, muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy, brain injury, stroke and anyone else who, due to disease or disability, finds it difficult to use a touch-screen.
Imagine having your phone call be forwarded to a voicemail system that requires you to dial numbers on a screen, which you cannot access. Even when a call can be placed with your voice, those who can't use touchscreens may still find themselves unable to navigate voicemail menus or hang up the call!
The Tecla App is an input-method that generates keystrokes in response to simple commands received from a ccustom Bluetooth accessory. These keystrokes are used to navigate and activate the various elements of the Android screen. The app also includes a scanning system that makes it possible to type by pressing a single button.
The built-in scanning on the Tecla input method, highlights rows of letters sequentially until a sigmal is received from the paired Bluetooth accessory (the Tecla Shield). This enables remote typing by way of very simple interfaces such as a button that can be pressed with the person's head, shoulde, elbow, or any other body part they can reliably control.
Unfortunatley, in the years following the original release of the Tecla App, the accessibility of the Android platform has been steadily deteriorating. Not only have application developers abandoned keyboard compatibility, but Android's own incomplete, inconsistent and unstable accessibility APIs, have made it impossible to implement accessible user experiences.
Android's accessiblity APIs can be compared to a set of ramps leading to a few steps... they provide access to some functions, but users can rarely complete a task, from end to end, without facing significant challenges.
Since August 2013, development of the Tecla App has stopped in favour of better alternatives. Our research has included the implementation of heads up displays (HUD) that unobtrusively provide remote access to ALL functions available to every other user. The challenge continues since no comprehensive solution has yet been put forward.
One of the most significant challenges to provide accessiblity of the Android platform, is the consistent recognition and highlighting of screen elements. I was able to painstakingly create an algorithm that filters out all the 'garbage' boundaries that the Android accessibility APIs provide to app developers, but as you can see below, this was insuficient, since the Android APIs still tend to broadcast 'invisible' boundaries whose properties make them seem like they are visible to the user. This is unacceptable for deployment, and has prevented us from releasing our next-generation app for years now.
In addition to highlighting, we need an effective remote navigation strategy. The two navigation HUD prototypes below have been successfully implemented and tested. The first one proved to be too oclusive and distracting on the screen, whereas the second caused cognitive fatigue since the user has to follow the highlight, and controls, which move simultaneously around the screen.
Based on two years of research and user testing, a new and completely re-designed approach that completely overcomes ALL previous limitations, has been developed. With the right manufacturing partner, it will hopefully see the light of day very soon!
