Universal accessibility in HCI: Process-oriented design guidelines and tool requirements

This paper presents a preliminary collection of design-oriented guidelines and development requirements for accessibility and universal design in HCI. The processoriented guidelines aim to shed light into how a user-centred design process can be conducted, so as to account for the needs and requirements of the broadest possible end user population, including people with disabilities. These guidelines are subsequently translated into key development requirements which should be preserved in user interface development tools in order for them to provide the required support for building user interface software for different users and contexts of use. To this effect, we provide contextual definitions of key terms of reference and an account of related standards. The proposed material does not intend to cover a particular technology. Instead, it aims to formulate a conceptual framework whereby accessibility becomes an integral component of the user interface development life-cycle.