Improved and accessible e-book reader application for visually impaired people

This1paper presents a study of an accessible e-book reader application for visually impaired people. We interviewed 27 visually impaired people to understand their usage patterns of e-books and user requirements in terms of functions and interface of an e-book reader application. Based on this survey, we were able to establish the basic direction of development of our e-book reader application; we implemented the first version of the e-book reader focusing on basic functionality. This version of the e-book reader obtained a value of user satisfaction of more than 75% in the usability test. We are continuing to develop the next version of this e-book reader with differentiated functions for reading professional books that include equations, tables, graphs, and so on. In addition, we are considering supporting a simple and fast input method and providing personalized UI. Beyond ebook readers, we hope that our study will be useful when designing and developing various mobile applications, considering that visually impaired users want to obtain information and experience equal to that available to the non-visually disabled.