Pilot project BITE
Preliminary report 1997
The pilot project BITE in the years 1996 to 1998 carried out user-suitability tests on aids for computer access for the blind and visually impaired. The preliminary report contains the results of the product group braille lines and Windows application for the blind. The now available test results are based on several working steps. At the beginning was the development of a catalogue of performance requirements where a user group of practical experts cooperated.
In order to evaluate how far the products offered on the market serve the needs, in a second step three test procedures matching to each other were developed and tested: questioning of providers, a document analysis and practical product testing. The tests for the product group braille lines were conducted in the months January to March 1997, Windows application for the blind was tested in the period from November 1996 to March 1997. The questioning of providers was conducted in the months of February to April 1997. Finally there was the evaluation of the data and the discussion of the results with the participating aid providers.
The product testing was carried out in agreement with the providers of the aid systems. From the providing of the products to the installation and training up to the control of the test results, the providers were involved in several stages of the procedure. Altogether 11 providing companies participated who provided as test material 8 braille lines as well as 6 Windows applications with braille lines and speech edition in different configurations. Thus a comparison of performances could be made, if not of all, then of a representative choice of the aid systems available on the German market.
The results of the product testing represent the state of technology of spring 1997. This standard today (summer 1998) is no longer up-to-date especially for the product group Windows application for the blind. However, the results are still interesting for advisory use because of their statements about the general spectrum of achievements and the work tasks which can be achieved with the help of these products.
This preliminary report contains about 270 pages and is available for a nominal charge of DM 30,- from the
BIT GmbHRichardstr. 45
22081 Hamburg
Telefon: 040/298 73 40
Telefax: 040/298 73 42
A diskette edition is available through the Internet at ftp:// gate.dias.de/pub/bite at the DIAS
GmbH server. You can also find the full German text of the report in REHADAT by choosing German language. This document offers links in its text to the single chapters of the report.
