Web Science and Digital Libraries Research Group

Figure 1: (a) Difficulties in understanding posts due to missing or assumed context, (b) need for standardization of posts (Figure 1  in  M.J. Ferdous et al.). Introduction Social media sites such as Reddit, Facebook, and YouTube play a central role in how people exchange ideas, debate current issues, and build communities, with threaded discussions serving as a key mechanism for interaction across these platforms. These platforms are designed around visual structures: nested replies, indentation, spacing, and visual grouping allow sighted users to quickly scan conversations, identify relationships between posts, and decide where to engage. For blind users who rely on screen readers, accessing these conversations involves a fundamentally different interaction model. As shown in the accompanying video, screen readers present content linearly, reading one element at a time while the user moves through posts and interface elements using keyboard commands such as Tab and Shift+Tab...

  Figure: One participant shared his shopping experience using his smartphone. (Figure 1 in Liu et al .) Introduction The emergence of online shopping has transformed consumer behavior, providing unmatched convenience. For individuals with visual impairments, it is of paramount importance, offering autonomy and accessibility that conventional shopping frequently lacks. The study 'I Bought This for Me to Look More Ordinary': A Study of Blind People Doing Online Shopping by Guanhong Liu et al. explores the intricate practices, challenges, and aspirations of blind individuals in online shopping. The study published at the CHI 2019 conference underscores how the aspiration to seem " ordinary " profoundly influences shopping behaviors, illustrating a complex interaction among societal perceptions, accessibility obstacles, and individual strategies. This paper is particularly influential in my work as it effectively summarizes the challenges and motivations within this r...

We're happy that our research paper, titled " Enabling Customization of Discussion Forums for Blind Users " has been recognized at EICS 2023  which happened in Swansea, UK. Our paper focuses on making online discussion platforms more usable for people who are blind. The conference is well-known for its thorough distribution of research findings in human-computer interface and software engineering. This conference serves as a hub, bringing together many researchers and experts in the field, encouraging collaboration, and providing a platform for the exchange of knowledge and creative ideas. Being a part of this conference provides us with a great chance to discuss our results and work with others who are dedicated to enhancing technology for all users. Workshops: This year's edition of EICS Conference is about to start with the Doctoral Consortium! We are looking forward to lively discussions and a great conference @SwanseaUni #ComputationalFoundry #BayCampus pic.tw...