Accessible Web Browser Interface Design for Users with Low Vision

We are studying user interface (UI) features that would be helpful to users with moderate to severe low vision and have developed a novel web browser front end that we believe will enhance efficiency and accessibility of the web to this large and growing population. The UI incorporates well-accepted principles and empirical knowledge from vision and rehabilitation sciences that go far beyond simple screen magnification. With an emphasis on simplicity and ease of use, the UI is designed so that once configured, no adjustments will be needed, regardless of what document the user is viewing. The UI will allow users simultaneous access to both the global features of web documents as the author intended, along with enlarged text tailored to the user's needs; this will allow access to all web pages without requiring that sites have special markup or authoring.