Design of Cognitively Accessible Web Pages

Considering the design of universally designed interfaces for static and dynamic web pages, this work focuses on the group of users with cognitive/intellectual disabilities, while simultaneously accounting for the needs of users with motor and sensory deficits. A number of specific inclusive techniques are applied to the login mechanism of a web service in the course of the redesign of this site. The techniques evolve, i.e. are tested, validated, and refined, over a series of implementation iterations and subsequent evaluation, involving personas and scenario testing, an expert panel, and user testing. The testing shows that the web service’s resulting login mechanism is much more universally accessible than today’s solution. Generically applyable, universal design principles are derived for a number of intellectual deficits, such as problems with linguistics (text and language), learning and problem solving, orientation, focus and attention span, memory, and visual comprehension. Keywords-Cognitive disabilities; intellectual deficits; impairment; deficiencies; accessibility; e-inclusion; universal design; user experience; web pages.