Project factsheet

IVIS is a Living Lab project. Its main purpose is to create new knowledge on accessibility and usability challenges in interacting with the Web, Web 2.0, and social media, also referred to as social networking services. Besides the emphasis on universal design, IVIS primarily has the focus on visually impaired users. Among the project objectives are

• to develop innovative new approaches to make social media and Web 2.0 applications accessible and usable,
• to exploit the potential of utilizing non-visual interaction techniques to improve web accessibility for all, in various contexts, and
• to provide design guidelines for visually impaired regarding social media and Web 2.0.

NR has contributed to the project on all levels, including project management, development, user involvment, evaluation, and dissimination.

The project provides benefits for all stakeholders, including producers, developers, and consumers (end users). Users were invited to participate in the innovation and development process in their own context in authentic usage situations. In this way users and consumers of products and services can take an active role as contributors and co-creators in the research, development, and innovation process. All interested parties are provided with feedback on the user experience at any time throughout the lifecycle of the product and/or service, allowing for rapid product improvements and success assessment. The involvement of users should stimulate and challenge both research and development in creating new business oppurtunities. Finally, by complementing previous and on-going projects, IVIS creates added value by extending and not doubling existing products and services.

As all stakeholders are users in the LILAN context, the entire society benefits from useful, useable, and accessible products and services. Additional benefits are short time to market, lean development, user engagement, and others.

• Presentation notes: , Birkir R. Gunnarsson "IVIS and Web Accessibility: Why is this so important and what makes it so important now?. November 2010, Background note for the IVIS kick-off meeting. 5 pages.
  
• Report: Ingvar Tjøstheim and Ivar Solheim, "The use of social media among blind and visually impaired in Norway 2010." NR-report no: 14/2010.
  
• Conference Paper: Ingvar Tjøstheim, Ivar Solheim and Kristin S. Fuglerud, "The importence of peers for visually impaired users of social media" in Proceedings of HCI 2011. May 16-18, 2011. Washington, DC, USA.
• Conference Paper: Kristin S. Fuglerud, "The Barriers to and Benefits of Use of ICT for People with Visual Impairment" in Proceedings of the 6th International Conference, UAHCI 2011, Held as Part of HCI International 2011. , pp 452-462.Orlando, FL, USA, July 9-14, 2011.
• Report: Ingvar Tjøstheim, "The use of and challenges with everyday technology among visually impaired in Norway 2010.” NR-report no: 6/2011.
  
• Paper draft: Kristin Skeide Fuglerud; Ingvar Tjøstheim, Birkir R Gunnarsson, Morten Tollefsen, "Participation In Social Media By The Visually Impaired- abstract"