Personalization Semantics Explainer 1.0

1.2.1 Easily Distracted / Overwhelmed

Someone who is either easily distracted or can be easily overwhelmed with too much information on a web page needs the ability to simplify the page. They want just the critical information, and need anything that is not integral to the understanding and use of the page suppressed.

In this example, the author can mark the <section>, <p>, or <div> that contains the actual weather report and any associated tools to manipulate the weather report (i.e. city search, hourly vs. 5 day forecast, etc.) with the data-simplification attribute (with a value of "critical"), and mark the other on-screen content as "medium" (default) or "low". (e.g. <p data-simplification="critical">Today’s forecast is a high of 95° and a low of 40°</p>)

For websites which rely on advertising revenue, it may be undesirable to completely suppress advertisements. We envision that this attribute could also facilitate relocating the most critical sections of a website above anything that is a lower priority. (i.e. Content re-ordering)

1.2.2 Difficulty Understanding Numbers

Someone who has dyscalculia will have difficulty understanding numbers and will have a hard time interacting with websites that use numbers to convey information. Therefore, critical numeric information must be provided in an alternative format that the user can understand.

In this example, the author would mark up the numbers using the data-numberfree attribute. The default would show the numeric value. Those needing an alternative representation for numbers, would get an associated image or description/values as simplified text instead.

It is important to note that people with dyscalculia are often very good with words, so long text can be better than short numbers.

1.2.3 Mild-Moderate Language Impairment / Learning Disability

Those who have a moderate Language Impairment / Learning Disability may have a limited vocabulary. They will only know terms that are in the core vocabulary they have learned. They may also use symbols to represent words and concepts.

Note that some people with language disabilities are good at numbers. They will want a long string of text replaced with a short number: <span data-easylang="90% of the time this happens"> normally this is the expected outcome</span>. This is the opposite of the numberfree example.

Additionally, because reading content for some users is extremely time-consuming, they may also want less content and features on the web page.

1.2.4 Severe Language Impairment

Some users with a severe speech and/or physical impairment may communicate using symbols, rather than written text, as part of an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system. The use of symbols to represent words is their primary means of communication when both consuming and producing information. Symbol users face a wide variety of barriers to accessing web content, but one of the main challenges is a lack of standard inter-operability between different proprietary symbol sets, or a mechanism for translating the same concept from one symbol set to another.

User Stories include:

• An assisted living home authors adult education courses and life-skills content, for example, how to make dinner using a microwave. Within their core user-base, users are accustomed to different symbol sets. The authors want to create content for all users across various symbol sets.
• A large banking site wants people to be as autonomous as possible while using their services. They provide augmented symbol references onto their core services. They need a mechanism to programmatically support multiple symbol sets witin the code.
• People who know different symbol sets wish to talk to each other.
• A government agency creating information sheets about human rights and patient rights are seeking feedback from impacted users. They add symbols from a common symbol set to support a majority of different users. The agency would prefer to use a common symbol reference to support people who use or require different symbols. This allows all symbol set users to both read and edit the content.

Proof of Concept: Symbol Example

In the screen shots below, a browser extension uses the data-symbol attribute to load symbols that are familiar to the user.

Note that users learn a specific symbol vocabulary. However, the various symbol vocabularies are mutually unintelligible: users familiar with one set of symbols may not be familiar with or understand an alternative set. Personalization Semantics' data-symbol attribute offers a mechanism to translate between symbol sets, to allow people to communicate with one another where it was previously not possible.

1.2.5 Working Memory and Short-term Memory Impairment

Users may have differences in both working and short-term memory. For some users, the number of items or data that can be stored in working memory is a fraction of the general population's average. Whereas most adults can repeat about seven digits in correct order, a specific user may only manage two or three numbers. When they become distracted, they are also likely to forget any information in their working memory.

A step indicator allows an author to define steps within a process or represent an entire user path outside of the context of a defined process. This includes turning steps between defined processes into breadcrumbs or linked steps that identify completed tasks. This allows the user to navigate back to completed steps and identify a user's current location in a path.

More information on personas and user needs can be found in Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities.