Understanding, Modeling, and Overcoming 'Blind Spots'

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The barriers some humans face make it difficult for them to overcome inequalities and be independent. As such, the overall objective of my research is to develop tooling and methodologies to assist in the research and development of accessible systems. Specifically, to remove these impediments, the over-arching theme of my work is to eradicate metaphorical `blind spots' in three ways. Firstly, I address colour vision deficiency (CVD - commonly known as colourblindness). Creating and evaluating new colour revisualization techniques and pushing the ecological validity of our findings by exploring their feasibility in increasingly lifelike situations is of particular interest. These studies will ultimately result in colour revisualization techniques that have high precision and utility, making them ready for commercialization. Secondly, in building tools for designers to be able to focus on Situational Visual Impairments (SVIs). Working in collaboration with designers will allow newly developed design tools to be seamlessly embedded into their workflow which directly correlates to the improvements in accessibility of features and products for users globally. Thirdly, in studying the unforeseen side effects of moving HCI research online due to COVID-19. The findings of how a virtual environment will affect experiments, experimenters, and participants will have direct influence on any research fields that conduct online studies with human participants. In the short term, this research will: 1) create and evaluate new colour revisualization techniques, 2) produce new design software tools, and 3) obtain knowledge of experimenter/participant interactions in a virtual environment. Long term, my research will allow the development of technologies and methodologies that enhance each person's ability to experience the world around them. The outcome: research that aims to alleviate the everyday issues people experience.