Touchpad Mapper: Examining Information Consumption From 2D Digital Content Using Touchpads by Screen-Reader Users

Touchpads are used widely to interact with computers, yet they provide minimal utility for screen-reader users. We explore the utility of touchpads as input devices for screen-reader users through the development and preliminary evaluation of Touchpad Mapper. This system maps digital content (i.e., images and videos) to the physical coordinates of a touchpad. We examined two usage scenarios: (1) identification of objects and their relative positioning in an image and (2) controlling a video seek bar and slider with rewinding and fast-forwarding features. We conducted task-based semi-structured interviews with two screen-reader users to assess our system’s performance. The participants reported positive experiences, highlighting that they extracted information faster using our system than the conventional keyboard-only interaction.