Pointing Interaction Notifications and Adaptations (PINATA) for Web Navigation

Different forms of user notifications

Team Members:
Amy Hurst, Aqueasha Martin-Hammond,  Kellie Gabel, Tejas Bhalerao, Christian Ortega, Abdullah Ali, Catherine Horback, Casey Means

Relevant Publications:
Martin-Hammond, A, Ali, A., Hornback, C., and Hurst, A. Understanding Design Considerations for Adaptive User Interfaces for accessible Pointing with Older and Younger Adults.  Proceedings of the 12th Web for All Conference, 2015, 63-64, New York: ACM.  Available Online.

Hamidi, F., Baljko, M., Ecomomopoulos, C., Livingston, N., Spalteholz, L. G. Co-designing a speech interface for people with dysarthria. Journal of Assistive Technologies, 9(3), 2015, 159-173. Available online.​

Navigating the Internet is increasingly important as more services and information resources move online. Using the computer mouse and other pointing devices to point to and click on hyperlinks is a popular method of Web navigation but requires considerable fine motor skill. Many users with impairments that impact hand movement and control, such as Parkinson's disease, have difficulty using conventional input devices to access the Web. Further, many users are not aware of slowly deteriorating abilities and might experience frustration when challenges arise. The Pointing Interaction Notifications and Adaptations (PINATA) project aims to support users with varying hand motor ability to navigate the Web by providing them with online information and assistance.

PINATA's Settings Page

We are using a Participatory Design approach to develop and evaluate a tool (in the form of a web browser extension) to monitor user mouse movements and provide notifications and assistance when difficulties arise. This project is conducted under the leadership of Dr. Amy Hurst at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.   

In a previous project, CanSpeak, I developed a multimodal interface that combined speech, mouse and keyboard use to overcome similar difficulties in using the mouse and clicking on links when navigating the web.