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The software accessibility of human-computer interfaces—ISO Technical Specification 16071

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Abstract

This paper describes the recently published Technical Specification ISO 16071 from the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO), along with the process through which the document has been developed. ISO TS 16071 contains guidelines on designing accessible software. This paper also relates the activities within ISO to other ongoing standardisation activities, within, for example, W3C and ETSI. Scope, contents, guidelines and the definition of accessibility in ISO 16071 are discussed in relation to other definitions. Finally, the process of turning the technical specification (TS) into an international standard (IS) is discussed.

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Notes

  1. The title of ISO 9241 is that originally formulated in 1984 when work on the multi-part standard was started. SC4 has recently agreed to change the title of the standard to “ISO 9241 Ergonomics of human system interaction—(Part Name)”, and parts will be renamed as they come up for review. This decision reflects the current broader scope of application of the standard, and the need to clarify that the various parts apply beyond the original office concept.

  2. ISO 9241 Part 11 defines usability as “The extent to which a product can be used by specified users, to achieve specified goals, with effectiveness, efficiency and satisfaction, in a specified context of use” [3].

References

  1. Gulliksen J, Harker S and Steger J (2001) The ISO approach to the development of ergonomics standards for accessibility. In: Nicole C and Abascal J (eds) Inclusive design guidelines for HCI, Taylor & Francis, London

  2. Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (2002) HFES 200 human factors engineering of software user interfaces, part 1: software accessibility, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, Santa Monica, CA

  3. International Organisation for Standardisation (1998) ISO 9241 Software ergonomics with visual display terminals (VDTs), Part 11—guidance on usability. Geneva, Switzerland

  4. International Organisation for Standardisation (1999) ISO 13407 Human centred design process for interactive systems. Geneva, Switzerland

  5. International Organisation for Standardisation (2003) ISO 16071 Ergonomics of human-system interaction—guidance on accessibility of human-computer interfaces. Geneva, Switzerland

  6. Thorén C (ed) (1998) Nordic guidelines for computer accessibility. 2nd ed. Nordic Cooperation on Disability, Vällingby, Sweden

  7. W3C Recommendation (1999) Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0 (WCAG 1.0). Chisholm W, Vanderheiden G and Jacobs I (eds) World Wide Web Consortium. http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG10/. Cited 5 May 1999

  8. International Organisation for Standardisation (1996), ISO 9241–10: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 10: dialogue principles. Geneva, Switzerland

  9. International Organisation for Standardisation (1998a) ISO 9241–11: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 11: guidance on usability. Geneva, Switzerland

  10. International Organisation for Standardisation (1998b) ISO 9241–12: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 12: presentation of information. Geneva, Switzerland

  11. International Organisation for Standardisation (1998c) ISO 9241–13: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 13: user guidance. Geneva, Switzerland

  12. International Organisation for Standardisation (1997a) ISO 9241–14: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 14: menu dialogues. Geneva, Switzerland

  13. International Organisation for Standardisation (1997b) ISO 9241–15: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 15: command dialogues. Geneva, Switzerland

  14. International Organisation for Standardisation (1999) ISO 9241–16: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 16: direct manipulation dialogues. Geneva, Switzerland

  15. International Organisation for Standardisation (1998d) ISO 9241–17: Ergonomic requirements for office work with visual display terminals (VDTs) Part 17: form-filling dialogues. Geneva, Switzerland

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to acknowledge the entire subgroup on accessibility from the ISO Technical Committee 159/Sub Committee 4/Working Group 5, and especially the editor of ISO TS 16071, John Steger. The input provided by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society in terms of their provision of the accessibility part of ANSI 200 made a very significant contribution to the making of the TS and their support is much appreciated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of HCI, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Jan Gulliksen

  2. Department of Human Sciences, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK

    Susan Harker

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  1. Jan Gulliksen
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  2. Susan Harker
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Correspondence to Jan Gulliksen.

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Gulliksen, J., Harker, S. The software accessibility of human-computer interfaces—ISO Technical Specification 16071. Univ Access Inf Soc 3, 6–16 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10209-003-0079-1

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