Remote Evaluation Environments for Usability and Accessibility Testing

The US-based Paciello Group presented their idea for a remote environment for usability and accessibility testing in the Vision 2005 conference in the UK. They’re creating a Web-based usability testing environment that employs remote evaluation and reporting methods to create many advantages over current testing methods and networks.

“You are able to conduct evaluations with representative users with disabilities from all walks of life and the process and setup is cost effective,” according to Michael G. Paciello, Director of The Paciello Group, LLP. Besides this, the test subject cannot influence the test subject and user reports can be generated via online forms.
 
Current technology can track keyboard and mouse movements and interactions and this data can immediately be ported to a database so the testing of usability and accessibility via the Web may be the most cost effective way of assuring Section 508 compliance of IT product vendors. Paciello thinks the technology can be also leased or rented to consulting companies as a virtual space to corporations interested or mandated by law to implement accessibility in core products.
 
Source: Vision 2005