Automated Accessibility Property Assignment for Software Interface Controls
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many software applications lack accessibility features, making them inaccessible to users with disabilities, as manually adding these features is time-consuming and resource-intensive, resulting in exclusion of a significant portion of the population.
Innovation Solution
A computer-implemented method and system that automatically adds accessibility properties to software application interface controls by determining control types based on attributes and associating them with existing accessibility properties, using machine learning techniques to match and apply these properties to controls without initial accessibility features.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If manual methods are used to add accessibility properties to interface controls, then accessibility compliance is achieved, but development time and resource consumption increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The system enables interface controls to automatically acquire accessibility properties through self-service mechanisms. Controls analyze their own attributes and automatically match with appropriate accessibility properties from a knowledge base, eliminating the need for manual developer intervention and significantly reducing development time while maintaining compliance.
Solution Approach 2:
Accessibility properties are pre-configured and stored in a knowledge base before runtime. The system performs preliminary classification of control types and pre-matches accessibility properties during the design phase, so that during actual development or deployment, controls can quickly inherit pre-prepared accessibility configurations without time-consuming manual setup.
2Reliability
If manual methods are used to add accessibility properties to interface controls, then accessibility compliance is achieved, but development complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system creates a universal accessibility property repository that serves all interface controls across different applications. A single knowledge base stores accessibility properties that can be reused by multiple control types, reducing development complexity by eliminating redundant manual configuration work and providing a centralized management mechanism for accessibility standards.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically copies accessibility properties from the knowledge base to interface controls through template-based inheritance. Instead of manually configuring each control, developers can rely on automatic copying of pre-defined accessibility property templates, significantly reducing the complexity of implementing accessibility across numerous controls and applications.
3Productivity
If automated methods are used to add accessibility properties, then development efficiency is improved, but the system requires sophisticated classification and matching mechanisms
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the accessibility implementation process into distinct modules: control type classification, attribute extraction, property matching, and property assignment. Each module handles a specific aspect of the automation process, making the overall complex system manageable through modular design. This segmentation allows high productivity while controlling system complexity through clear separation of concerns.
Solution Approach 2:
The system introduces an intermediary knowledge base that acts as a mediator between interface controls and accessibility properties. This intermediary layer stores pre-configured accessibility properties and provides the matching logic, decoupling the complexity of accessibility configuration from the control implementation. The knowledge base serves as a buffer that simplifies the interaction between controls and accessibility requirements, enabling automated efficiency without exposing excessive system complexity to developers.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques are disclosed for automatically adding accessibility properties to an application. One embodiment includes a method for adding accessibility. The method includes, for at least a first interface control provided by a first software application, the first interface control including a set of one or more accessibility properties: determining a control type of a plurality of control types based on one or more attributes of the first interface control, and associating the control type with the set of accessibility properties of the first interface control. The method further includes matching at least a second interface control provided by a second software application to one of the plurality of control types based on one or more attributes of the second interface control, the second interface control not including accessibility properties. The method further includes adding accessibility properties to the second interface control based on accessibility properties of the matched control type.