Title: Interactive smart home technologies for users with visual disabilities: a systematic mapping of the literature

Authors: Otávio De Faria Oliveira; André Pimenta Freire; Raphael Winckler De Bettio

Addresses: Department of Computer Science, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil ' Department of Computer Science, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil ' Department of Computer Science, Federal University of Lavras, Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil

Abstract: This paper presents a systematic mapping of the literature concerning interactive technologies for smart homes targeting users with visual disabilities. The analysis stemmed from a search resulting in 265 papers, of which 25 were selected. The results show the main types of interaction modes reported, including voice, gesture, touch, keyboard and ambient sensors. Technological approaches included desktop computers, mobile devices, embedded systems and stand-alone smart devices. The studies showed important features to aggregate different interaction modalities and provide accessible interfaces in mobile and desktop devices to interact with the home. This paper provides valuable insight into implications for the design of smart home technologies for users with visual disabilities and reveals significant research gaps to be investigated in the future, including overcoming barriers with legacy inaccessible utilities and methodologies to enhance user research in the area.

Keywords: smart homes; ambient-assisted living; visually impaired users; blind users; literature review.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCAT.2021.122347

International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 2021 Vol.67 No.4, pp.324 - 339

Received: 17 Jan 2020
Accepted: 01 Feb 2021
Published online: 21 Apr 2022 *

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