Audio HTML Access

Audio HTML Access (AHA) is a framework of principles for choosing sounds to use in audio-based HTML interfaces, developed by Frankie James at Stanford University in the late 1990s. The framework provides structured guidelines for selecting audio cues to represent web document structures for blind and visually impaired users. AHA is organised around three core principles: Vocal Source Identity (distinguishing content types through different voices), Recognizability (ensuring sounds are quickly identifiable), and Distraction (minimising cognitive overload). The framework influenced subsequent research into non-visual web browsing and auditory display design.