Personalization and Layering to Simplify Computer Accessibility
Gregg Vanderheiden, J. Bern Jordan · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS) · doi:10.1145/3308561.3354601
Summary
This demonstration paper presents Morphic, an operating system extension that combines auto-personalization, complexity layering, enhanced feature discovery, and Install on Demand (IoD) to make computers easier to use for people who face barriers due to disability, literacy, or digital literacy. The authors identify a critical problem: while built-in accessibility features and assistive technologies exist in modern operating systems, they are buried in complex settings hierarchies, hard to discover, and difficult to configure — making them effectively inaccessible to the people who need them most. The paper illustrates this with compelling anecdotes: a grandmother who stopped using the computer because she couldn't reconfigure it after grandchildren changed settings; a woman who stopped computing because she needed large print but couldn't set it up and her husband complained when it was on; and the consistent reaction at library demos of "I didn't know the computer could do that!" even for built-in features. Morphic provides five key capabilities: (1) Preference portability — saving all accessibility settings to a secure cloud vault and automatically applying them to any computer the user encounters (school, library, work, community center); (2) Feature discovery — making it easier to find accessibility features; (3) Quick simple access — putting needed features within easy reach; (4) Install on Demand — automatically installing and configuring required assistive technology software when a user sits down at a computer and removing it when they leave; (5) Simple focused environments — providing only what the individual needs for a specific context, with the ability to remove features that shouldn't be available (e.g., spell checkers during spelling tests).
Key findings
Morphic employs three key simplification strategies. First, auto-personalization — the ability to have interface changes happen instantly and automatically without requiring the user to understand how to make changes or have the physical, visual, auditory, or cognitive abilities to do so. Second, layering of complexity — starting with a small number of easy, visible settings that provide instant feedback, with a "More" button leading to additional layers and eventually the full spectrum of features. This prevents users from being overwhelmed by complex accessibility settings pages while still providing a path to discover all available features. Third, gamified discovery — making the process of finding and activating accessibility features engaging rather than daunting. The system also supports multiple preference sets for different contexts (work, study, recreation, "focused" mode), switchable with two clicks. For product simplification, Morphic can reduce Microsoft Word's 250+ function buttons across 10+ ribbons to a single simple menu with just the basics, or a consolidated essentials menu. High-stakes testing is identified as a particularly important application — students with disabilities are often forced to use unfamiliar, unconfigured assistive technology during exams, which the authors liken to "taking a test with someone else's pair of glasses." Pilot testing was being launched in libraries, job centers, and a community college at the time of publication.
Relevance
This work addresses one of the most pervasive yet under-discussed barriers to digital accessibility: the gap between accessibility features existing and people actually being able to find, configure, and use them. For all the progress in building accessibility into operating systems and applications, these features are useless if users cannot navigate settings hierarchies, understand configuration options, or reconfigure shared computers. This is especially acute for people with cognitive disabilities, older adults, and those with low digital literacy — populations that are growing as digital interfaces become mandatory for daily living. The auto-personalization concept — preferences that follow the user across devices — is transformative for people who use shared or public computers (libraries, schools, job centers), where they currently must reconfigure accessibility settings every time they sit down. The Install on Demand concept extends this to assistive technology software itself, eliminating the problem of needed tools not being available on public computers. For accessibility practitioners, Morphic's layered approach to feature discovery provides a practical model for any application: start simple, allow progressive disclosure, and never force users to confront the full complexity of an interface before they're ready. The focus on cognitive accessibility and digital literacy — rather than just sensory or motor disabilities — reflects an important broadening of the accessibility field.
Tags: auto-personalization · cognitive accessibility · digital literacy · assistive technology · operating system accessibility · inclusive design · personalization · simplification · layered interface