Contributions of the Dichotomic View of Plasticity in the Personalization of Accessible User Interfaces

Recent legal changes have increased the need for developing accessible user interfaces in computer-based systems. In this sense, previously existing user interfaces are intended to be modified and new user interfaces are intended to be designed taking accessibility guidelines into account. Typically, model based approaches have been used when developing accessible user interfaces or redefining existing ones. But the use of static models leads to the development of not dynamically adaptable user interfaces. Dynamic adaptation in accessible user interfaces is important due to the fact that interaction difficulties on disabled people may change through use. In this paper we present some contributions that can be obtained from the application of the Dichotomic View of plasticity in the personalization of accessible user interfaces. With the double perspective defined in this approach, it is intended to go further from a mere adaptation to certain user stereotypes. It is pursued to personalize the user interface by taking into account each user’s limitations, difficulties and particular necessities for systems conceived to be operated in different platforms. This goal is achieved analyzing user logs by an inference motor that dynamically infers modifications in the user interface to adjust it to varying user needs. A case study is presented in order to show how a particular system can be developed using the Dichotomic View of plasticity in order to perform dynamic user interface personalization.