Journal of Information Technology & Tourism, Vol 9, No 2 (2007)

Are Travel Websites Meeting the Needs of the Visually Impaired?

Jee-Hee Han, Juline Mills

Abstract


Websites designed for sighted online users may not be suitable for the visually impaired (VI). However, research efforts exploring what VI users find problematic on travel websites are limited. This article, therefore, investigates the travel website usability perception of VI users. In order to determine perceptions of travel websites by the VI, four focus group interviews were conducted with members of the National Federation of the Blind, Indiana Chapter. The collected qualitative data were analyzed using the grounded theory technique. The data analysis yielded nine themes that are presented in this article. The findings indicate that unmarked visual elements hinder navigation at travel websites. In addition, hard to complete online forms prevent the VI from fulfilling reservations and purchasing travel products. The study concludes with recommendations on how owners, managers, and technical designers can make travel websites more accessible to the VI.



Journal of Information Technology & Tourism (ISSN: 1098-3058) is hosted at MODUL University Vienna and published by Cognizant.