Exploring auditory cues to locate code errors and enhance navigation for developers who are blind

Abstract

The goal of my research is to support the workflow of programmers who are blind; prior work has found that these users face challenges in using screen-readers to locate errors and debug software code. Recent advancements in auditory cues have made them a potential candidate for providing useful feedback to both sighted and visually impaired users, but little known about the effectiveness and the usability of such cues for blind programmers. I propose to investigate the efficiency of two different auditory techniques, to locate code errors and reduce the amount of time required to navigate through lengthy codebases. I will compare learning rates for Earcons (hierarchical representations of musical tones) and Spearcons (compressed speech) as potential candidates for the auditory feedback system. My research aim is to understand the proper way to implement usable auditory cues for these users. This document describes my research motivations, proposed research plan, current progress, and the potential contribution to the field of software engineering and accessibility for blind programmers.