ISO/IEC JTC 1 N7758 2005-03-29

Secretariat, ISO/IEC JTC 1, American National Standards Institute, 25 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036; Telephone: 1 212 642 4932; Facsimile: 1 212 840 2298; Email: lrajchel@ansi.org

Replaces: ISO/IEC JTC 1 Information Technology Document Type: Information from SC Secretariat Document Title: SC 35 Contribution on SC 35 Activities to the ISO/IEC JTC 1 Special Working Group on Accessibility Document Source: SC 35 Secretariat Project Number: Document Status: This document is circulated to JTC 1 National Bodies and SWG-A members for review and consideration at the April 2005 SWG-A meeting in the UK Action ID: ACT Due Date: Distribution: Medium: Disk Serial No: No. of Pages: 12

ISO/IEC JTC1/SC 35 – User Interfaces

ISO

ORGANISATION INTERNATIONALE DE NORMALISATION INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOR STANDARDIZATION МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ ОРГАНИЗАЦЯ ПО СТАНДАРТИЗАЦИИ

CEI (IEC)

COMMISSION ÉLECTROTECHNIQUE INTERNATIONALE INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION

МЕЖДУНАРОДНАЯ ЭЛЕКТРОТЕХНИЧЕСКАЯ КОМИССИЯ

Title SC35 activities (based on its last Business plan summarized and completed) Source SC35 Chairman Status This document has been established for consideration at the 11-12 April 2005 meeting of the JTC 1 Special Working Group on Accessibility in Sheffield, UK Action identifier For information Date assigned 2005-03-24 Nb of pages 11

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SC 35 - Activities Period covered: October 2003 - November 2004 ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 35 – User Interfaces 1. MANAGEMENT SUMMARY

• SC 35 Meetings The SC35 Working Groups met three times over the referenced period and two Plenary was held. These meetings took place in :

- Paris, France at AFNOR from 1st to 5th December 2003 - Tokyo, Japan from 31st May to 4th June 2004 - Stockholm, Sweden from 22nd to 26th November 2004, General Orientation Meeting

Next meeting will be hosted in Madison, Wisconsin, USA, at Trace Research & Development Center, from 5th to 9th July 2005

• New organization within SC 35 1) The JTC 1/SC 35 is now subdivided into five Working Groups : - WG1 : Keyboards and Input Interfaces - Mr Alain LaBonté - WG2 : Graphical User Interface and Interaction - Dr Yoshikazu Yamamoto - WG4 : User Interfaces for Mobile Devices - Mr Yoshihide Nakao - WG5 : Cultural, Linguistic and User Requirements - Dr Yves Neuville - WG6 : User Interfaces for People with Special Needs (including children, the elderly,

the permanently or temporarily disabled and people in constrained usage environments) - Mr Wolf Arfvidson

- WG7 : User Interfaces Object, Actions and Attributes – Dr Jim Carter - WG8 : User Interfaces for Remote Interactions – Editor Dr Gottfried Zimmermann SC35 resolved to integrate WG3 (Graphical Symbols) with WG2 (User Interface Interaction), which was chaired by Dr. Yamamoto. This merger took effect in June 2004 and the title of new WG2 became "Graphical User Interface and Interaction".

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2) Two study groups are also created : Study Group on Icon Standards Reorganization Study Group on User Interface Functions

• Chairman remarks Three additional NBs with SC 35 In the past 24 months, Greece and the United States joined SC 35 as new P-members, Hungary (MSZT), Kenya (KEBS), Netherlands and as O member. So far, twenty countries are members of SC 35. thirteen are P-members and seven, O-members. The P (participating) members are Austria (ON), Canada (SCC), China (CSBTS), Czech Republic (CSNI), Denmark (DS), Finland (SFS), France (AFNOR), Germany (DIN), Greece (ELOT), Korea (KATS), Japan (JISC), Sweden (SIS), the United States of America (ANSI). The O (observer) members are: Hungary (MSZT), Ireland (NSAI), Italy (UNINFO), Kenya (KEBS), Netherlands (NEN), Poland (PKN), the Russian Federation (GOST R). An additional liaison with SC 35/WG 6 ICTSB/DATSCG has expressed interest as a formal liaison with SC 35. DATSCG stands for Design for all and Assistive Technology Standardization Group. It has been formed as a subgroup of the ICTSB, the ICT Standards Board, to ensure effective co-ordination between the ICT-related standardization activities at European level in relation to design for all an assistive technologies. ICTSB groups the three recognized European standards organizations such as follows together: ,

, & . SC35 activities and ICT standardization at WSIS

SC35 chairman, Dr Yves NEUVILLE (René Descartes University - Paris 5), was invited to participate in the first United Nations World Summit for the Information Society organized in Geneva in December 2003. He gave a conference on "Accessibility to the information society ". Also member of the scientific Committee of the Forum of Barcelona on "Promoting coexistence and security in the Information Society" (September 2004) under the aegis of UNITAR (" United Nations Institute for Training and Research "), Dr NEUVILLE gave a conference on "ICT contribution to coexistence and security in the information society".

Deleted: thrirteen

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Dr Gottfried ZIMMERMANN, from Trace Research & Development Center and SC35/WG6 expert, was also invited by the scientific committee and gave a very successful conference on the "Universal Remote Console" (V2 project). The result of those participations is that the final resolution of the Forum to be sent to the second United Nations World Summit on the Information Society (16-18 November 2005) is asking "to promote standardization, research and training programs … in user interface, linguistic technologies. biometrics …" This, if accepted in 2005, could lead to various mid-term international programs of cooperation in our field and adequate funding.

• Standards published The project ISO/IEC 18036 "Information Technology - Icon symbols and functions for World Wide Web browser toolbars" has been published in October 2003. ISO/IEC 18036:2003 defines a consistent set of icons and related functions that are represented by World Wide Web browser applications on a computer screen and that users interact with to control such applications. The project ISO/IEC 13251 "Information Technology - Collection of graphical symbols for office equipment" has been published in May 2004. This bilingual standard (English/French) provides a certain number of graphical symbols that are typically used on office equipment such as computers, printers, telephones and copying machines. The part 5 of project ISO/IEC 11581 "Information Technology - User system interfaces and symbols - Icon symbols and functions - Part 5: Tool icons" has been published in May 2004. ISO/IEC 11581-5:2004 describes user interaction with and appearance of tool icons on the screen. These tool icons are a subset of the interactive icons that modify graphical or text elements of an application by association with real-life tool objects. 1.1 JTC 1/SC 35 STATEMENT OF SCOPE The current approved title and scope for ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 35 is: Title: ISO/IEC JTC 1/ SC 35 – User interfaces Scope: “Standardization in the field of User-system interfaces between users (including people with special needs) and systems encompassing input and output devices in information technology environments, with a priority of meeting the JTC 1 requirements for cultural and linguistic adaptability”. Included are the following related areas:

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Interfaces between users and devices such as keyboard, mice, pointers, pens; visual displays, and forms of audio and tactile input/output, with the emphasis on functionality;

Rules for system control by voice, vision, movement, gestures, etc.;

Presentations of technical mechanisms, icons, graphical symbols, etc. ;

Dialogue control and navigation in interactions between humans and systems

assistance and tutoring.

1.2 PROJECT REPORT Work is progressed within the eight SC 35 working groups and two Study Groups. The table below gives an overview of current standardization projects included in the JTC1/SC35 program of work with specification of the related responsible Working Group and target dates :

TABLE OF SC35 PROJECTS – TARGET DATES Project

Title

Ref.

WG

NP

WD

CD/ FCD PDTR

FDIS DTR

IS TR

ISO/IEC CD 15440

Information technology – Technical report on future keyboards and other associated input devices and related entry methods

N0120 WG 1 96/10 99/11 PDTR 02/11

DTR 04/06

TR 05/12

ISO/IEC CD TR 19764

Information technology -- Guidelines and methodology for the assessment of cultural and linguistic adaptability in information technology products

N0368 WG 5 02/05 approved

03/05 PDTR 03/11

DTR 05/11

TR 06/03

ISO/IEC CD TR 19765

Information technology -- Survey of existing icons and symbols for elderly and disabled persons

N0316 WG 6 02/03 approved

03/05 PDTR 05/02

DTR 06/02

TR 06/10

ISO/IEC TR 19766

Design requirements concerning icons and symbols in IT for elderly and disabled persons

N0317 WG 6 02/03 03/11 PDTR 05/02

DTR 06/02

TR 06/10

ISO/IEC CD 24738

Information technology - Icon symbols and functions for multimedia link attributes

N0556 WG2 04/03 06/08 07/08 08/02

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ISO/IEC 18036

Icon symbols & functions For World Wide Web browsers

WAS PUBLISHED 22nd OCTOBER 2003

ISO/IEC 13251

Collective standard – Collection of graphical symbols for office equipment

WAS PUBLISHED 27th MAY 2004

ISO/IEC 11581-5

Information technology – User system interfaces and symbols -- Icon symbols and functions -- Part 5: Tool icons

WAS PUBLISHED 26th MAY 2004

ISO/IEC 9995-1

Information technology – Keyboard layouts for text and office systems – Part 1: General principles governing keyboard layouts

UNDER REVISION (WG1)

ISO/IEC 9995-5

Information technology – Keyboard layouts for text and office systems – Part 5: Editing section

UNDER REVISION (WG1)

ISO/IEC 9995-6

Information technology – Keyboard layouts for text and office systems – Part 6: Function section

UNDER REVISION (WG1)

ISO/IEC 9995-8

Information technology – Keyboard layouts for text and office systems – Part 8: Allocation of letters to the keys of a numeric keypad

UNDER REVISION (WG1)

1.3 NEW PROJECTS for SC 35 Eight new projects within JTC 1/SC 35 programme have to be created :

• Screen Icons and Symbols for personal mobile communication devices (WG4) • Universal Remote Console (WG8) :

o User Interfaces - Universal Remote Console - Part 1 : Framework o Universal Remote Console - Part 2 : User Interface Socket Description o User Interfaces - Universal Remote Console - Part 3 : Presentation Template o User Interfaces - Universal Remote Console - Part 4 : Target Description o User Interfaces - Universal Remote Console - Part 5 : Resource Description

• Model for user interface objects, actions and attributes (Study Group on User interface functions)

• Framework standard for establishing and evaluating accessibility in interactive systems (WG6)

1.4 CO-OPERATION SC35 maintains liaisons with the following JTC1 subcommittees, ISO, IEC, CEN Technical committees. ISO/IEC SC2 Coded character sets:

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ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 22/WG 20 Programming languages, their environments

and systems software applications/Internationalization

ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 32 Data management and interchange ISO/IEC SC 36 Information technology for learning, education

and training ISO/TC 159/SC4 Ergonomics/ Ergonomics of human system

Interaction - Software ergonomics and human- computer dialogues

ISO/TC 211 Geographic information/Geomatics ISO/TC 145 Graphical symbols IEC TC/SC 3C Information structures, documentation and

graphical symbols JWG 11 ISO/TC 145 – IEC/SC 3C Joint working group ISO/TC 145-IEC/SC 3C CEN/TC 304 Information and communication technologies -

European localization CEN/ISSS CDFG Cultural Diversity Focus Group SC35 also maintains liaisons with the following category C liaisons: GUIDE SHARE Europe DATSCG Design for All and Assistive

technologies group (see page 2). 1.4.1 Co-Located Meeting The collaboration initiated between SC35/WG 2 and ISO/TC 159/SC 4/WG 5 at a joint meeting in November 2000 to progress ISO/IEC 18035, “Icon Symbols and functions for controlling multimedia software applications” published in February 2003, is a good example illustrating how profitable complementary expertise and skills can be. It should be developed. 1.4.2 Cultural and Linguistic Adaptability and User Interfaces SC 35 has the mission to consider how to integrate the requirements for Cultural and Linguistic Adaptability and User Interfaces (CLAUI) aspects in products standards so that software and hardware be adapted to local cultural and linguistic needs. SC35/WG 5, “Cultural, linguistic and user requirements” focuses directly on establishing recommended practices on how to evaluate CLAUI in ICT products. The Technical

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Report “Guidelines, methodology, and reference criteria for cultural and linguistic adaptability in information technology products” prepared by WG 5 both in English and French, is a most relevant tool to ensure CLAUI. The ISO/IEC 9995 multi-part standard, “Information technology- Keyboard layouts for text and office systems” under the responsibility of WG 1, defines important aspects to enable keyboards to enter the full ISO 10646 universal characters set (UCS) and also the allocation of Latin letters to the keys of numeric keypads. The 11581 series “Information technology - Icon symbols & functions” in the hands of WG 2 provides a language independent means of communicating information. The two WG 6 projects cope with the key new topic that is e-Accessibility standardization which means participation for all citizens worldwide in the knowledge-based economy, and making web content and ICT systems accessible to people with special needs including the children, elderly and disabled. The subject described within the Technical reports under development:

• ISO/IEC TR 19765,”Survey of existing icons and symbols for elderly and disabled persons;

• ”ISO/IEC TR 19766, “Requirements concerning icons and symbols in IT for elderly and disabled persons”.

Is meant to have CLAUI implications. To reap better synergy between the various SCs involved in CLAUI, JTC 1 organized a meeting on Cooperation and Coordination of Cross Cultural and linguistic matters (CCCCLM). The meeting was conducted by the JTC 1 Chairman, Mr. Scott Jameson, and took place in June 2003 in Geneva, Switzerland. The “particular expertise” of SC 35 in Cultural and Linguistic adaptability (CLA) was formally recognized and referred to in the following recommendation (R5) “CCCCLM notes SC35 has particular expertise in CLA (culture and linguistic adaptability) user interface requirements… and suggests that other SCs take advantage of that expertise when they have questions regarding cultural and linguistic adaptability issues in their work”. The participation in different international events like WSIS or Barcelona Forum also concurs to those aims (see Chairman remarks). 2. PERIOD REVIEW 2.1 USER and MARKET REQUIREMENTS Information and communication technologies (ICT) are used in every conceivable area of life. There is a need, for instance, to secure access to the Internet by all citizens all around the world and to bring everyone, independently from his (her) culture and language, “on-line”. There is especially a need to develop market-relevant standards enabling the Cultural and linguistic concept be implemented in ICT products. SC 35 is paving the way with its ISO/IEC 18035 International Standard “Icon symbols & functions for controlling multimedia applications”, and ISO/IEC 18036, Icon symbols & functions for World Wide Web browsers already published.

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Also the rise in the elderly population of industrialized countries and the growing concern for disabled drive a stream of user's needs and requirements that can partially be addressed by SC 35 standards in the context of its scope. SC 35 is providing an input on icons and symbols for use by people having weak eyesight through the Technical reports, 19765 and 19766 in the hands of WG 6. 2.2 ACHIEVEMENTS During the October 2003 through November 2004 period, SC 35 has focused on progressing the development of 7 projects underway. The Table, page 5, sums up the current situation. SC35 has also provided WG 6 projects under development in HTML format so that people using screen readers and related assistive technology could fully access them. 2.3 RESOURCES Projects are well staffed and resources are adequate for the current tasks. SC 35 has participants with substantial expertise. However to cover future necessary developments, it is needed to attract new highly trained experts representing the market players and willing to actively contribute to the development of new projects. 2.4 METRICS

METRIC 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004

New standards published

0 4 5 0 5 2 2

Total Standards Published

0 4 9 9 14 + 1 in 2003

17 19

Active projects 14 8 9 11 8 4 10

New projects 0 1 2 3 0 4 8 3 FOCUS NEXT WORK PERIOD SC35 plans to continue to focus on user requirements, product-oriented and market-driven standards and initiating new projects that have clear and well-defined objectives together with concrete specifications. 3.1 DELIVERABLES

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See Table, page 5, for the state of the art of projects underway with their corresponding upcoming target dates. 3.2 RISKS A risk may come from the potential conflicting proprietary and de facto standards. A second risk may be raised by the difficulties in supporting standardization efforts for lack of availability and time from experts, especially those willing to take part in the writing of projects, and financial difficulties to participate. One of the keys to the growth of the SC membership is to attract experts from companies, research centers, government agencies but also to try to develop the participation of users and consumers’ organizations, unions, family associations… Being more involved in the international cooperation process could help to increase the number of countries participating especially those unable to join for financial reasons. Also concerning New Work Items and their acceptance, NB's conditions of participation on future projects is crucial and should be suppler. The possibility of using Internet or various other communication devices like telephone conferencing (used now systematically in SC35) should be officially publicized at the JTC1 level to encourage more countries to effectively participate in the writing of standards or join the standardization work. Because of the rarity of experts in some technical areas and the increasing geographical concentration of the industry, this suppleness is a priority to avoid the decline of ITC standards production in various domains in the near future. 3.3 STRATEGIES SC 35 is focused on progressing its projects as timely and efficiently as this has already been demonstrated with ISO/IEC 18021 “Information technology – User interface for Mobile tools for management of database communications in a client-server model” published in 2002, and ISO/IEC 18035 and 18036. To achieve its mission, SC 35 is actively making efforts:

• To manage its activities effectively with the help of its ad-hoc Group on SC 35 WG Management;

• To increase the number of experts within the committee and establish

relationship with users and industry representatives, human factors and cognitive sciences specialists, software designers, vendors and consortia;

• To be more flexible to possibly attract new comers;

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• To maximize its contribution to JTC 1 by seeking out New Work Items related to innovative products with well-defined specifications. For that purpose, it is helped by its ad-hoc Group on Emerging user interface technology;

• To offer SC 35 expertise for cross-fertilization with other SCs and TCs especially

for CLAUI matters according to the recommendations set up at the JTC 1 Coordination of Cross Cultural and linguistic Matters meeting.