The tool, called Grid Editor, serves as a modification to traditional code editors that programmers use to add lines of code when updating features and functions in software. Prior work has focused on making different parts of the coding process more accessible for blind and partially sighted users, such as reading or navigating code. Grid Editor is the first to place emphasis on code editing — an important step in making continuous updates to software, in which programmers edit and update existing code that was previously written by other programmers.
Existing code editors use visual cues such as highlighted keywords and indented lines that enable sighted programmers to visually navigate their way through extensive code. While blind and low-vision programmers can use adaptive tools like screen readers to audibly navigate the code, those tools aren’t built to navigate lengthy codebases. Screen readers could occasionally miss individual characters or pieces of code, increasing the programmer’s time spent and the potential for error.
What are some of the features of Grid Editor?
The Grid Editor interface resembles a spreadsheet, incorporating rows and columns to localize a piece of code within the two-dimensional space. A blind or partially sighted programmer can extract lines of code from an existing codebase and import it into Grid Editor, then use the tool’s structure and audible cues to more easily navigate the numerous lines of code.
In Grid Editor, the number of rows in the grid are equal to the number of lines in the code being updated, and the number of columns in the grid aligns with the number of levels in the code, helping users easily create a mental map and navigate within the grid using keyboard shortcuts and arrows combined with audible cues.
This is especially useful for blind and partially sighted users when navigating empty space or making sense of special symbols — such as indentations or parentheses — which hold meaning in the code and serve as visual markers for sighted programmers in traditional code editors.
When used with Grid Editor, a screen reader will audibly state that a cell is blank, indicating to a blind or partially sighted programmer that an indentation exists and helps them to perceive their cursor’s location in the code.
Grid Editor also uses other audible cues to guide the user, such as announcing in which cell the cursor is currently located, stating whether or buzzing when the user reaches the boundary of the grid.
Additionally, Grid Editor applies brightly coloured highlights to certain cells, mimicking colours used in traditional code editors to further direct partially sighted users.
What was the feedback from blind and partially sighted programmers?
After building their initial prototype, the researchers solicited feedback from the online communities of blind or partially sighted programmers for two months. Then, to test the functionality of their final prototype, they recruited 12 blind or partially sighted programmers for a controlled lab study. Participants used both a plain text editor and Grid Editor to complete various coding tasks. The researchers observed the programmers’ activity and measured accuracy and efficiency. On average, the participants were faster, navigated more accurately and made fewer errors when using Grid Editor compared to the traditional code editor.
When is Grid Editor available?
Grid Editor is free to use and is publicly available online.
What software is recommended to use with Grid Editor?
It works best with Chrome Browser with NVDA screen reader.
What programming languages does Grid Editor support?
It currently supports Python programming language, but support for other languages is underway.
The work was supported in part by the National Institutes of Health and in part by Billah’s startup fund from the College of IST.
