title: The visibility of controls and labels on electronic devices and their suitability for people with impaired vision.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  People with low vision complain of difficulty operating controls on electronic appliances and equipment which suggests that the readability of controls and their labels is below their ability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether electronic appliances available today are designed with controls of sufficient size (at least 6/18 Snellen VA) and contrast (at least 30%) to facilitate identification and use by people with low vision.
  
  
  METHODS
  Controls and labels of electronic appliances for sale in retail stores in Singapore (January, February 2012) and a sample of domestic appliances in Sydney, Australia (October, November of 2011) were evaluated in terms of high- and low- importance in function, size and contrast (luminance and colour difference).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Labels and controls of 96 electronic appliances were evaluated. All controls were of sufficient size but 22% (26/117) of high- and 27% (12/44) of low-importance controls measured had insufficient luminance contrast. 79% (152/192) of high- and 46% (24/52) of low-importance labels were of insufficient size. 17% (26/160) of the high- and 0.03% (1/33) of low-importance labels had insufficient luminance contrast.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Most controls and labels of recently available electronic appliances can cause problems for operability in people with low vision.
authors.affiliation: School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Hsuan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.affiliation: School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Mei Ying
authors.initials: MY
authors.lastname: Boon
authors.affiliation: Optics and Radiometry Laboratory, School of Optometry and Vision Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
authors.forename: Stephen J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Dain
mesh_terms: D003116:Color; D015350:Contrast Sensitivity; D055615:Electrical Equipment and Supplies; D006801:Humans; D011356:Product Labeling / Q000592:standards*; D011932:Reading; D015354:Vision, Low / Q000150:complications*
keywords: Low vision; colour difference; contrast; electronic appliances; modelling; visibility of controls; visual impairment