Accessible eBook reader

New in version 5.01 (released: 01/07/2009)

Brian Hartgen, Product Development Manager at T&T Consultancy comments on accessibility improvements of EasyReader version 5.01:

"The accessibility enhancements within EasyReader version 5 make this application a pleasure to use.  Not only is it easy to find all controls within the player by pressing the Tab key, but the staff at Dolphin have put a lot of thought into creating logical and easy to remember shortcut keys.  Accessibility must equal usability and this product ticks both boxes!"

Design and accessibility improvements

• Re-engineered more stable and intuitive design
  The foundations of EasyReader version 5.01 has been completely re-engineered by Dolphin’s AltFormat Product Manager and DAISY expert Mattias Karlsson. These structural changes to the core of EasyReader ensure that the product is now more stable than ever before, and by utilising standard Windows conventions, EasyReader is now more intuitive to use than ever before. View a screenshot of the EasyReader v5 user interface.
• New contemporary graphical icons added
  EasyReader’s icons have undergone a radical transformation, incorporating a new crisp, clear and contemporary design. The addition of text descriptions and informative alt tags to each icon means the EasyReader icons are now immediately easy to identify for all readers.
• Menu bar added for additional accessibility
  By popular demand, EasyReader version 5.01 follows standard windows conventions in incorporating a menu bar structure from which readers can access the full range of EasyReader’s functionality. For keyboard users, the menu bar options also displays the keyboard shortcut for each option. View a screenshot of the v5 menu bar.
• New user friendly terminology added
  EasyReader version 5.01 includes all new user friendly terminology, making the software even more easy and intuitive to use. More prominent terminology changes include the use of the term 'Voice' to replace the largely unknown ‘TTS’, and the addition of the 'Speak to Me' tab to replace the 'Self Voicing' feature. The changes in terminology allow the reader to spend more time on the content of what they are reading, and less time learning what the different terms in EasyReader refer to.
• New intuitive Hotkey set added
  EasyReader version 5.01 now includes a brand new hotkey set, designed specifically to be easy to use, and easy to remember. Each hotkey is listed next to each option in the menu bar, and have been designed to remain extremely easy to use and easy to remember.

New features and functionality

• Bookshelf feature
  The Bookshelf feature makes it even easier than ever before to open a book in EasyReader. In one handy location, the Bookshelf stores reader’s recently opened book, books placed on removable media (e.g. CD/USB), and any books placed on the reader’s ‘Favourites’ list, ready for the reader to open in EasyReader. Readers can also access additional book information, including the book type, the author of the book, and the date that the book was last read. Reader’s can also use the bookshelf to add a book to their favourites list. The Bookshelf also contains a handy preview pane which provides sighted readers with a snapshot of the book to make sure they have selected the book they want before opening it. View a screenshot of the Bookshelf.
• Easy to use playback toolbar
  The playback toolbar presents a handy way for mouse users to control the playback of their book. Designed to be consistent with other recognised media playback tools, the playback toolbar provides a quick and easy way for readers to play/pause the content, skip to the next/previous phrase, and skip to the next/previous page in their content. View a screenshot of the playback toolbar.
• Find feature added to toolbar
  In previous versions of EasyReader, the Find feature was only accessible through the hotkey Ctrl+F. The Find feature is now fully visible on the EasyReader toolbar, as well as being accessible through the Ctrl+F hotkey. The Find feature can be used to highlight the next instance of a particular word or phrase. The Find feature specifically differs from the Search feature by only finding the next instance of a word or phrase; in comparison the Search feature lists every instance of a particular word or phrase.

Easy to use tabular design

One of the main additions to the newly re-engineered EasyReader user interface is the addition of an intuitive tabular design to store all of the reader’s preferences and settings. This tabular design, not dissimilar from other recognised document readers, utilises a resizable panel from which readers can select their preferred settings as well as accessing EasyReader’s advanced heading navigation, bookmarking and search functions.
The new tabular design includes:

• Headings tab:
  The headings tab contains the heading structure of the book that is currently open in EasyReader. The reader can simply select any heading from the headings tab, and EasyReader will jump straight to that specific point in the content. View a screenshot of the Headings tab.
• Navigation Points tab:
  One of the more recent navigation features added to EasyReader is the use of navigation points. Navigation points refer to footnotes, sidebars and other reference notes added by the producer of the DAISY book. The reader can simply select any a point from the Navigation Points tab, and EasyReader will skip straight to that specific point in the content. If there are no navigation points added by the producer, the Navigation Points tab will read “No navigation points available.” View a screenshot of the Navigation Points tab.
• Bookmarks tab:
  The Bookmarks tab provides an area for users to add, edit, view and remove bookmarks. All of the bookmarks that the reader has added to a book are listed in the Bookmarks tab. The reader can simply select any bookmark in the Bookmarks tab, and EasyReader to skip straight to the location of the bookmark in the content. View a screenshot of the Bookmarks tab.
• Search tab:
  The Search tab provides an area where readers can search for words or phrases in their book. Once the reader has searched for a word or phrase, the Search tab lists all instances of that word or phrase in the order in which they are present in the book. The search results also display the heading that each search result can be found under, and displays the sentence that the word or phrase is contained within, allowing the reader to view the context of each search result. The reader can simply select any of the listed search results and EasyReader will skip straight to that section in the book. View a screenshot of the Search tab.
• Highlight tab:
  The highlight tab contains the reader’s highlighting preferences. These preferences include the “phrase” text and highlight colours and the “word” text and highlight colours. The reader can also choose whether or not to add bold, italic, underlined, spacing, or upper case effects to highlighted words using the options in the Highlight tab. View a screenshot of the Highlight tab.
• Styles tab:
  The Styles tab contains the reader’s preferences for the reading window’s background and text colours, which is particularly useful for low vision or dyslexic readers who may prefer to read text with high contrast colour schemes. The user can use the Styles tab to select their preferred style sheet. View a screenshot of the Styles tab.
• Book voice tab:
  The Book Voice tab contains information relating to the voice that EasyReader will use to read the content in. The reader can choose their preferred reading voice (‘My reading voice’), change the speed, pitch and volume of the voice and test that it sounds as the reader prefers. The reader can also use the Book Voice tab to select their voice mode. This refers to whether the reader would like to always use their preferred reading voice (‘My reading voice’), or use the audio contained on the book itself (for cases where a book has its own audio included). View a screenshot of the Book Voice tab.
• Speak to Me tab:
  EasyReader version 5.01 is designed to be fully accessible to all users; the accessibility of Dolphin software is a priority and not an afterthought. The Speak to Me tab is a replacement for the previous “Self-voicing” feature in earlier versions of EasyReader. ‘Speak to Me’ acts as an accessibility feature in EasyReader, communicating menus and controls in the reader’s chosen voice. As well as incorporating more user friendly terminology, the Speak to Me tab contains options to toggle Speak to Me on or off, a choice of voices, the options to change the speed, pitch and volume of the voice, and test the voice to ensure the voice sounds as the reader prefers. View a screenshot of the Speak to Me tab.
• Settings tab:
  The Settings tab incorporates additional EasyReader options, which include choosing whether to enable audio tones on bookmarks, and altering the EasyReader toolbar colours to respect the reader's windows colour settings. View a screenshot of the Settings tab.

EasyReader Support Improvements

• Improvements to opening a book
  DAISY books are built up of a number of different file types (including .mp3, .smil, .ncc, .xml, .doc, etc). The presence of these different files can be confusing to readers who want to get on and read through their book; Dolphin’s customer research has shown evidence that some readers often find it difficult to tell exactly which file to select to open their book. EasyReader version 5.01 now makes this process incredibly easy, notifying the user if they have selected the wrong file and pointing readers straight to the correct file to open.
• Setup Wizard
  To help new readers get up and running with their EasyReader software and ensure they don’t miss a trick, EasyReader version 5.01 now includes a setup wizard, taking readers through some of the more prominent features in EasyReader. This setup wizard opens straight after the reader has installed EasyReader, and is accessible from the Help menu bar option at any time. View a screenshot of the Setup Wizard.
• New easy to use Help
  The Help system in EasyReader version 5.01 has been completely re-written in a task-oriented manner, and now incorporates a cut down version of EasyReader. This cut down version of EasyReader includes basic playback functionality and a Headings tab to allow readers to skip to the section they want with absolute ease. View screenshot of the Help Window.
• Product Improvement Programme
  EasyReader version 5.01 enables readers to take part in Dolphin’s product improvement programme. The programme allows Dolphin to collect anonymous usage data on which features readers are using more regularly. Taking part in the programme allows readers to be proactive in helping to determine the future direction for EasyReader. Learn more about the Product Improvement Programme.

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