N. Carbonell, C. Stephanidis (Eds.): User Interfaces for All, LNCS 2615, pp. 129–140, 2003. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2003 Computer Environments for Improving End-User Accessibility M.F. Costabile 1* , D. Fogli 2* , G. Fresta 3 , P. Mussio 2* , and A. Piccinno 1* 1 Dipartimento di Informatica, Università di Bari, Bari, Italy {costabile, piccinno}@di.uniba.it 2 Dipartimento di Elettronica per l’Automazione, Università di Brescia, Brescia, Italy {fogli, mussio}@ing.unibs.it 3 ISTI "A. Faedo", CNR, Pisa, Italy giuseppe.fresta@cnuce.cnr.it * Pictorial Computing Laboratory, Università "La Sapienza", Roma, Italy Abstract. In several computer applications, end-users are experts in a specific domain, not necessarily experts in computer science, who use computer environments to perform their daily tasks. In this paper we present a methodology for designing interactive systems based on the development of multimedia and multimodal environments for supporting the activities of such domain-expert users. We call these environments Software Shaping Workshops: they aim at easing the way people program and interact with computers, thus allowing domain-expert users to develop software applications without the burden of using a traditional programming language, but using high level visual languages tailored to their needs. It is shown how this design methodology is easily applicable through the software tool BANCO. 1 Introduction One of the main objectives of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) is the development of computer systems, which provide accessibility and high quality of interaction to their end-users. In accordance with [1], we recognize that most end-users are experts in a specific domain, not necessarily experts in computer science, who use computer environments to perform their daily tasks. End-users are responsible for the activities accomplished through the system and for the produced results. They are the stakeholders in the system development process [2]. Our work primarily addresses the needs of such domain-expert users. As defined in [3], universal access implies accessibility, usability, and acceptability of Information Society Technologies by anyone, anywhere, anytime, thus enabling equitable access and active participation of potentially all citizens in existing and emerging computer-mediated human activities. Our view of universal design does not imply that a single user interface is suitable for all end-users (or simply users in the rest of the paper). Instead, as designers we put effort in proposing solutions adaptable to the needs of different user populations. Great care must be devoted to the study of the user population that is the target of the system to be developed, so that computer environments best suited to their users can be created. However, as highlighted in [4], hurdles arise in designing interactive systems because of user diversity within a same population. User diversity depends non not only on