Designing search engine user interfaces for the visually impaired

Search engines are a fundamental tool for retrieving specific and appropriate information on the Internet; for this reason it is essential for any user to be able to interact with simple, clear and accessible interfaces. In this paper we describe the main design issues affecting the user interface of a search engine when a sightless user interacts by means of a screen reader or voice synthesizer. In particular, the most important differences between a visual layout and aural perception are discussed, in order to propose appropriate and specific guidelines for improving the design of search engine interfaces.