Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired Users

The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to an abundance of data streams and real-time dashboards in domains such as smart cities, healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture. However, many current IoT dashboards emphasize complex visualizations with minimal textual cues, posing sign...

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Main Authors: George Alex Stelea, Livia Sangeorzan, Nicoleta Enache-David
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-06-01
Series:Future Internet
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/7/274
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author George Alex Stelea
Livia Sangeorzan
Nicoleta Enache-David
author_facet George Alex Stelea
Livia Sangeorzan
Nicoleta Enache-David
author_sort George Alex Stelea
collection DOAJ
description The proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to an abundance of data streams and real-time dashboards in domains such as smart cities, healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture. However, many current IoT dashboards emphasize complex visualizations with minimal textual cues, posing significant barriers to users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies. This paper presents AccessiDashboard, a web-based IoT dashboard platform that prioritizes accessible design from the ground up. The system uses semantic HTML5 and WAI-ARIA compliance to ensure that screen readers can accurately interpret and navigate the interface. In addition to standard chart presentations, AccessiDashboard automatically generates long descriptions of graphs and visual elements, offering a text-first alternative interface for non-visual data exploration. The platform supports multi-modal data consumption (visual charts, bullet lists, tables, and narrative descriptions) and leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to produce context-aware textual representations of sensor data. A privacy-by-design approach is adopted for the AI integration to address ethical and regulatory concerns. Early evaluation suggests that AccessiDashboard reduces cognitive and navigational load for users with vision disabilities, demonstrating its potential as a blueprint for future inclusive IoT monitoring solutions.
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spelling doaj-art-3591f2841f3f43eda10f1b35a04648a02025-08-20T03:58:26ZengMDPI AGFuture Internet1999-59032025-06-0117727410.3390/fi17070274Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired UsersGeorge Alex Stelea0Livia Sangeorzan1Nicoleta Enache-David2Department of Electronics and Computers, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, RomaniaDepartment of Mathematics and Informatics, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, RomaniaDepartment of Mathematics and Informatics, Transilvania University of Brașov, 500036 Brașov, RomaniaThe proliferation of the Internet of Things (IoT) has led to an abundance of data streams and real-time dashboards in domains such as smart cities, healthcare, manufacturing, and agriculture. However, many current IoT dashboards emphasize complex visualizations with minimal textual cues, posing significant barriers to users with visual impairments who rely on screen readers or other assistive technologies. This paper presents AccessiDashboard, a web-based IoT dashboard platform that prioritizes accessible design from the ground up. The system uses semantic HTML5 and WAI-ARIA compliance to ensure that screen readers can accurately interpret and navigate the interface. In addition to standard chart presentations, AccessiDashboard automatically generates long descriptions of graphs and visual elements, offering a text-first alternative interface for non-visual data exploration. The platform supports multi-modal data consumption (visual charts, bullet lists, tables, and narrative descriptions) and leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) to produce context-aware textual representations of sensor data. A privacy-by-design approach is adopted for the AI integration to address ethical and regulatory concerns. Early evaluation suggests that AccessiDashboard reduces cognitive and navigational load for users with vision disabilities, demonstrating its potential as a blueprint for future inclusive IoT monitoring solutions.https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/7/274Internet of Thingsaccessibilitysemantic HTML5WAI-ARIAartificial intelligenceMulti-Modal Data Representation
spellingShingle George Alex Stelea
Livia Sangeorzan
Nicoleta Enache-David
Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired Users
Future Internet
Internet of Things
accessibility
semantic HTML5
WAI-ARIA
artificial intelligence
Multi-Modal Data Representation
title Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired Users
title_full Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired Users
title_fullStr Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired Users
title_full_unstemmed Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired Users
title_short Accessible IoT Dashboard Design with AI-Enhanced Descriptions for Visually Impaired Users
title_sort accessible iot dashboard design with ai enhanced descriptions for visually impaired users
topic Internet of Things
accessibility
semantic HTML5
WAI-ARIA
artificial intelligence
Multi-Modal Data Representation
url https://www.mdpi.com/1999-5903/17/7/274
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AT liviasangeorzan accessibleiotdashboarddesignwithaienhanceddescriptionsforvisuallyimpairedusers
AT nicoletaenachedavid accessibleiotdashboarddesignwithaienhanceddescriptionsforvisuallyimpairedusers