WebAlly: Making Visual Task-based CAPTCHAs Transferable for People with Visual Impairments

Task-based visual CAPTCHAs are a significant accessibility hurdle for people with visual impairments (PVIs). What if PVIs could transfer task-based visual CAPTCHAs to a helper to solve? How might PVIs want such a system configured in terms of from whom they would solicit help and how they would compensate this help? To answer these questions, we implemented and evaluated a proof-of-concept assistive transfer system — WebAlly — that makes task-based CAPTCHAs transferable by allowing PVIs to source just-in-time, remote control help from a trusted contact. In an exploratory, role-play study with 10 pairs of participants — a PVI and a friend or a family member — we asked participants to use WebAlly in four different configurations that varied in source of help (friend vs. stranger) and compensation (paid vs. volunteer). We found that PVIs liked having WebAlly as an additional option for solving visual CAPTCHAs, when other options that preserve their independence fail. In addition, many PVIs and their friends felt that using the system would bring their relationship closer. We discuss design implications for transferable CAPTCHAs and assistive transfer systems more broadly, e.g., the importance of complementing rather than replacing PVIs' existing workflows.