Unified Modeling Language (UML) Class Diagramming is the commonly accepted mechanism used to describe relationships between software components. In addition, it is an essential educational tool that is used to convey the structure of software and the patterns of software design to students. Unfortunately, UML is a visual-only mechanism and therefore is not useful for developers and students who are blind or have visual impairments. This work describes a method for conveying class diagrams using audio, which addresses this lack of a tool to support these populations. This method works by dividing the views of a diagram into smaller spaces. Elements in these subspaces are conveyed through manipulation of audio properties. Multiple user studies were performed to prove that the tool is viable for conveying the static structure of software elements and that the workload required to use the tool is reasonable. The results of the studies indicate that the tool is effective and requires only slightly higher mental workload than traditional class diagrams.
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