CAPTCHA Accessibility Evaluation Study

Thank you for participating in this study. You will evaluate three different security checks (CAPTCHAs). For each system, you will attempt the default challenge and the alternative/accessibility option. Please answer the questions after each attempt.

Important Methodological Notice: To ensure that CAPTCHAs present a challenge for solving (rather than letting you pass automatically), we strongly recommend using a VPN (Virtual Private Network) or connecting through a public network during this evaluation.

Informed Consent for Research Participation

Purpose of the Study: The goal of this thesis research is to evaluate the accessibility, usability, and cognitive load of different CAPTCHA systems (security checks) for users of assistive technologies.

Important Disclaimer: These tasks are designed to test the CAPTCHA systems, not you. We are evaluating how well these systems accommodate different needs and setups, not your personal ability to solve them. If a task is difficult or impossible, it is a failure of the system, not the participant.

Data Collection

During this study, the following information will be collected:

An automatically generated, anonymous Participant ID.
Your Operating System and Browser type (for technical compatibility context).
Task completion times and error rates (collected passively during your interaction with the CAPTCHAs).
Your survey responses and any optional feedback you provide.

Data Privacy & Anonymity

No personally identifiable information (PII) such as your name, IP address, or email address will be collected. All data will be aggregated, securely stored, and used solely for the purpose of this academic thesis and subsequent research publications.

Participant Consent I have read and understood the information above, and I consent to participate in this study.

Participant Information

Please provide details about your assistive technology and input methods.

Auto-Collected Information

Participant ID: Generating...

Operating System: Detecting...

Browser: Detecting...

Primary Assistive Technology (Select all that apply) Screen Reader: NVDA Screen Reader: JAWS Screen Reader: Windows Narrator Screen Reader: VoiceOver Magnification High-Contrast/Dark Theme Other (Please specify) (Optional):

Primary Input Method used for this test (Please choose the input method that you will be using the most during the test) Keyboard Mouse/Trackpad Touch/Other

Google reCAPTCHA - Task 1

Task 1: Google reCAPTCHA (Default)

Instructions: Attempt the default visual challenge below. If you are unable to complete this security check, please click the "I cannot complete this security check" button below instead of clicking "Next" directly.

Time to Complete: Timing...

Errors/Retries: 0

Task 1 Evaluation: Google reCAPTCHA (Default)

Please evaluate your experience completing this task.

Keyboard Navigation: Was the task accessible using only the keyboard without getting stuck or losing track of your cursor? Yes (Accessible) No (Encountered traps / lost focus)

Mental Demand: How much mental and perceptual activity was required? 1 - Very Low / Minimal: I could solve these comfortably without much focus. 2 - Low 3 - Moderate: I had to concentrate, but I felt in control. 4 - High 5 - Very High / Extreme: I found these extremely taxing and required intense focus. Description (Optional):

Perceived Effort: How hard did you have to work to achieve your performance? 1 - Very Low / Minimal: I achieved completion with very little physical/cognitive effort. 2 - Low 3 - Moderate: I had to work hard to achieve this level of performance. 4 - High 5 - Very High / Extreme: The effort required was overwhelming and exhausting. Description (Optional):

Frustration: How insecure, discouraged, or stressed did you feel? 1 - Very Low / Minimal: The system worked smoothly and as expected with my assistive technology. 2 - Low 3 - Moderate: I encountered some barriers but eventually moved past them. 4 - High 5 - Very High / Extreme: I felt significant stress, discouragement, or was completely locked out. Description (Optional):

If you could change one thing about how this security check interacts with your screen reader or magnifier, what would it be? (Optional)

Google reCAPTCHA - Task 2

Task 2: Google reCAPTCHA (Alternative / Audio)

Instructions: Navigate to the CAPTCHA widget, activate it, and attempt to use the alternative audio challenge option (headphone icon) to complete this task. If you are unable to complete this security check, please click the "I cannot complete this security check" button below instead of clicking "Next" directly.

Time to Complete: Timing...

Errors/Retries: 0

Task 2 Evaluation: Google reCAPTCHA (Alternative / Audio)

Please evaluate your experience completing this task.

Keyboard Navigation: Was the task accessible using only the keyboard without getting stuck or losing track of your cursor? Yes (Accessible) No (Encountered traps / lost focus)

Did you feel the alternative mode (audio) was genuinely easier to use than the visual one, or did it introduce its own set of challenges? (Optional)

hCaptcha - Task 3

Task 3: hCaptcha (Default)

Time to Complete: Timing...

Errors/Retries: 0

Task 3 Evaluation: hCaptcha (Default)

Please evaluate your experience completing this task.

Keyboard Navigation: Was the task accessible using only the keyboard without getting stuck or losing track of your cursor? Yes (Accessible) No (Encountered traps / lost focus)

If you could change one thing about how this security check interacts with your screen reader or magnifier, what would it be? (Optional)

hCaptcha - Task 4

Task 4: hCaptcha (Alternative / Accessibility Cookie)

Instructions: Attempt to find and use the alternative accessibility option provided by the CAPTCHA. hCaptcha provides an accessibility cookie that bypasses visual challenges. Please sign up for their accessibility access, or if you already have the cookie, interact with the widget below. If you are unable to complete this security check, please click the "I cannot complete this security check" button below instead of clicking "Next" directly.

Browser Security Policy Notice: You are accessing this portal via a local file path (file://). Modern browsers block third-party storage/cookies in iframes for local file paths, which prevents the hCaptcha widget from reading your accessibility cookie. To test hCaptcha with the accessibility cookie, please run this folder using a local web server (e.g. npx serve or python3 -m http.server) and open the page via http://localhost.

Time to Complete: Timing...

Errors/Retries: 0

Task 4 Evaluation: hCaptcha (Alternative / Accessibility Cookie)

Please evaluate your experience completing this task.

Keyboard Navigation: Was the task accessible using only the keyboard without getting stuck or losing track of your cursor? Yes (Accessible) No (Encountered traps / lost focus)

Did you feel the alternative mode (accessibility cookie) was genuinely easier to use than the visual one, or did it introduce its own set of challenges? (Optional)

Cloudflare Turnstile - Task 5

Task 5: Cloudflare Turnstile

Instructions: Navigate to and click the activation button below to start the verification check. Note that this CAPTCHA is likely to pass automatically upon this action and is likely to pass without a challenge. The verification successful message means you have passed the task. If you are unable to complete this security check, please click the "I cannot complete this security check" button below instead of clicking "Next" directly.

Time to Complete: Timing...

Errors/Retries: 0

Task 5 Evaluation: Cloudflare Turnstile

Please evaluate your experience completing this task.

Keyboard Navigation: Was the task accessible using only the keyboard without getting stuck or losing track of your cursor? Yes (Accessible) No (Encountered traps / lost focus)

If you could change one thing about how this security check interacts with your screen reader or magnifier, what would it be? (Optional)

Final Summary & Ranking

Please rank the three CAPTCHA systems you tested from most accessible to least accessible. You can drag and drop the items or use the keyboard buttons to reorder them.

Comparative Accessibility Ranking

Use the up/down buttons on each card to change its position, or drag them if using a mouse. 1 is the most accessible, 3 is the least accessible. Reordering an item will update and announce the new list positions and the final list status.

Google reCAPTCHA

Tasks 1 & 2

hCaptcha

Tasks 3 & 4

Cloudflare Turnstile

Task 5

Baseline Security Verification Difficulty

Overall, how would you characterize the difficulty of standard web security verification?

1 - Very Easy 2 - Easy 3 - Medium 4 - Hard 5 - Very Hard

Submission Successful!

Thank you so much for participating in this accessibility study.

Your time, effort, and feedback are incredibly appreciated and will directly contribute to making CAPTCHA systems more accessible for everyone.

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