Role
Inclusive Design Researcher
Project Summary
Ethnographic research with blind, vision impaired and autistic audiences to understand their needs accessing and enjoying audio described content on broadcast television and video-on-demand platforms across mobile, web and connected TVs.
How might we provide audio description so that more audiences can enjoy our content?
Challenge
The clients had implemented audio description with our support on some shows on live broadcast television in partnership with Vision Australia and Blind Citizens Australia. With global streaming providers leading the way with accessibility features, Australian audio description users were getting frustrated that they couldn’t access audio described content on these two media platforms online. The clients returned to us for a community-led approach to audio description design and implementation for their video-on-demand platforms.
Approach
The original approach of contextual inquiry through home visits could not go ahead due to COVID restrictions. I recommended we pivot to a diary study rather than online interviews so that we could extract the most meaningful and useful responses from participants.
With the support from a UX coordinator, I recruited 14 audio description users who are blind or have low vision, autistic and/or have sensory processing disorders. Blind and vision impaired audiences were selected as they experience the most barriers when it comes to accessing and enjoying video media. People with autism and sensory processing disorder were identified by Curtin University researchers to also enjoy the benefits of audio description.
I designed a diary study with prompts for reflection to answer each time participants consumed video-on-demand (VOD) or TV content with audio description over two weeks. The final prompt asked participants to write a letter to their VOD service provider expressing the love or to break up. This exercise elicits latent needs and emotions associated with the service experience.
Following the 2-week diary study, I conducted follow up interviews with each participant on topics raised in their responses.
The diary study and interview findings were synthesised into a research report along with market research into VOD audio description functionality and a literature review of the current landscape about audio description.
Outcome
The research insights enabled both clients to make an informed decision about an implementation approach and prioritisation of devices and platforms (mobile first, followed by web and connected TVs). The participatory design method built rapport with the blind and low vision community who will be partnering with the clients to communicate the new feature roll-out.
The design recommendations are being actioned by both clients and I will conduct usability testing with audio description users once a functional prototype is created.