Haptic Auditory Feedback for Enhanced Image Description: A Study of User Preferences and Performance
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Keywords
haptics; touchscreens; smartphones; accessibility
Identifier Data
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-42280-5_14
Publisher
Springer, Cham
Rights Management
© 2023 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
Abstract
Our research has focused on improving the accessibility of mobile applications for blind or low vision (BLV) users, particularly with regard to images. Previous studies have shown that using spatial interaction can help BLV users create a mental model of the positions of objects within an image. In order to address the issue of limited image accessibility, we have developed three prototypes that utilize haptic feedback to reveal the positions of objects within an image. These prototypes use audio-haptic binding to make the images more accessible to BLV users. We also conducted the first user study to evaluate the memorability, efficiency, preferences, and comfort level with haptic feedback of our prototypes for BLV individuals trying to locate multiple objects within an image. The results of the study indicate that the prototype combining haptic feedback with both audio and caption components offered a more accessible and preferred among other prototypes. Our work contributes to the advancement of digital image technologies that utilize haptic feedback to enhance the experience of BLV users.
Comments
Conference paper presented at Human-Computer Interaction-INTERACT 2023. This paper was later part of the book series Lecture Notes in Computer Science ((LNCS,volume 14142)) and was included in the conference series IFIP Conference on Human-Computer Interaction.