From the Lab to People s Home: Lessons from Accessing Blind Participants Interactions via Smart Glasses in Remote Studies

Kyungjun Lee, Jonggi Hong, Ebrima Jarjue, Ernest Essuah Mensah, Hernisa Kacorri

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contributionpeer-review

4 Scopus citations

Abstract

Researchers have adopted remote methods, such as online surveys and video conferencing, to overcome challenges in conducting in-person usability testing, such as participation, user representation, and safety. However, remote user evaluation on hardware testbeds is limited, especially for blind participants, as such methods restrict access to observations of user interactions. We employ smart glasses in usability testing with blind people and share our lessons from a case study conducted in blind participants' homes (N=12), where the experimenter can access participants' activities via dual video conferencing: A third-person view via a laptop camera and a first-person view via smart glasses worn by the participant. We show that smart glasses hold potential for observing participants' interactions with smartphone testbeds remotely; on average 58.7% of the interactions were fully captured via the first-person view compared to 3.7% via the third-person. However, this gain is not uniform across participants as it is susceptible to head movements orienting the ear towards a sound source, which highlights the need for a more inclusive camera form factor. We also share our lessons learned when it comes to dealing with lack of screen reader support in smart glasses, a rapidly draining battery, and Internet connectivity in remote studies with blind participants.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference, W4A 2022
ISBN (Electronic)9781450391702
DOIs
StatePublished - 25 Apr 2022
Event19th International Web for All Conference, W4A 2022 - Virtual, Online, France
Duration: 25 Apr 202226 Apr 2022

Publication series

NameProceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference, W4A 2022

Conference

Conference19th International Web for All Conference, W4A 2022
Country/TerritoryFrance
CityVirtual, Online
Period25/04/2226/04/22

Keywords

  • blind people
  • remote method
  • smart glasses
  • user study

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