In 2020, I decided to root my thesis on accessibility inspired by Victor Papanek. By reviewing several studies, I learned that blind people commonly avoid public spaces as their inaccessibility poses risk and stress.
Audio description is the oral description of images and objects. There are award-winning projects based on audio description of places, yet none use technology to reach more blind people.
With this goal, I envisioned an app grounded on content generated by volunteers, as other platforms for the blind have no shortage of collaboration.
But how to design for the blind and how to guide volunteers in audio describing places? With help of my advisor, I dived into the world of accessibility, created a template for audio description and achieved maximum score.
I decided to work with Jesse James Garrett’s Elements of User Experience as a framework, benefiting from its clear cut steps. In the first step, paper reviews and story maps provided insights, from which I went on to ideate solutions.
For example, by story mapping, I observed that blind people would alternate use of Audiverso with mobility apps to get around. So I included shortcuts for convenience.
Competitive analysis helped identify other core ideas. For instance, audio description wishes by blind users, which would empower their choice and boost volunteer impact.
To reach that balance, I went back and forth between flowcharts and wireframes, leveling the amount of information and interaction. Throughout the whole project, I immersed myself in content about blind people’s use of screenreaders, which helped develop a keen sensibility.
Having had a clear vision for Audiverso’s concept from the start, creating and applying a visual identity was quite straightforward. The blind people’s profile was styled to include low vision users, with clear contrast and grouping. For the volunteers version, location imagery helped create visual delight.
I’m grateful for Professor Rodrigo Gonzatto for his thought provoking advising, as well as Professors Luciane Hilu and Juliana Bueno for their analysis that led to valued insights and ideas. The thesis can be read here.
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As someone passionate for UI design, exploring the world of audio description called attention to how other senses can propose different, but equally valuable experiences.
In retrospect, prioritizing key user flows may have freed time to user testing. Nevertheless, creating Audiverso from research to prototyping was educational, picking up new methods and skills along the way.
