“Request to speak, button” : Accessibility for visually impaired VoiceOver users on social live audio chat platforms

Abstract: Social media has become an inevitable part of everyday life. With the focus to a large extent being on image and video sharing, accessibility for the visually impaired is not always granted. However, new types of social platforms with live audio chats at their core have shown potential to stand out as particularly inclusive of visually impaired users. Taking a standpoint in the Technology-to-Performance Chain model, the study aimed to create a better understanding of the subjective user experience of visually impaired users of social live audio chat platforms by identifying what influences accessibility, especially when it comes to taking part of and creating audio content. The topic was approached in the form of a case study. Qualitative data collection was conducted with a combination of observations and product assessment, expert interviews a well as user interviews. The aim was to create a better understanding of the subjective user experience of visually impaired users. The results suggest audio-based platforms have the potential to fit the visually impaired users well. A limited scope of the platform, having voice-based communication at the core and a limited number of visual elements all influence accessibility. A sufficient amount of adjustable VoiceOver adds to the accessibility of the platform. Furthermore, the results indicate being aware of user behaviour and the inaccessibility it might lead to is of importance. Concludingly, applying a UX perspective is deemed as of importance as the results indicate it often is the intangible, subjective user perspective which can highlight what influences accessibility.