Time and date: 26 April 2023 at 2:00 pm | Location: Abacws 1.04 | Speaker: Paul Goddard
There are approximately 2 million people with sight loss in the UK, yet few people with low vision visit museums due to the inconsistent and incomplete strategies implemented to accommodate them. Existing accessibility solutions in museums focus on non-visual senses, and there is little technology to enhance the visual aspects of artworks for people with low vision. Image enhancement techniques can improve visual tasks, but it is unclear how effective they would be in museums and galleries. This presentation describes three focus groups conducted with 18 people with low vision from the UK who have experience viewing art in museums. The participants commented on visual problems in museums and gave suggestions for enhancing the visual aspects of artworks. The analysis identified several themes, including environmental challenges, the importance of colour and contrast, support from people and technology, appreciation for tactile options, and design considerations for Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) and Augmented Reality (AR) solutions. The presentation concludes by discussing how these findings can inform the design of HMDs for people with low vision in museums to enhance the visual aspects of artworks.
