Title
Architecture heritage accessibility. Designing the innovative system of navigation and audio description of places not only for the visually impaired
Conference name
Media for All 10 Conference
City
Country
Belgium
Modalities
Date
06/07/2023-07/07/2023
Abstract
Audio Description (AD) as an additional narration describing the visual scene is a broadly used accessibility technique that benefits understanding of the content of films (Kruger, 2010; Orero, 2007), visual art pieces (Krejtz et al., 2016) theatre performances (Fryer, 2010) or museum spaces (Pawłowska & Sowińska-Heim, 2016; Szarkowska et al., 2016) for visually impaired as well sighted adults and children. There are also attempts to use AD in city spaces to increase the accessibility of architectural heritage and to enhance understanding of a built environment architectural heritage and to enhance understanding of a built environment (Boys, 2014; Pacinotti, 2022).
Audio Description is often created by specialists in a domain (e.g., art historians) who provide deep knowledge into of the audio described matter. But at the same time, the perspective of experts is biased by their knowledge. Even expert perception of objects might be very different from the perception of non-experts (e.g., Castner, 2018). The analysis of experts' and non-experts' perception and visual attention patterns is researched mainly with the eye tracking method. The method has been widely used to study media content and cultural artifacts, e.g., films (Marchant et al., 2009; Treuting 2006), scenes (Smith and Henderson 2008), and visual art perception (Krejtz et al., 2016). There is also a growing number of eye tracking studies of architecture perception in the context of cultural heritage, urban planning, and design.
During the panel, we will discuss the proposed novel approach of audio description for architectural sites created by trained in AD art historians but adjusted with the natural visual scan paths of the places by non-experts. This approach presumably will help make audio descriptions more in line with natural historical architectural sites viewing patterns thus easier to follow by the target audience: visually impaired but also sighted tourists and city inhabitants.
During the panel, we will also present the work-in-progress for accessibility to architectural and cultural heritage to a broad audience. The system is based on location-based services providing real-time information and Audio Description (AD) of architectural sites. The uniqueness of the system is twofold. First, it aims to work in real-time adapting its content based on the user's location. Second, it provides AD of architectural monuments constructed to the needs of stakeholders, including the visually impaired, from natural visual scanpaths of non-expert viewers. Here, we present the general system description, preliminary results of qualitative interviews with the visually impaired on their needs regarding the audio description of the architecture, and an eye tracking study comparing visual attention to architecture monuments of experts and non-expert viewers.
Finally, during the present panel, we will discuss good practices of the user-centric design for cultural heritage accessibility tools. As well as the advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinary teamwork include scientists of various disciplines (art historians, psychologists, computer scientists, and engineers), art institutions, and NGOs (Association of the Blind).
Audio Description is often created by specialists in a domain (e.g., art historians) who provide deep knowledge into of the audio described matter. But at the same time, the perspective of experts is biased by their knowledge. Even expert perception of objects might be very different from the perception of non-experts (e.g., Castner, 2018). The analysis of experts' and non-experts' perception and visual attention patterns is researched mainly with the eye tracking method. The method has been widely used to study media content and cultural artifacts, e.g., films (Marchant et al., 2009; Treuting 2006), scenes (Smith and Henderson 2008), and visual art perception (Krejtz et al., 2016). There is also a growing number of eye tracking studies of architecture perception in the context of cultural heritage, urban planning, and design.
During the panel, we will discuss the proposed novel approach of audio description for architectural sites created by trained in AD art historians but adjusted with the natural visual scan paths of the places by non-experts. This approach presumably will help make audio descriptions more in line with natural historical architectural sites viewing patterns thus easier to follow by the target audience: visually impaired but also sighted tourists and city inhabitants.
During the panel, we will also present the work-in-progress for accessibility to architectural and cultural heritage to a broad audience. The system is based on location-based services providing real-time information and Audio Description (AD) of architectural sites. The uniqueness of the system is twofold. First, it aims to work in real-time adapting its content based on the user's location. Second, it provides AD of architectural monuments constructed to the needs of stakeholders, including the visually impaired, from natural visual scanpaths of non-expert viewers. Here, we present the general system description, preliminary results of qualitative interviews with the visually impaired on their needs regarding the audio description of the architecture, and an eye tracking study comparing visual attention to architecture monuments of experts and non-expert viewers.
Finally, during the present panel, we will discuss good practices of the user-centric design for cultural heritage accessibility tools. As well as the advantages and disadvantages of interdisciplinary teamwork include scientists of various disciplines (art historians, psychologists, computer scientists, and engineers), art institutions, and NGOs (Association of the Blind).