Smartphone app as a museum guide. Testing the Open Art application with blind, deaf, and sighted users

In this article, we report on the results of a usability study on the Open Art mobile application conducted in a museum with blind, deaf and sighted/hearing people. The Open Art application was created following the principles of Universal Design to give all types of users the opportunity to use the app on equal terms. The main goal of the study reported here was to assess how the application is used in museum space. We tested 13 people: 1 blind, 5 partially sighted, 3 deaf and hard of hearing as well as 4 sighted/ hearing participants. The results show that the app was generally well received and that its use has a positive influence on museum visiting experience.