Hindered by interface, locked by algorithm : understanding practices and challenges of blind or low vision streamers

Abstract

Despite the visual demands of live streaming, blind or low vision (BLV) individuals have lately been found to engage in the live-streaming practice. Yet, little is known about their motivations or practices of streaming. Additionally, recent research revealed algorithm biases that hinder content produced by underrepresented groups. As a result, it is unclear whether and how BLV streamers, a marginalized community, make sense of the content curation algorithm’s effects. We conducted interviews with 19 BLV streamers on Douyin, a well-liked live streaming platform in China, to learn more about their practices, difficulties, and coping strategies. According to our findings, BLV streamers experienced accessibility obstacles with user interfaces (such as problems with filming and quick interaction with viewers) and perceived algorithmic marginalization (e.g., BLV-related content is perceived to not amplified for reaching sighted users.) Their mitigation techniques tended to be passive (e.g., refraining from viewing other BLV streams’ content). We propose design suggestions to create a live-streaming platform that is more equitable and inclusive.

Date of Award	2022
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
Supervisor	Chiew Lan TAI (Supervisor) & Zhicong Lu (Supervisor)