Production of access services in immersive content: Understanding the needs of audio describers

Abstract

360° content, offered more and more frequently by various broadcasters and culture institutions, should cater for the needs of all members of our society, including persons with sight loss. So far, however, the question of providing audio description (AD) in such content has been under researched. This study aims to report the results of the usability study of the prototype AD editor developed within the Immersive Accessibility (ImAc) project, which allowed us to gain insights into the needs of professional audio describers when working with 360° content. The editor is an online tool which allows describers to choose an appropriate sound type for AD, and place AD segments in the 360° sphere. The study was conducted online and data was collected by means of a demographic pre-questionnaire and a postquestionnaire, consisting of a System Usability Scale and additional preference questions. The results obtained provide valuable feedback on how to improve the functionality of the tool to meet the needs of its users. They also indicate the need for guidance when selecting content to be described in this media format, which suggests that AD in immersive content could be integrated into AD guidelines or specific courses offered by training institutions. The results of this study are just a starting point in the field of immersive accessibility, hence the recommendation for further research on the subject of accessibility in this media format.