‘Metadata is wonderful, but there’s a coldness to it’: exploring the visual accessibility of cultural heritage through participatory design
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47989/ir31iConf64240Keywords:
Blind and low-vision, Accessibility, Visual cultural heritage, Libraries, Participatory designAbstract
Introduction. Ensuring access to digital visual cultural heritage (VCH) for people who are blind or low vision (BLV) requires dedicated effort. Many digitised collections lack alt text, transcriptions, or descriptions that would enable independent access.
Method. We conducted participatory design sessions with BLV participants, cultural heritage experts, and stakeholders at the Library of Congress (LOC) to explore how access to VCH collections might be improved. Mixed groups of BLV and sighted participants completed three activities: 1) identifying categories of information valued in image descriptions, 2) evaluating descriptive sources through a Wizard-of-Oz method, and 3) brainstorming to envision future systems.
Analysis. We analysed category rankings from Activity 1, evaluations of descriptive sources from Activity 2, and qualitatively examined insights from one study session of Activity 3.
Results. Participants emphasised the importance of descriptions that extend beyond metadata, including vivid visual details, human presence, and contextual information. Human-provided descriptions were most valued, AI-generated descriptions showed potential but required oversight, and metadata-based descriptions were seen as accurate yet insufficient.
Conclusion. Our findings underscore the need for layered descriptive strategies combining factual precision with interpretive richness, ensuring equitable access for blind users.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Victoria Van Hyning , Pramod Chundury
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