Understanding the Holistic Shopping Experience of Visually Impaired People

Shopping is a routine activity for many, but for visually impaired people (VIP), it involves navigating a complex web of challenges that extend far beyond the grocery store. A study titled “Constructing a Holistic View of Shopping with People with Visual Impairment: A Participatory Design Approach” sheds light on the often-overlooked aspects of this process, emphasizing the need for inclusive design solutions. By engaging VIP as active collaborators, the research reveals how everyday tasks: from preparing shopping lists to organizing groceries, require innovative strategies and tools.

A Holistic Approach to Shopping

The study highlights that shopping for VIP is not limited to in-store activities. Instead, it encompasses three interconnected phases:

Pre-Shopping Preparation

• Identifying Needs: Determining which household items are running low is a significant hurdle. Similar packaging (e.g., cans, bottles) complicates identification, forcing VIP to rely on tactile labels, smell, or memory. Tools like barcode scanners or apps (e.g., TapTapSee) help but are time-consuming and often lack comprehensive product databases.

• Creating Lists: Documenting needs requires juggling tools like braille slates, voice recorders, or text-to-speech apps. Handwritten lists can hinder collaboration with sighted assistants, limiting spontaneity during shopping.

In-Store Navigation and Selection

• While technologies like RFID tags, GPS-guided apps, and computer vision gloves exist, many assume rigid, pre-planned lists. This limits VIP’s ability to explore new products or adapt to promotions, reducing the serendipity of shopping.

• Tools for item identification (e.g., OCR, barcode readers) often fail for unpackaged goods like produce or meat, forcing reliance on store staff or companions.

Post-Shopping Organization

• Organizing groceries at home is critical for safety and efficiency. VIP use braille labels, audio tags, or custom systems (e.g., cutting lid edges) to distinguish items. However, mistakes like mistaking dish soap for syrup, highlight the risks of inadequate labeling.

  
  

The Role of Participatory Design

The study underscores the value of involving VIP as co-designers rather than passive subjects. Over a year-long engagement, researchers observed how VIP adapt tools to their needs, such as repurposing braille labels or combining multiple technologies. This approach revealed gaps in existing solutions:

• Tool Fragmentation: VIP often use separate tools for identification, navigation, and organization, creating inefficiencies.

• Ocular-Centric Bias: Many technologies focus on compensating for vision loss rather than leveraging VIP’s strengths, such as heightened auditory or haptic senses.

Design Implications for the Future

• Integrated Systems: Combining pantry management, list generation, and in-store navigation into a single platform could streamline tasks. For example, a smart system might track household stock, suggest recipes, and guide users to items in-store.

• Strength-Based Design: Tools should enhance VIP’s existing skills. Haptic feedback for navigation or audio cues that describe product details (e.g., expiration dates, ingredients) could reduce reliance on vision-centric solutions.

• Extended Collaboration: Long-term partnerships with VIP ensure designs align with their lived experiences. Short-term engagements risk overlooking nuanced challenges, such as the emotional toll of dependence on sighted assistants.

  
  

Conclusion

The study’s findings remind us that accessibility is not just about mitigating deficits but fostering independence and dignity. By embracing a holistic view of shopping: from pantry to checkout, designers can create solutions that empower VIP to participate fully in everyday life. Future work must also address cultural and socioeconomic diversity, ensuring technologies are adaptable and inclusive for all.

As the study emphasizes, accessibility is not an add-on, it’s foundational. For Virtual Reality (VR) designers, this means building inclusivity into the core architecture, ensuring VIP are equal participants in the digital marketplace. By translating these real-world challenges into digital solutions, VR can bridge accessibility gaps.

Reference

Yuan, C.W., Hanrahan, B.V., Lee, S., Rosson, M.B. and Carroll, J.M., 2019. Constructing a holistic view of shopping with people with visual impairment: a participatory design approach. Universal Access in the Information Society, 18, pp.127-140.