User-Centred Design for Accessibility in Media Content – Sign Language and Virtual Signer

Abstract

Even though User-Centred Design (UCD) is widely accepted and employed in the design and development of interactive systems, there are limited guiding procedures on how such approaches can be translated to the development of products, systems, and services that are focusing primarily on accessibility. This paper reports on the application of UCD for such a system within an EU project CONTENT4ALL under the domain accessibility for the Deaf. Each step in the UCD process and the respective activities within each step are described in detail with a focus on the methods and techniques adopted for assisting in the development of the novel technology. The insights gained during the entirety of the user-centred design and evaluation process have led to a compilation of important factors for creating sign-translated media content. This possible guideline comprises a list of useful and necessary components pertaining to sign language delivery in media, particularly sign television. The objective of this paper is to highlight lessons learned presented in the form of recommendations for human factors researchers on key UCD procedures for the development of accessibility products, systems and services based on the performed user activities within the project. An attempt has been made to reduce the gap in literature and add to a possible UCD guiding process exclusively for accessibility.