GEBE DESIGN

Inclusive Design for Low-Vision Users

An ethnographic research study evaluating daily IT tool workflows to improve platform accessibility.

Problem

To design fully inclusive digital environments, an enterprise platform provider needed to understand how blind and low-vision individuals interact with IT tools in their daily lives.

Role

UX Researcher

Client

Confidential Global Technology Leader (Fortune 500)

Timeline

Feb 2, 2020 – Feb 28, 2020 (4 Weeks)

Skills

Accessibility (a11y) Research, Participant Sourcing & Logistics, and Ethnographic Observation

The Approach

We executed a localized, community-driven recruitment and logistics strategy to connect directly with the target user base under a highly compressed timeline.

Targeted Outreach: Partnered with specialized regional non-profits, including the Braille Institute and Foundation Fighting Blindness, to source verified low-vision and blind participants.

Comprehensive Screening: Collaborated with a co-researcher to deploy an intake screening instrument via SurveyMonkey, auditing a targeted pool of applicants based on their daily assistive tech stacks and the Snellen visual acuity scale, and conducted phone interviews to coordinate lab logistics for the 6 final participants.

Organizational Incentives: Structured a dual-reward system providing a $300 participant gift card and a $100 referral donation back to local non-profit chapters.

PROJECT ANNOTATION //Accessibility Ethnographic Research Survey Monkey Artifact

Question 1: [ Participant First Name ]

Question 2: [ Participant Last Name ]

Question 3: [ Demographic Variable A ] (Gender)

Question 4: [ Demographic Variable B ] (Age)

Question 5: [ Environmental / Housing Context ]

PROJECT ANNOTATION // Ethnographic Research Study Survey Monkey Screener Sample

Nuanced Language & Accessibility Etiquette

Realized the critical importance of adaptable, person-first language during live lab sessions. Encountered a diverse spectrum of visual acuity, which taught us to never assume a participant's level of independence and to actively dismantle assumptions surrounding terms like "blind" to ensure a respectful, safe, and collaborative research environment.

Recruitment Mechanics & Incentive Alignment

Experienced significant initial friction when sourcing a specialized cohort through standard channels. Overcame this by shifting to a strategic organizational referral model, proving that clear, upfront communication regarding fixed incentives ($300/$100) is essential for aligning participant expectations and managing study boundary logistics (such as travel/gas compensations) professionally.

Agile Research Contingency Planning

Navigated major external disruptions as public health and safety mandates ultimately paused physical lab access. This highlighted the necessity of building robust, remote-capable research frameworks early in the planning phase to maintain project continuity under volatile environmental constraints.

Future Work

Proactive Accessibility Protocols

Remote Research Frameworks for Assistive Tech: Establish robust protocols for remote, unmoderated usability testing with low-vision cohorts to ensure project continuity and demographic reach regardless of physical lab constraints.

Continuous Feedback Integration: Partner with local non-profit chapters to build a permanent user advisory panel, enabling co-creation workshops and rapid validation of future digital workflow iterations.