Evaluating Accessible Navigation for Blind People in Virtual Environments

Abstract

Blind people that want, and play digital games will often find barriers and a lack of accessibility features available when exploring virtual environments. Prior work has found navigation to be the primary barrier players face, and the one players develop the most coping mechanisms to overcome. In this paper, we explore a set of techniques that augment or are even embedded in the game design to facilitate navigation and spatial awareness of virtual environments. We conducted a user study where seven blind participants faced a number of navigational tasks in a virtual environment with these techniques and shared their perspectives on the experience. We contribute with an exploration of a catalog of techniques used to facilitate the navigation of virtual spaces and a reflection of their impact on players' experience, highlighting avenues for future work in the field.