Exploring the Opportunities and Challenges with Exercise Technologies for People who are Blind or Low-Vision
Kyle Rector, Lauren Milne, Richard E. Ladner, Batya Friedman, Julie A. Kientz · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility · doi:10.1145/2700648.2809846
Summary
This paper employs Value Sensitive Design (VSD) to explore opportunities and challenges for exercise technologies designed for people who are blind or low-vision. People with visual impairments are more likely to be obese, maintain inadequate fitness levels, and exercise less than sighted peers—partly because most exercise classes are inaccessible and most exergames and fitness trackers rely on visual cues. The research team conducted 20 semi-structured interviews (10 with direct stakeholders who are blind or low-vision, 10 with indirect stakeholders who facilitate fitness—coaches, instructors, sighted guides, volunteers) and surveyed 76 members of the general population about their perceptions of hypothetical exercise scenarios involving blind exercisers using technology. The VSD methodology involves three investigations. The conceptual investigation identified stakeholders and brainstormed values including independence, safety, being mainstream, confidence, knowledge, community, and mindfulness. The empirical investigation uncovered value tensions through interviews—for instance, direct stakeholders experience tension between independence and safety (wanting autonomous exercise while acknowledging increased risk), while indirect stakeholders tension between service and respect (wanting to help but uncertain if offers would seem disrespectful). The technical investigation examined current and proposed technologies, finding significant gaps: heart rate monitors are often inaccessible, gym layouts are confusing, and most outdoor exercise technologies work only with sighted guides. Four design opportunity areas emerged. First, mainstream exercise classes where technology could provide supplementary verbal instructions via one headphone while participants still hear the instructor and experience community. Second, exercise with sighted guides where technology could reduce communication burden and provide real-time information about environment, competitors, or performance. Third, rigorous outdoor exercise valued for "mindfulness," "fresh air," and feeling "connected to earth"—though safety concerns require careful technology design with backup plans for system failure. Fourth, navigation of exercise spaces like gyms, tracks, and trails where 3D printouts, GPS, or haptic feedback could help with orientation.
Key findings
The research revealed nuanced value tensions that complicate technology design. Audio channel design emerged as a critical consideration: in group classes, headphones may reduce mindfulness ("I would not wear headphones if it would distract me from hearing the instructor") yet provide valuable knowledge when instructors cannot attend to everyone. Outdoors, two-way radios are advantageous for skiing but wind and snow interfere. Different contexts require different delivery methods—speakers, one ear bud, bone conduction headphones—based on whether awareness, safety, or knowledge takes priority. A key finding concerns "less mainstream" technologies. Participants suggested that technologies making them appear different are acceptable if the outcome enables mainstream participation: "It is okay to develop a less mainstream technology if it will help a person who is blind or low-vision exercise in more mainstream settings." A mounted camera and headphones might look unusual but enables participation in track running. This insight challenges assumptions that assistive technology must be invisible. The general population survey revealed context-dependent discomfort. On a running track, 50% of respondents were unsure how much space to give a blind exerciser using technology, compared to only 15.8% in a structured exercise class—suggesting unstructured public spaces create more uncertainty for bystanders. Only 10.5% felt unsure whether to help in a class setting (where instructors provide guidance), versus 25% at home and 34.2% on a track. Survey respondents expressed both positive reactions ("excited") and concerns about mounted cameras (feeling "uneasy"). The technical investigation catalogued technologies participants currently use, finding that most are only partially accessible. Notable gaps include: navigation in gyms ("gyms are not laid out in a real structured format"), most heart rate monitors being inaccessible, and few technologies for independent rigorous outdoor exercise beyond adapted sports like Beep Baseball.
Relevance
This paper provides a comprehensive framework for understanding stakeholder values in accessible exercise technology design. The VSD approach—considering direct stakeholders (users), indirect stakeholders (facilitators, bystanders), and their potentially conflicting values—offers a model for accessibility research more broadly. The finding that value tensions cannot be eliminated, only balanced contextually, suggests that flexible, multi-modal technologies outperform single-solution designs. For practitioners, several design implications stand out. Audio feedback design requires careful consideration of context: what information to deliver, when to interrupt, and how to preserve environmental awareness. The acceptance of "less mainstream" technologies that enable mainstream participation challenges the assumption that assistive technology should be invisible—users may prefer functional visibility over invisible exclusion. The observation that unstructured public exercise spaces create more social uncertainty than structured classes suggests that technology design should consider not only user needs but also how bystanders perceive and respond to the technology. Finally, the gap analysis of current technologies provides concrete starting points for future development, particularly in gym navigation, accessible fitness metrics during exercise, and independent outdoor activity.
Tags: blindness · low vision · exercise · exergames · Value Sensitive Design · health · fitness · auditory feedback · haptic feedback