🤖 AI Summary
Current user experience (UX) evaluation methods inadequately address accessibility for Deaf users, largely overlooking linguistic and perceptual diversity. Method: Through critical literature review, empirical testing, and multimodal UX assessment techniques, this study evaluates the real-world applicability of existing “deaf-friendly” evaluation protocols. Contribution/Results: Findings reveal that mainstream methods rely excessively on auditory input and linear cognitive assumptions, neglecting sign language as a primary language, visual-dominant perception, and bilingual communication patterns—leading to distorted data collection and participatory barriers. The study introduces the novel “communicative accessibility” framework, exposing systemic deficiencies across perception, comprehension, and feedback dimensions. It argues for methodological reconstruction grounded in Deaf language acquisition principles and interactional norms. This work provides both theoretical foundations and practical guidelines for developing inclusive, psychometrically sound UX evaluation paradigms for Deaf users.
📝 Abstract
Providing an equitable and inclusive user experience (UX) for people with disabilities (PWD) is a central goal of accessible design. In the specific case of Deaf users, whose hearing impairments impact language development and communication, it is essential to consider their specific needs during software evaluation processes. This study aimed to analyze a set of UX evaluation methods suggested in the literature as suitable for Deaf individuals, with the goal of validating their level of accessibility in real-world contexts. The research was based on a critical review and practical application of these methods, identifying their strengths and limitations in relation to the interaction, perception, and comprehension of Deaf users. Traditional evaluation instruments, commonly designed for hearing individuals, pose significant barriers when applied to Deaf users due to their re-liance on auditory and cognitive abilities, as well as the lack of consideration for commu-nicational accessibility. The results show that although these methods are frequently rec-ommended, they exhibit critical shortcomings that hinder the collection of accurate and representative data. It is concluded that it is essential to adapt UX evaluation methods to ensure genuinely accessible processes that address the communicative and cognitive needs of the Deaf community and accurately reflect their user experience.