Abstract
Introduction: Audio description (AD) should satisfy the needs of people who are visually impaired; however, quality assessment in university training programs has rarely been based on feedback provided by AD users. Aiming to help students truly understand the needs of people who are visually impaired and their criteria for AD, this study adopted user-centered evaluation in an AD training program offered by a university in Hong Kong. Method: Three evaluators with visual impairment, representing the views of AD users, were invited to evaluate 29 students’ film clips that included AD and discuss their evaluation criteria. Eleven students participated in focus-group interviews and were asked to comment on AD products and discuss their own evaluation criteria. The evaluation criteria of the two groups were compared qualitatively and quantitatively with the aid of the software NVivo. Results: The results showed discrepancies between the users’ and the trainees’ criteria as well as differences in their focuses when evaluating the AD products. The users’ criteria were more numerous; however, certain criteria were perceived exclusively by the trainees. Discussion: Without sufficient knowledge of users’ needs, AD trainees are inclined to provide redundant information (e.g., easily identifiable film sounds and speaker information) while neglecting some aspects of AD (e.g., the prudent use of pronouns and literary expressions), which are deemed important by the users. Implications for Practitioners: The results prompted AD instructors to integrate user feedback into AD training to improve students’ understanding of how to produce AD that better meets its users’ needs. © American Foundation for the Blind 2024.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 164-176 |
Journal | Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness |
Volume | 118 |
Issue number | 3 |
Online published | 23 Jul 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Funding
The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This work was supported by the City University of Hong Kong, Guangdong Philosophy and Social Science Foundation (grant number Project #7020037, grant number Project #GD24YWY03).
Research Keywords
- audio description
- quality assessment
- reception study
- user-centered evaluation