XR Accessibility: A Capstone Project

All too often, technology is designed for the people who need it the least. Virtual, Augmented, and Mixed Reality (summarily XR) are sadly no exception. These technologies offer an unprecedented opportunity for users to experience incredible things, like exploring an underwater world, shooting down foes as an expect archer, or even becoming Batman.

It’s sad, then, that many XR experiences cater to those who could recreate them in real life, while excluding people whose disabilities make XR their only option.

XR should work for people with all kinds of bodies. Photo credit: “black corded device on table top” by Jesper Aggergaard on Unsplash

It’s one thing to have to ask for help getting objects down from high places in real life; it’s another to have to take off a VR headset so someone can do it for you in a game. And since nearly 20% of Americans have some form of disability and accessibility makes tech better for everyone, it’s a poor designer and a poor businessperson that doesn’t consider accessibility in their applications.

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This is a problem that requires not only empathy and outreach, but also some clever design thinking and an interdisciplinary approach to XR design and development. That’s why I’ve chosen XR accessibility as the topic of my UC Berkeley School of Information capstone project. Over the next year I’ll be putting together a team and conducting research, interviews, design, and prototyping on the subject. But first, we’ll need to answer the question:

What’s the best tool we can create to help designers and developers make accessible XR applications?

Option 1: Publish a guide on XR accessibility.

AbleGamer’s Includification guidelines — a manifesto on accessible game design, with technique descriptions and checklists for confirming accessibility readiness.

Frequently all it takes is a few tweaks to make applications accessible if you think about it from the start. That’s why publishing a guide on XR accessibility could be quite effective. Right now XR accessibility techniques are tucked away in conference videos and blogs; a consolidated list of accessibility techniques and resources could make it much easier for app makers to create accessible content.

Option 2: Develop open-source software for XR accessibility.

Some of the many platforms we could contribute to or emulate.

Many developers who might like to implement XR accessibility are stymied by the cost of custom implementation That’s why option 2 is developing open-source software for XR accessibility. That could mean a plugin for WebVR or Unity, a contribution to the Virtual Reality Toolkit or Berkeley’s own OpenARK AR toolkit, SteamVR accessibility software in the vein of WalkinVR Driver, or something else entirely.

Options 3+ : Undecided

These aren’t the only options. An in-depth ethnographic study, a broad summary of existing academic research, or a comparative study of accessibility techniques could end up being the most productive use of our time. Right now, anything is on the table and we’re open to suggestions.

Regardless of which route we take, it will undoubtedly involve reaching out to both people with disabilities and XR content creators. ILMxLAB and the Disability Visibility Project have already done a fantastic foray into XR accessibility user research with VR Accessibility Survey for People with Disabilities.

If you have insight, stories, or suggestions regarding XR accessibility, please reach out!

Understanding the barriers to both use of XR tech and the implementation of accessibility techniques are going to be paramount to making this project a success. You can leave a comment here or send me an email at dylan [at] drfoxdesign [dot] com.

Expect more posts here on Medium as we make progress. Looking forward to making XR tech better for everyone!