Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jan-Dec:59:469580211067446.
doi: 10.1177/00469580211067446.

Usability and Accessibility of the ArtontheBrain™ Virtual Recreation Activity for Older Adults With Low Vision Due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Gabrielle Aubin  1 , Karine Elalouf  1 , Mariah Hogan  1 , Aviva Altschuler  2 , Kelly J Murphy  2   3 , Walter Wittich  1   4   5   6
Affiliations

Usability and Accessibility of the ArtontheBrain™ Virtual Recreation Activity for Older Adults With Low Vision Due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Gabrielle Aubin et al. Inquiry. 2022 Jan-Dec.

Abstract

Experiencing visual art can inspire, be an overall positive leisure activity, and has been linked to improved cognition, especially in older adults. Access to artwork in a museum environment can comprise a variety of barriers, including difficulties linked to its visual experience for persons that are visually impaired. The present study explored the barriers and facilitators experienced by 15 older adults (age 65 to 93) living with age-related macular degeneration when using an iPad to access ArtontheBrain™, a virtual art museum recreation experience created by members of this team. Using the Concurrent Think Aloud method, participants were asked to continuously comment on their experiences with the application while being audio/video recorded. Indeed, codes were determined by identifying frequently stated and emphasized ideas or behaviors of participants using the ArtontheBrain™ application. Transcripts underwent thematic analysis and indicated that the main access barriers were linked to control of the contrast, magnification, and the tactile interface on the tablet device. The learn and play activities as well as the text-to-speech feature were identified as facilitators for ArtontheBrain™ engagement. The present findings should also be considered in the larger context of application development, as this study provides insight pertaining to the needs of low vision individuals regarding usability and accessibility.

Keywords: accessibility; aging; low vision; mobile application; vision rehabilitation.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interests: The authors declared the following potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: The research conducted here was in accordance with the Tri-Council Policy Statement of the 3 major research bodies in Canada for the ethical conduct of research involving humans.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Coding scheme for the barriers to the usability of ArtontheBrain™ App.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Coding scheme for the facilitators to the usability of ArtontheBrain™ App.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Government of Canada SC . Comparison age pyramid. https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/pyramid/pyrami.... https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/dp-pd/pyramid/pyrami.... 2017. Accessed June 23, 2020.
    1. Forrester JV. Aging and vision. Br J Ophthalmol. 1997;81(10):809-810. doi: 10.1136/bjo.81.10.809. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Lamoureux EL, Hassell JB, Keeffe JE. The determinants of participation in activities of daily living in people with impaired vision. Am J Ophthalmol. 2004;137(2):265-270. doi: 10.1016/j.ajo.2003.08.003. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Scialfa CT. The role of sensory factors in cognitive aging research. Can J Exp Psychol. 2002;56(3):153-163. doi: 10.1037/h0087393. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Canadian Association of Optometrists . AMD (Age-related macular degeneration) https://opto.ca/health-library/amd%20and%20low%20vision. 2015. Accessed July 31, 2019.

Publication types