Accessible assembly instructions help blind people assemble furniture independently

AssemblyLens: Exploring the Role of Structural Roadmaps and Strategies of Furniture Assembly Used by Blind and Low Vision Individuals

Human-Computer Interaction

Summary

Furniture assembly guides are mostly visual, making it hard for blind and low vision people to use them without help. The authors created and tested a tool called AssemblyLens that turns these visual guides into text that screen readers can read out loud. They gave eight blind or low vision participants easy-to-follow instructions with a roadmap and step-by-step guidance. The study revealed how these instructions help users build mental maps and work physically through the assembly process on their own. The authors also suggest ways to improve instruction design to make assembly tasks easier for blind and low vision people.

What this means in practice

  • For assistive technology developers: Create accessible furniture assembly instructions that work with screen readers to support blind and low vision users.$Commercial implications: Enables development of products improving autonomy for blind users assembling furniture independently.
  • For instructional designers: Design stepwise and roadmap-based instructions that support spatial understanding and user control during physical assembly tasks.

Authors

Bo Liu, Gene S-H Kim, Franklin Mingzhe Li, Rajalakshmi Nandakumar, Thijs Roumen

Abstract

Instructions to assemble flat-packed furniture rely on visuals, making them inaccessible to Blind and Low Vision (BLV) individuals. Consequently, BLV individuals depend on caregivers or external services (e.g., Be My Eyes), limiting their autonomy. We explore how to empower them to assemble such furniture themselves, by providing eight BLV participants in our study with accessible instructions consisting of a high-level roadmap and stepwise procedural guidance. We use a technology probe, AssemblyLens, which converts visual assembly instructions into screen-reader-accessible text. We derive insights into converting instructions, empirical observations of BLV assembly strategies, and the role the roadmap played in them. Our observations yield three themes: spatial cognition and mental mapping, embodied ergonomics and kinetic semantics, and assembly workflow and user agency. We present eight design recommendations for instruction system design. Our findings are a step toward an agenda for inclusive instruction in physical tasks.
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