Olga Davis
About
My research project
Modular Audio Description: Using the extended track to enable personalisation for diverse audiencesIncreasingly, user preference is driving digital innovations. This trend is noticeable in practice as digital television and broadband services converge to deliver media online through streaming platforms, which include media accessibility provision such as audio description (AD), i.e. a verbal commentary describing visual content, originally intended for visually impaired audiences.
The traditional AD format for media content is highly time constrained. AD narration needs to fit in the natural gaps in the existing audio track, leaving little opportunity to cover everything that is potentially relevant for the target audience. The issue is compounded by an increasing demand for AD or similar assistive commentaries that meet the needs of other diverse audiences, beyond the visually impaired.
Some currently available streaming technologies make it possible to record extended AD narratives for audiovisual content and to play them back while the video is automatically paused, although the practical potential of this feature for resolving current issues with the delivery of AD and repurposing AD for diverse audiences has not yet been explored.
Aimed at opening AD for a wider range of audiences, this interdisciplinary research will investigate the feasibility of a novel approach to creating AD narratives. This approach will focus on creating a core description that meets standard AD specifications, complemented by add-on modules to support personalisation for cognitively and visually challenged audiences whilst avoiding duplication of work in the production process (to cater for different audiences) and ensuring a cohesive narrative for the recipients.
The approach will be tested through a reception study to improve understanding of cognitive audiovisual accessibility and evaluate whether the addition of bespoke extended commentaries to generic descriptions can aid user comprehension and enhance their viewing experience. The flexibility of the modular approach offers an all-inclusive model, designed to meet specific access needs of different user groups.
Supervisors
Increasingly, user preference is driving digital innovations. This trend is noticeable in practice as digital television and broadband services converge to deliver media online through streaming platforms, which include media accessibility provision such as audio description (AD), i.e. a verbal commentary describing visual content, originally intended for visually impaired audiences.
The traditional AD format for media content is highly time constrained. AD narration needs to fit in the natural gaps in the existing audio track, leaving little opportunity to cover everything that is potentially relevant for the target audience. The issue is compounded by an increasing demand for AD or similar assistive commentaries that meet the needs of other diverse audiences, beyond the visually impaired.
Some currently available streaming technologies make it possible to record extended AD narratives for audiovisual content and to play them back while the video is automatically paused, although the practical potential of this feature for resolving current issues with the delivery of AD and repurposing AD for diverse audiences has not yet been explored.
Aimed at opening AD for a wider range of audiences, this interdisciplinary research will investigate the feasibility of a novel approach to creating AD narratives. This approach will focus on creating a core description that meets standard AD specifications, complemented by add-on modules to support personalisation for cognitively and visually challenged audiences whilst avoiding duplication of work in the production process (to cater for different audiences) and ensuring a cohesive narrative for the recipients.
The approach will be tested through a reception study to improve understanding of cognitive audiovisual accessibility and evaluate whether the addition of bespoke extended commentaries to generic descriptions can aid user comprehension and enhance their viewing experience. The flexibility of the modular approach offers an all-inclusive model, designed to meet specific access needs of different user groups.
Publications
The article analyses the concept of objectivity in audio description (AD) in the landscape of expanding media accessibility practices and tightening regulatory requirements for the provision and quality of access services for blind and visually impaired people. This work is highly relevant because objectivity is considered as a regulatory norm, a quality criterion, and is at the same time the subject of growing academic and professional discussions. The understanding of its role directly impacts accessibility of cultural and media products. The aim of this study is to systematise our understanding of objectivity and its perception in the context of audio description. Furthermore, the article traces the evolution of this concept in academic and applied research and correlates regulatory guidelines with real-world practices and technologies for media accessibility solutions. Methodologically, the article is based on a systematic review of international and Russian literature, legislation and professional standards (e.g., the Russian Government Standards/GOST and European regulations), training guidelines for audio describers, and empirical studies with user participation. It demonstrates that objectivity is an essential requirement and a fundamental norm in standards and training methods. However, in practice and research, it is understood as a relative parameter, intertwined with the audio describer’s interpretation, linguistic, and ethical decisions. The present review highlights several research perspectives: those insisting on minimising interpretations; studies describing the inevitability of subjectivity and offering evaluation tools; and projects involving users in assessing the quality of audio described products. Additionally, it brings into the discussion modern technological developments that enable collection of user feedback with subsequent adaptation of practices to the requirements of their intended audiences. A conclusion is drawn regarding the need to shift the emphasis from "objectivity" as an abstract term to clearer quality criteria that take into account user experience and contexts where AD is created. Thus, the notion of quality in AD, as perceived by users, is not absolute, but exists in a continuum between objectivity and subjectivity. The outcomes of the present study can be used in culture management when establishing accessibility standards, raising awareness of the requirements and trends for audio description specialists, development of specialist training programs, in outreach communications with communities of blind and partially sighted people. This article is intended for media accessibility researchers, cultural and mass media institutions, developers of audio description standards, and AD practitioners.