This is a part of outcome during the project done for KB (National Library of Netherlands) on making images in books accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. Article was originally written for KB Lab (The National Library of the Netherlands) published full version can be read on the link below.
Existing image descriptions often lack context or detail and fail to meet the diverse needs of people with visual impairment. Preferences vary widely based on factors such as the type and onset of visual impairment, age, and personal interests. A one-size-fits-all approach to image descriptions is inadequate, highlighting the need for customizable, context-aware solutions. This research shows the approach, insights and suggestions for future works that might help in making images in books accessible, interactive and personalised for people with visual impairment. This was done as a part of internship with Koninklijke Bibliotheek. The project was supervised by Ted van der Togt (Researcher, Koninklijke Bibliotheek, The Hague) and Jeff Love (Assistant Professor, Industrial Design Engineering, TU Delft) during MSc Design for Interaction at TUDelft, Netherlands.
This project was later part of Impact Contest 2025 organized by Yes!Delft (TUDelft) and was one of the finalist in ideation category.
Alt Text: A person seated in a library with warm light holds a tablet displaying an open book, wearing headphones to indicate screen reader use. Wooden bookshelves blur in the background. The image is AI generated.
The full report on this project can be found on Zenodo as audiobook, PDF and epub!
When using insights from this project, we ask you to cite it as follows;
Prasun, P. (2025). Interactive Image Description: In Digital/Audio Books for Individuals with Visual Impairments. Zenodo. https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.14796675