Can We Replicate Impaired Vision with Simulation Glasses in Computer-Based Task? An Eye Tracking Validation Study

With growing pressure to develop accessible apps and websites, designers or User Experience researchers also face the challenge of recruiting people with disabilities to conduct inclusive usability evaluations. While many researchers rely on disability simulations to identify usability issues, others argue that disability simulations cannot fully replicate the behavior and the lived experience of people with disabilities. This paper presents a study that investigates whether we can replicate the visual search behavior of low vision people on a computer interface with normally sighted participants experiencing a visual disability simulation. A total of 46 participants, including 9 low vision people, and 37 normally sighted participants with and without visual disability simulation glasses, performed computer-based vision tests and visual search tasks. Using eye tracking, we show that the disability simulation tends to replicate the visual search behavior of low vision participants.