Tools and Tasks in Sensemaking: A Visual Accessibility Perspective

Published in ACM SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – Sensemaking Workshop, 2024

Our previous interview study explores the needs and uses of diagrammatic information by the Blind and Low Vision (BLV) community, resulting in a framework called the Ladder of Diagram Access. The framework outlines five levels of information access when interacting with a diagram. In this paper, we connect this framework to include the global activity of sensemaking and discuss its (in)accessibility to the BLV demographic. We also discuss the integration of this framework into the sensemaking process and explore the current sensemaking practices and strategies employed by the BLV community, the challenges they face at different levels of the ladder, and potential solutions to enhance inclusivity towards a data-driven workforce.

Recommended citation: Zhao, Y., Nacenta. (2024). "Tools and Tasks in Sensemaking: A Visual Accessibility Perspective." Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems – Sensemaking Workshop. (ACM CHI workshop presentation). link