2024
Beyond Sight: Making Experiential Digital Art Accessible to Non-Visual Users
This project explores how a visual-only digital artwork can be reimagined to be accessible and enjoyable for non-visual users, focusing on inclusivity and meaningful sensory engagement.
Digital Accessibility
Abstract
This project reimagines the Bungee Font Tester - an interactive, visually dynamic digital artwork by David Jonathan Ross, as an inclusive experience for non-visual users. Originally designed as a bold, visual exploration of the Bungee typeface, the interface presented accessibility challenges for individuals relying on non-visual modes of interaction. To address this, we studied approaches to inclusive digital art and developed an auditory reinterpretation of the original experience. Through screen reader-friendly interface redesign and the use of AI-generated audio, we created a fully auditory version of the artwork. The result is a multisensory interface that can be enjoyed by users of all abilities, expanding access to typographic art beyond the visual domain.
My role
Accessibility Consultant
Duration
Febraury - May 2025
Client
Cooper Hewitt
PROBLEM
How can we make a visual font tester accessible and meaningful for users who don't rely on sight only?
Digital font, Bungee, 2011–16; Designed by David Jonathan Ross, with contributions from Roel Nieskens, Rod Sheeter, Just van Rossum and Marte Verhaegen; Digital font; Collected from the public domain by Cooper Hewitt in collaboration with the designer.
SOLUTION
Using Sound as a creative output
Getting into the project
What is Bungee?
Designed by David Jonathan Ross, with contributions from Roel Nieskens, Rod Sheeter, Just van Rossum and Marte Verhaegen; Bungee is a digital font.
The work is a punchy, fun and colorful sans-serif font inspired by vintage urban signage.
It comes together like a kit of parts. Letterforms in chromatic shades, inlines, outlines, hairlines, and ornaments are available for layering, as are separate glyphs, kerning, and spacing in both horizontal and vertical orientations in order to build text.
The font tester will include text, horizontal or vertical orientation, preset color themes, colors, and background shapes.
Playing with the Bungee font tester
The challenge: Font Testers & Screen Readers
Font testers are not well served by screenreaders.
There is currently no visual description included within the framing of the work.
Make this web-based interactive exploration of the Bungee font accessible to users who will be relying on visual description – rather than visual information – to understand the work.
What interface are users viewing on?
Web-based, interactive presentation on a Cooper Hewitt-managed site.
Initial Research:
Are there any other examples of accessible digital art?
Key insights
Audio can guide, narrate, and describe visual content in meaningful ways
When paired intentionally, sound can evoke the mood, rhythm, and form of visual work
A sample user: Meet Amina
“Art shouldn’t stop being art just because I can’t see it. I want to feel it in other ways.”
Age: 32
Location: Chicago,IL
Occupation: Museum Educator
Vision Status: Legally blind
Tech Use: iPhone with VoiceOver, AirPods, screen reader on laptop
Behaviours:
- Passionate about the arts—especially textile and digital installations
- Attends virtual gallery talks, uses audio guides frequently
- Feels left out of most visual-only exhibitions and online art platforms
- Loves podcasts and audio storytelling as alternative formats
Needs:
- A way to understand visual art through narrative and sound
- Experiences that go beyond just alt text or surface-level descriptions
- A way to interact with art without strain or confusion
Redesigning for users like Amina
The major changes:
Making the interface screen reader friendly
Adding guided tutorials and play button
Sound expression of any changes made by users
Making the interface screen reader friendly
Improve Accessibility with Simplified Controls
Simple changes can make a big impact on screenreader accessibility. Our recommendations included:
A fully visible interface rather than having an accordion menu
The color picker should contain pre set colors for easier use, with the option to pick custom colors if needed by users
Addition of a "Play" button for users to be able to control how often they want to hear the output
Before
After
Make Interactive Elements Keyboard Focusable
Guided Tutorial for Navigation in Nontraditional Interfaces
The guided tutorial help users especially those using screen readers and keyboard to understand a nontraditional interaction model and navigate with confidence.
The working parts of the guided tutorials
The Guided Tutorial
1
Enter Your Words
2
Select an Orientation
3
Select a Preset or Customize Your Text Sounds and Looks
4
Adjust Color Contrast to Change Tone of the Audio
5
Adjust Background Shapes to Change Mood of the Audio
6
Play Button to Listen to the Changes
Sound expression of changes made by users
Presenting to Team Cooper Hewitt
Feedback:
"This is exactly the kind of creative thinking we were looking for! "
"The artist created unusual names within the code for colors such as "Banana swirl" which is something that could be interesting for screen reader users."
Future consideration!
In conclusion
By transforming the Bungee Font Tester into an auditory experience, this project demonstrates that digital art need not be limited to visual perception. Through careful research, accessible design practices, and the creative use of AI-generated audio, we were able to reinterpret a highly visual interface into a multisensory one. This not only broadens access for non-visual users but also challenges conventional assumptions about how digital art can be experienced. The project underscores the importance of inclusivity in digital design and highlights the potential for technology to make artistic expression more universally accessible.