Social, Environmental, and Technical: Factors at Play in the Current Use and Future Design of Small-Group Captioning

TL;DR

This paper explores the social, environmental, and technical factors influencing the current use and future design of small-group real-time captioning for DHH individuals, highlighting user experiences and preferences for more comprehensive feedback features.

Contribution

It provides a qualitative analysis of DHH users' experiences with small-group captioning and offers design insights for future captioning tools that enhance social interaction and accessibility.

Findings

Participants value social context and display options in captioning.

Lag in captions affects conversational flow and comprehension.

Interest in feedback on non-speech cues for better communication.

Abstract

Real-time captioning is a critical accessibility tool for many d/Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people. While the vast majority of captioning work has focused on formal settings and technical innovations, in contrast, we investigate captioning for informal, interactive small-group conversations, which have a high degree of spontaneity and foster dynamic social interactions. This paper reports on semi-structured interviews and design probe activities we conducted with 15 DHH participants to understand their use of existing real-time captioning services and future design preferences for both in-person and remote small-group communication. We found that our participants' experiences of captioned small-group conversations are shaped by social, environmental, and technical considerations (e.g., interlocutors' pre-established relationships, the type of captioning displays available, and how far captions lag behind speech). When considering future captioning tools, participants were interested in greater feedback on non-speech elements of conversation (e.g., speaker identity, speech rate, volume) both for their personal use and to guide hearing interlocutors toward more accessible communication. We contribute a qualitative account of DHH people's real-time captioning experiences during small-group conversation and future design considerations to better support the groups being captioned, both in person and online.