More than One Step at a Time: Designing Procedural Feedback for Non-visual Makeup Routines

TL;DR

This paper explores designing accessible, real-time feedback systems for visually impaired individuals to perform makeup routines independently, addressing procedural challenges through user studies and expert insights.

Contribution

It introduces a taxonomy of feedback needs and design implications for assistive makeup systems tailored to non-visual, procedural support.

Findings

Visually impaired users rely on tactile strategies and face challenges in blending and symmetry.

Participants desire honest, real-time feedback aligned with their goals.

Expert makeup artists provide insights into assessment practices and feedback requirements.

Abstract

Makeup plays a vital role in self-expression, identity, and confidence - yet remains an underexplored domain for assistive technology, especially for people with vision impairments. While existing tools support isolated tasks such as color identification or product labeling, they rarely address the procedural complexity of makeup routines: coordinating step sequences, managing product placement, and assessing the final look with accessible feedback. To understand the real-world process, we conducted a contextual inquiry with 15 visually impaired makeup users, capturing real-time makeup application behaviors and their step-by-step information needs and assessment approaches. Our findings reveal embodied, tactile-first strategies; persistent challenges in blending, symmetry, and assessment; and a desire for honest, real-time, goal-aligned feedback. We also interviewed five professional makeup artists, who reviewed participant makeup videos and provided expert responses to participant-raised questions and assessment practices. We contribute a taxonomy of feedback needs in non-visual makeup, and outline design implications for future assistive systems - emphasizing hands-free, conversational interaction and context-aware, procedural support for expressive and independent beauty practices.