Haze in the digital library: design issues hampering accessibility for blind users

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore design issues hampering the accessibility of digital libraries (DLs) for first-time blind users. Design/methodology/approach A combination of questionnaire, pre-interview, think-aloud and post-interview methods was used to collect data on non-visual interaction experiences with American Memory Digital Collection (AMDC) from 15 blind participants. Qualitative analysis via open coding revealed recurring themes on design problems and consequent difficulties for blind users in accessing DLs. Findings It was found that AMDC is not blind-friendly. Five categories of design problems were identified. Participants faced difficulty perceiving, operating and understanding content and controls needed for information retrieval. Research limitations/implications This paper does not offer a comprehensive set of design issues prevalent across DL design models, instead it focuses on design problems observed in a publicly available DL. Practical implications This paper raises awareness of design choices that can unintentionally bar blind information seekers from DL access, and further suggests solutions to reduce these design problems for blind users. Originality/value The paper’s originality is its identification of unique design problems that prevent blind users from effectively interacting with DLs.