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This study investigates how individuals with visual disabilities and their sighted counterparts perceive user experiences with smart speakers. A sample of 79 participants, including 41 with visual disabilities and 38 sighted individuals, used Amazon Echo 4th Gen smart speakers. After participants used the smart speakers for one week in their daily lives, exit interviews were administered and analyzed, yielding themes of accessibility, effectiveness, enjoyment, efficiency, and privacy. Findings revealed that the voice user interfaces of smart speakers significantly enhanced accessibility and user satisfaction for those with visual disabilities, while the voice assistant Alexa contributed to fostering emotional connections. Sighted participants, while benefiting from the smart speaker's multifunctionality and efficiency, faced challenges with initial setup and advanced features. Individuals with visual disabilities raised privacy concerns. This study underscores the need for inclusive design improvements to address the diverse needs of all users. To improve user experience, future enhancements should focus on refining voice command accuracy, integrating predictive features, optimizing onboarding processes, and strengthening privacy controls. 

BACKGROUND Facial expressions are critical for conveying emotions and facilitating social interaction. Yet, little is known about how accurately sighted individuals recognize emotions facially expressed by people with visual impairments in online communication settings. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate sighted individuals’ ability to understand facial expressions of six basic emotions in people with visual impairments during Zoom calls. It also aimed to examine whether education on facial expressions specific to people with visual impairments would improve emotion recognition accuracy. METHODS Sighted participants viewed video clips of individuals with visual impairments displaying facial expressions. They then identified the emotions displayed. Next, they received an educational session on facial expressions specific to people with visual impairments, addressing unique characteristics and potential misinterpretations. After education, participants viewed another set of video clips and again identified the emotions displayed. RESULTS Before education, participants frequently misidentified emotions. After education, their accuracy in recognizing emotions improved significantly. CONCLUSIONS This study provides evidence that education on facial expressions of people with visual impairments can significantly enhance sighted individuals’ ability to accurately recognize emotions in online settings. This improved accuracy has the potential to foster more inclusive and effective online interactions between people with and without visual disabilities. 

BACKGROUND: Today, various emerging assistive applications (apps) running on smartphones have been introduced such as Seeing AI, TapTapSee, and BeMyEyes apps. The assistive apps are designed to assist people with visual impairment in navigating unfamiliar environments, reading text, identifying objects and persons. Yet, little is known about how those with visual impairment perceive the assistive apps. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to advance knowledge of user experience with those assistive apps. METHODS: To address the knowledge gap, this study conducted phone interviews with a convenience sample of 30 individuals with visual impairment. RESULTS: The results indicated that those with visual impairment showed a range of preferences, needs, and concerns about user interfaces and interactions with the assistive apps. DISCUSSIONS: Given their needs and concerns, this study offered a set of facilitators to promote user adoption of the assistive apps, which should be valuable guidance to user interface/interaction designers in the field.