Perceptions and Preferences: Deaf ASL-Signing Users' Insights on Video Elements, Styles and Layouts

Video components are a central element of user interfaces that deliver content in a signed language (SL), but the potential of video components extends beyond content accessibility. Sign language videos may be designed as user interface elements: layered with interactive features to create navigation cues, page headings, and menu options. To be effective for signing users, novel sign language video-rich interfaces require informed design choices across many parameters. To align with the specific needs and shared conventions of the Deaf community and other ASL-signers in this context, we present a user study involving deaf ASL-signers who interacted with an array of designs for sign language video elements. Their responses offer some insights into how the Deaf community may perceive and prefer video elements to be designed, positioned, and implemented to guide user experiences. Through a qualitative analysis, we take initial steps toward understanding deaf ASL-signers’ perceptions of a set of emerging design principles, paving the way for future SL-centric user interfaces containing customized video elements and layouts with primary consideration for signed language-related usage and requirements.