The needs of blind and partially sighted people from ebooks
Prepared for RNIB
An ‘ebook' is an electronic text version of a book which can be read on an ‘ebook reader'. This can be ebook reading software on a computer (desktop, portable, or tablet) or mobile phone. Examples include iBooks on the iPhone or iPad, or Adobe Digital Editions on a PC. An ebook reader can also be a dedicated hardware device designed specifically for reading ebooks. Examples include Amazon's Kindle or Sony's range of Readers.
RNIB's business objective for this small scale research was to better understand the requirements of RNIB's customer base. Specifically, RNIB wanted to better understand:
The experience of blind and partially sighted people using ebooks now (on what devices; accessibility issues with devices and downloading; from where ebooks are accessed and for what types of materials);
- What is stopping blind and partially sighted people from using ebook readers now;
- Whether blind and partially sighted people are interested in using ebooks in the future;
- Advantages blind and partially sighted people expect from ebooks compared to other ways of reading; and
- Whether blind and partially sighted people want a dedicated ebook reader or one multi-functional gadget.
To address these research questions, a series of twelve semi-structured telephone interviews were conducted with blind and partially sighted people, of whom seven were ebook users and five were non-ebook users.
Read the full 70 page-report in accessible .doc format, or download as a pdf document.
Prepared for RNIB by
i2 media research limited
Department of Psychology
Goldsmiths, University of London
New Cross, London, SE14 6NW
Tel: +44 (0)20 7919 7884/020 7717 2202
Fax: +44 (0)20 7919 7873
Email: J.Freeman@gold.ac.uk / J.Lessiter@gold.ac.uk
6th December 2010