activity i - voxlens

In the VoxLens research project, I helped to build and refine a tool that made online data visualizations more accessible to screen-reader users. I tested the functionality of VoxLens, researched methods for sonification (representing data aurally), experienced usability studies and user interviews, and contributed to the CHI conference submission.

In testing the functionality and usability of VoxLens, I learned about how to use screen readers. It was a bit of a learning curve to get used to, but it definitely helped me better understand the challenges that screen-reader users face when using computers - in general, it revealed how inaccessible computers and online technology can be. This left me pondering what challenges students and employees might face when trying to get disability accommodations; I already had my own challenges when seeking accommodations for ADHD/anxiety/depression and I feel empathetic for screen-reader users in their potential struggles when doing the same.

Throughout the testing process, I also strengthened my knowledge of Git and GitHub. I had learned the basics before, but over the last few months, my knowledge has grown to include working with forked repositories as well as making detailed issues on GitHub. I also gained some familiarity with Docker, and while I am still learning how it works, I certainly see its usefulness in development. Looking at the VoxLens code also introduced me to JavaScript, but I will have to dig deeper to really be comfortable with it. These experiences will help me as I continue to pursue computer science and software development, especially in terms of collaborating well with other developers.

Researching sonification was rather challenging but rewarding. One of my tasks was to decide on a frequency range for our audio graphs, and when doing this, I definitely felt slightly lost and nervous at first, in the sense that doing something for the first time can be a little daunting. I felt a little scared that the decision I made would not be the best, though as I continued to look up resources and think through my choices, I felt more at ease. In hindsight, perhaps this process was the most exciting to me as I was taking steps to contribute something to the world that is one-of-its-kind - sure, other sonification options exist, but to have a personal contribution to VoxLens's sonification is something I will treasure.

After doing my research, I was tasked with writing a mini-paper about sonification. This may have been one of the hardest parts of the project for me. While I have some confidence in my writing for argumentative or persuasive essays, this was my first time writing in the genre of research and it was definitely something I was not used to. My supervisor's feedback on my write-up taught me a lot about how I should organize my writing to best express my ideas and thoughts, and showed me lots of ways I could improve what I wrote. In general, I was nervous about the quality of my work, but the constructive criticism was a great way of understanding how to have higher-quality writing for future work while making me feel better about my original work (where I had many of the right pieces but not in the right places). I hope that as I continue to research the sonification mode of VoxLens, I can apply what I have learned in order to produce a well-written publication in the near future.

The usability studies, in which we get feedback from screen-reader users before our actual study, were rather intriguing to me in the sense that I saw so much professionalism in how my supervisor interacted with participants. It was also interesting to see how actual screen-reader users would use the tool and the struggles that they would face. It was frustrating that there were a handful of technical issues that we had not caught before conducting the first few usability studies, but despite those, the feedback from the participants was extremely valuable. There is no better input and perspective than from those who are directly impacted (in this case, screen-reader users) - I will continue to value this in all of the inclusivity-related work that I do.

After our usability studies, we conducted our actual study, and then had six 30-minute follow-up user interviews to collect more insights. I had to be absent from a few of the user interviews due to a robotics championship, but from the ones I attended and from watching recordings, it was intriguing how much information and how many themes could be drawn from just a handful of interviews. Conducting qualitative analysis on the interviews helped me understand how this was the case - from each participant, a lot was learned, yet a lot was just a repetition of what others had said before. Being able to draw themes from assortments of quotes was super neat and fun. I enjoyed this task a lot since it pulled together bigger picture themes from lots of small details, and I liked watching these patterns emerge. I would love to do more qualitative experiments and analysis if presented the opportunity.

Preparing our paper for the CHI submission really illustrated how different people work differently. Seeing my supervisor's two advisors' feedback, despite how different or conflicting, was quite meaningful and educational in terms of producing a well-written research paper. While I'm not sure how I would directly apply what I learned here in contexts other than writing research papers, I think that I learned a lot about how specific word choice can be very impactful, and how having rebuttals for criticism encourages a deeper understanding of the work. I also wrote the alt text for our supplementary materials, which helped me understand how much comes together in one publication - aside from the paper, we submitted tables, data, visualizations, alt text, and a video. This helped me understand the scope of the work that was completed. The structures of our research document and our Google Drive folder were also great examples of how to stay organized for such a big project.

Aside from my tasks, there were a few miscellaneous things I learned. The lab meetings and meetings with my supervisor's advisors were very informative of what it looks like to be a researcher; it was fun to hear about what everyone was up to both in their professional and personal lives. I really appreciated how there was a clear line between focusing on work versus getting to know one another outside of work; I think that in all future environments, I am someone that needs to prioritize the getting-to-know-one-another part a little bit more since I am rather goal- and task- oriented. In general, I felt that the research environment was very inviting and it makes me wonder if I would like to pursue graduate school. Additionally, it was somewhat challenging to get used to the lack of a solid schedule that is present during research. The timing of different tasks often changed unexpectedly, and as someone who tends to like structure, this was a great experience to help me grow and improve my collaboration skills. It taught me to be resilient to the unexpected and adapt to changing situations, which are both important skills for all kinds of productivity.

Beyond the research skills that I have learned, this project revealed a lot about myself to me. There was always a lot to do and a lot to adapt to, which can be overwhelming for me when it is not on a clear schedule, but my motivation to create something beneficial to others helped me stay on track. I also was not sure about if I liked research and human-computer interaction before, but this project helped solidify my interest in the area, especially due to its ties with accessibility. I have always been driven to work towards inclusivity, and this project taught me a lot about the challenges that screen-reader users can face, which is an area I was not very informed about previously. As someone goal- and task- oriented, I hope to create better social connections with the people I work with to strengthen our work environment.

While this component of the VoxLens project has been completed, I am planning to stay involved to continue exploring opportunities in research. I am planning to continue researching the sonification aspect of VoxLens, where I have the chance to help conduct another study and author a paper around its results. In this upcoming experience, and in my future education, I hope to take everything I have learned in terms of research, inclusivity/accessibility, technical knowledge, and collaboration to contribute meaningfully to the world around me.