Bridging media accessibility and audiences engagement: the effect of audio description styles on Iranian blind and partially sighted audiences

Abstract

Situated at the intersection of media psychology and media accessibility, this experimental study explores the effect of subjective and objective styles of audio description (AD) on comprehension and immersion (i.e., transportation and presence) of Iranian blind and partially sighted viewers. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the research recruited 41 participants randomly assigned to two groups: one group watched a subjective AD, while the other group experienced an objective one. Data collection involved conducting an experiment using an internet-mediated questionnaire and semi-structured interviews to gather attitudes regarding the effects of the two AD styles on audience transportation, presence and comprehension. Quantitative results showed no significant difference between subjective and objective AD styles in terms of viewers’ comprehension or immersion, suggesting that both versions may similarly enhance audience engagement with the content. However, qualitative results revealed that the viewers perceived the subjective AD as containing more emotional and descriptive content, which enabled them to experience greater empathy and visualization. While the objective AD provided them with enough information to understand the content, the subjective style helped them appreciate the nuances of the scene. Therefore, incorporating a combination of both AD styles within a program could enhance the overall viewing experience.