Figure: One participant shared his shopping experience using his smartphone. (Figure 1 in Liu et al.)
Introduction
The emergence of online shopping has transformed consumer behavior, providing unmatched convenience. For individuals with visual impairments, it is of paramount importance, offering autonomy and accessibility that conventional shopping frequently lacks. The study 'I Bought This for Me to Look More Ordinary': A Study of Blind People Doing Online Shopping by Guanhong Liu et al. explores the intricate practices, challenges, and aspirations of blind individuals in online shopping. The study published at the CHI 2019 conference underscores how the aspiration to seem "ordinary" profoundly influences shopping behaviors, illustrating a complex interaction among societal perceptions, accessibility obstacles, and individual strategies. This paper is particularly influential in my work as it effectively summarizes the challenges and motivations within this research area, providing a foundational understanding that justifies further exploration and development of solutions.
Motivations for the Work
The motivation for this research stems from the gap in understanding how visually impaired individuals navigate online shopping beyond mere usability and accessibility issues. While prior studies such as ShopTalk, alt tags, and BlindShopping have focused on technical barriers or assistive technologies, this work seeks to explore the broader social and psychological dimensions of online shopping for blind people. Specifically, it investigates how their desire to appear "ordinary" influences their decision-making processes. As one participant remarked, "I want my life to be as close as an ordinary life, not too special," encapsulating a recurring theme of striving for societal inclusion through consumer behavior. This desire for ordinariness manifests in various ways: choosing products that align with societal norms, avoiding items explicitly designed for blind users, and relying on social cues to make informed decisions about visual aesthetics. The study also highlights how these motivations intersect with the challenges posed by inaccessible online platforms and limited product descriptions.
The Problem Addressed
Blind individuals face unique challenges when shopping online, primarily due to the heavy reliance on visual information in e-commerce platforms. Images are often central to conveying product details, leaving blind users dependent on textual descriptions or external assistance. Additionally, societal stereotypes about blindness exacerbate these challenges. For instance, participants reported hesitance in seeking help from customer service due to fears of being misunderstood or judged. Another significant issue is the difficulty in determining whether a product is visually appropriate for them—whether it suits their age, style, or social context. As one participant explained, even detailed descriptions can fall short: "I don’t know whether black color suits me... I don’t know how to match the outfit with other clothes." These challenges underscore the need for more inclusive design practices that cater to non-visual modes of interaction.
Proposed Solution
To address these issues, the authors propose leveraging social assistance and enhancing product descriptions to better meet the needs of visually impaired users. Participants often relied on trusted friends or family members for detailed descriptions and advice on whether products would suit them. However, this approach is not scalable or universally accessible. The study suggests that e-commerce platforms could integrate more robust accessibility features, such as detailed alt-text for images and AI-driven tools that provide personalized recommendations based on user preferences and social contexts. Additionally, creating platforms that balance accessibility with mainstream appeal—so blind users do not feel singled out—could help bridge the gap between usability and social inclusion.
Evaluation of the Work
The study used qualitative techniques, including semi-structured interviews conducted in China among twenty blind participants. From 17 to 48 years old, the participants were varied in age, gender, and educational background; they included both congenitally blind and acquired-blind persons [Table 2]. The interviews were conducted face-to-face in Beijing and over the phone in other cities. Participants verbalized their ideas and showed their shopping histories as part of real-time online shopping activities to guarantee depth. This approach lets authors see personally their behaviors, challenges, and approaches. Using qualitative analysis software (MaxQDA), the data analysis adopted a grounded theory methodology including transcription of interviews, open coding, and synthesis into higher-level themes. From over 451 codes produced, four main themes emerged: the need for ordinariness, shopping challenges, social assistance in shopping, and visual effects education. The main finding was that almost all of the participants' shopping behavior was shaped by their need to seem "ordinary." Mostly qualitative, the evaluation's metrics focused on behavioral observations and participant narratives instead of numerical assessments. For instance:
- Autonomy vs. Assistance: Participants demonstrated varying degrees of independence in their shopping practices. Some preferred making decisions themselves to feel "ordinary," while others relied on trusted individuals for guidance.
- Challenges with Visual Information: Participants consistently struggled with interpreting product visuals due to limited or inaccurate descriptions on e-commerce platforms.
- Social Dynamics: The study highlighted the importance of trust and compatibility when seeking assistance from others.
One key insight was that blind individuals often avoided revealing their disability to customer service due to societal stereotypes or fears of judgment. As one participant noted, "I don’t always mention that I am blind because I will consider whether they would believe it... It is very troublesome." This reluctance underscores the broader societal barriers that exacerbate technical accessibility issues. The evaluation revealed significant tension between independence and reliance on assistance. While participants valued autonomy as a marker of ordinariness, they frequently required help with visual aspects of shopping that could not be addressed by current technologies or platform designs. The findings emphasized the need for more inclusive e-commerce systems that balance accessibility with mainstream appeal.
Table 2 : An overview of the study's participants (Table 1 Liu et al.)
Contributions
This research makes several important contributions:
- Understanding Ordinariness: It highlights how blind individuals strive to integrate into societal norms through their shopping practices.
- Challenges in Accessibility: It identifies specific barriers in e-commerce platforms that hinder blind users’ experiences.
- Social Assistance Dynamics: It explores how trust and interpersonal relationships influence shopping decisions.
- Design Implications: The study provides actionable insights for designing more inclusive e-commerce platforms that cater to visually impaired users without isolating them from mainstream experiences.
Future Directions
The authors outline several avenues for future research:
- Interactive Features: Developing interactive tools that allow blind users to customize their shopping experience based on specific needs (e.g., querying product details).
- AI Integration: Leveraging AI to generate personalized recommendations or simulate visual feedback through auditory or tactile means.
- Expanding Beyond Visual Products: Investigating how these findings apply to non-visual aspects of shopping (e.g., quality or functionality).
- Broader Demographics: Expanding studies beyond China to understand cultural differences in online shopping practices among visually impaired individuals.
- Social Contexts: Exploring how societal attitudes toward disability influence consumer behavior across different regions.
The authors also emphasize the importance of fostering collaboration between designers, researchers, and visually impaired users to co-create solutions that address these challenges holistically.
Conclusions
This study sheds light on the intricate ways in which blind individuals navigate online shopping while striving for societal inclusion. By addressing both technical barriers and social dynamics, it provides a comprehensive framework for understanding their experiences and designing more inclusive systems. As one participant aptly summarized: "Shopping is not just buying things—it's about being part of society." Personally, this research resonates deeply with my academic commitment to digital accessibility and human-centered design. As a researcher focused on inclusive technology, I find this study critically important because it transforms abstract accessibility concepts into lived human experiences. By centering the narratives of blind users, we move beyond technical compliance to genuine empathy and systemic understanding. Ultimately, fostering inclusivity in online shopping environments is not just an ethical imperative; it is essential for enriching the retail experience for everyone, promoting equal access and participation in a rapidly evolving digital world.
-- Md Javedul Ferdous (@jaf_ferdous)
Acknowledgment
I'd like to acknowledge Dr. Michael Nelson for his invaluable assistance in reviewing my blog article. His expertise and insights greatly improved its quality.
Reference
Liu, Guanhong, Xianghua Ding, Chun Yu, Lan Gao, Xingyu Chi, and Yuanchun Shi. "'I Bought This for Me to Look More Ordinary' A Study of Blind People Doing Online Shopping." In Proceedings of the 2019 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp. 1-11. 2019. DOI: https://10.1145/3290605.3300602