TY - JOUR

T1 - The eye at hand: when visually impaired people distribute ‘seeing’ with sensing AI

AU - Nielsen, Ann Merrit Rikke

AU - Due, Brian Lystgaard

AU - Lüchow, Louise

PY - 2024

Y1 - 2024

N2 - What does it mean to see and look? Can seeing and looking be done withoutusing the eyes? This article contributes to studies in visual communicationthrough empirical visual research into human vision, visual impairment andcomputer vision technologies, using video-ethnographic methods. Thesetopics essentially enable a respecification of the concept of vision, the roleof visual and material culture, and the exploration of visual means of communicationin social and cultural worlds. In this article, the authors advancethe understanding of visuality and vision by showing empirically how ‘seeing’and ‘looking’ are not uniquely human abilities, but rather informationalphenomena that can be achieved through distribution with a technological,nonhuman sensing AI. This study draws on video-recorded data in whichvisually impaired persons (VIPs) use a smartphone with a computer visionbasedapp while grocery shopping in a supermarket. Based on video ethnography,ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EMCA), they showthe orderly, practical organization of four specific practices: (1) fleetingglancing; (2) searching; (3) identifying; and (4) locating. In the examples,these ordinary human practices for achieving visual information are donewhile using the technology as a handheld ‘eye’. This research contributes tostudies in visual impairment, visuospatial organization and the use of AI consumerproducts in a context of cultural practices for accomplishing the actof looking at and picking up grocery products. The article contributes newknowledge on visuality by expanding the concept of distributed perceptionand by suggesting a praxeological respecification of achieving visuospatialperception as an action in the world.

AB - What does it mean to see and look? Can seeing and looking be done withoutusing the eyes? This article contributes to studies in visual communicationthrough empirical visual research into human vision, visual impairment andcomputer vision technologies, using video-ethnographic methods. Thesetopics essentially enable a respecification of the concept of vision, the roleof visual and material culture, and the exploration of visual means of communicationin social and cultural worlds. In this article, the authors advancethe understanding of visuality and vision by showing empirically how ‘seeing’and ‘looking’ are not uniquely human abilities, but rather informationalphenomena that can be achieved through distribution with a technological,nonhuman sensing AI. This study draws on video-recorded data in whichvisually impaired persons (VIPs) use a smartphone with a computer visionbasedapp while grocery shopping in a supermarket. Based on video ethnography,ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (EMCA), they showthe orderly, practical organization of four specific practices: (1) fleetingglancing; (2) searching; (3) identifying; and (4) locating. In the examples,these ordinary human practices for achieving visual information are donewhile using the technology as a handheld ‘eye’. This research contributes tostudies in visual impairment, visuospatial organization and the use of AI consumerproducts in a context of cultural practices for accomplishing the actof looking at and picking up grocery products. The article contributes newknowledge on visuality by expanding the concept of distributed perceptionand by suggesting a praxeological respecification of achieving visuospatialperception as an action in the world.

M3 - Journal article

SP - 1

EP - 31

JO - Visual Communication

JF - Visual Communication

SN - 1470-3572

ER -