I am really interested in the Accessibility side of things on the Ux Research side. I want to show that in my portfolio. I want to do a usability study for those who are blind using Google Assistant and Alexa seeing which one really is usable for those who have accessibility problems. I was thinking of having 5 participants and having them use both as a contextual inquiry (I’d be in their homes or where they use the device) watching and taking notes as they use this. Your thoughts @Researchers ? Is this feasible? Sorry I am all over the place I am new with UX Research but I am really trying! 
Hi there,
Yes, I think this is feasible, but I’d like to know more details about your study.
I suppose your goal is to understand how the visually impaired interact with voice assistant technologies and whether there’s an accessibility factor that allows them to do things they cannot do with conventional visual interfaces.
I think a contextual inquiry makes sense, but I see some issues that might affect the validity of your study.
First, you mention going to where they use the device; I assume they have previous experience with assistive voice technologies and are already adopting one of the solutions you’ve suggested? If this is the case, then how would you manage that pre-condition in your group, as it might affect their task performance.
If they aren’t users of the devices and you are planning on having them use both, how are you going to select which one they use first? Will this influence the performance of tasks for the next device?
How will you know if a usability problem is also present in non-disabled users and it is more related to voice interfaces in general? You might need a control group for this to measure and compare within groups and between them.
Hope this helps, let me know if you have any questions and I’ll be happy to help.
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Thank you sooo much! I am now seeing this clearly. A control group is needed. I have a lot to think about!
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