Accessibility share: Karaoke style subtitles

Discussions
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1

Since I’ve recently been learning about accessibility, I’ve been wondering about videos that have highlighted subtitles. The ones that highlight word by word.

My gut feeling told me this wasn’t right, so I did a web search. According to Why Karaoke-Style Captions Can Exclude Disabled Users , they argue against karaoke style because:

• Outruns slow readers - The highlight moves at the speaker’s pace. Readers with dyslexia, cognitive disabilities, or reading difficulties may not finish reading a word before the highlight moves on.

• Overwhelms working memory - The constant motion of the highlight adds a secondary processing task on top of reading, which is particularly taxing for neurodiverse users

• Motion Can Trigger Physical Symptoms - For some people the problem is not comprehension but physical discomfort. Constant on-screen motion can trigger symptoms in viewers with vestibular disorders, including dizziness, nausea, disorientation, and migraine.

This was an interesting read. I’m curious what everyone thinks about this.

2

i’d test the preference instead of assuming the animation is automatically accessible. give people a way to turn word-by-word highlighting off, then check the captions at 200% zoom, reduced motion, slower playback, keyboard-only controls, and with a screen reader.

the failure i’d watch for is meaning depending on the moving highlight. the full caption should remain readable when motion is removed or paused. i’d also include people with dyslexia, vestibular sensitivity, and cognitive disabilities in the usability check, because conformance alone will not tell you whether the pace is exhausting.