Inclusive packaging : design guidelines to improve packaging visibility for people with low vision in Lebanon

Abstract

People with low vision form a user group that graphic designers and visual communicators often fail to address. Product packages are just one example of a design output that may not need of low vision clientele. This study consolidates and summarizes literature relevant to the design needs of people with low vision including literature on inclusive design, visibility of colors and pictures, readability and legibility of type and packaging semantics. The aim of this thesis is to set guidelines for packaging designers and introduce the needs of people with low vision in their design practices. To assess the current labels of bottled beverages in Lebanon, six packages were chosen from the Lebanese market and twenty five individuals from the Lebanese school of the Visually Impaired in Baabda, Al Hoda and Al Hadi institutions responded to a questionnaire evaluating these packages. Interviews based on the literature review were also conducted with Lebanese designers and companies to study the current state of packaging design in Lebanon. The guidelines used to redesign packages were formulated after referring to the literature, the interviews and the questionnaire1 results. The redesigned packages were then evaluated by people with low vision and people with normal vision as part of the experiment. Results show a high evaluation for redesigned labels by both groups. To set more specific guidelines, the preferences of the design elements were tested by evaluating the redesigned packages using a questionnaire. The results indicated that type has the highest preference in terms of providing information and reflecting messages for the consumer with low vision. Color also plays an important role in delivering messages about the product and guiding through information.