Design considerations for photosensitivity warnings in visual media

Laura South, Caglar Yildirim, Amy Pavel, Michelle A. Borkin

Abstract: When digital content is tested for photosensitive safety and is found to contain seizure-inducing strobes or flashing lights, warnings about photosensitive risk are usually shown to the user prior to viewing the content. These photosensitivity warnings are an important accessibility feature for people with photosensitive epilepsy, allowing them to avoid interacting with content that may trigger seizures. However, little is known about how these warnings should be structured to maximize effectiveness in helping with people PSE navigate visual media safely. The design space for photosensitivity warnings is vast and includes questions such as what details to include about strobing light sequences or the content itself, where to place warnings within an interface, and what methods to use to extract information about the strobing light sequences (e.g., crowdsourced or automated methods). In this work, we contribute a thematic analysis of crowdsourced warnings drawn from the DoesTheDogDie online forum and an interview study with five people who have been diagnosed with photosensitive epilepsy about design considerations for photosensitivity warnings on digital platforms. To guide our interviews, we assembled examples of both crowdsourced and automated warnings about seizure-inducing content in films. Automated warnings were presented in the form of a high fidelity sketch demonstrating what an automated system for photosensitivity warnings might look like when deployed by a film streaming platform. We contribute design suggestions for the structure, content, and data sourcing of photosensitivity warnings for visual media based on the findings of our interviews. The results of this work will enable more effective and informative photosensitivity warnings across all forms of digital visual media.