Improving the User Experience for Sign Language Interpreters in Remote Interpretation for Small Group Settings

Deaf individuals, particularly those who rely on sign language, often require interpreters to facilitate communication in interactions with individuals who lack proficiency in sign language.Interpretation can occur either in person or remotely via technological platforms that utilize live video streaming, such as video remote interpreting (VRI) or video relay service (VRS).In remote interpretation settings, interpreters frequently face challenges due to the limited visibility of the deaf clients' environment.This limitation becomes particularly pronounced in small group sessions involving mixed hearing participants and visual aids or artifacts like printed documents, whiteboards, or projector screens.Therefore, this study investigates whether increasing an interpreter's visual access to a deaf client's environment by using videoconferencing webcams with a wider field of view (FoV) can enhance the user experience (UX) of remote small group interpretation.To explore this, we developed an application using four videoconferencing webcams and conducted usability testing sessions with twenty experienced VRI/VRS interpreters.They evaluated nine different screen layout configurations based on three key parameters: layout configuration, FoV, and presenter tracking.Each setup was streamed through one of four different webcams in simulated group meetings.This paper presents the findings from this usability study, offering insights into optimal webcam setups and screen layout configurations to improve the UX of remote small group sign language interpretation sessions.