Birding by Ears
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Usability and user testing
Usability and user testing

Reimagining Birding Through Accessible Design and Community Support

Reimagining Birding Through Accessible Design and Community Support

Reimagining Birding Through Accessible Design and Community Support

Birding is one of the most popular retirement hobbies in the US.
Merlin, the dominant app, can identify a bird by its call in seconds but was built almost entirely for sighted users.
The community renamed itself from bird watching to birding. But renaming something and changing it are different things.
We went to the trails, sat with the community, and listened.

Birding is one of the most popular retirement hobbies in the US.
Merlin, the dominant app, can identify a bird by its call in seconds but was built almost entirely for sighted users.
The community renamed itself from bird watching to birding. But renaming something and changing it are different things.
We went to the trails, sat with the community, and listened.

My Role

UX Researcher

Timeline

September 2025 – December 2025 (3 months)

Team

Winnie Cheng, Katarina Blind, Charlotte Truong

Skills

Code design

User testing

Generative research

※ What is birding?

Birding is the practice of observing and identifying wild birds in their natural habitat, valued for its mix of patience, learned skill, and deep connection to the outdoors.

Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
Achievement

We collaborated with local organization, the Birds Connect Seattle, and added a trip accessibility section to each event, helping users with visual impairments better understand trail accessibility.

Participants with visual impairments described the audio highlights prototype as joyful, intuitive, and easy to use.

My contribution
SME interviews

I led and supported user research by recruiting and interviewing 12 subject matter experts and participants with visual impairments, and facilitating co-design sessions.

User testing

Contributed to prototyping an audio-based app and conducted user testing with SMEs.

00 — Project Origin

Approach accessibility not by fixing limits, but expanding enjoyment

We were inspired when our program director mentioned being an avid birder; although none of our team members had prior experience with birding, we found it to be an intriguing opportunity to explore accessibility through a new lens.

01 — Problem

Excluded from the flock

Birding is widely understood as a visual hobby. Most community events, apps, and educational resources are built around sight, quietly excluding a group that has something distinct to offer: birders who identify birds by sound.

Core Problem

Birders with visual impairments are consistently excluded from shared birding experiences. Not by intent, but by design.

Michael Carter craft strategic design
02 — Goals & Constraints

What we were trying to solve, and what we weren't

Research goal

☑ Understand what motivates people to bird and what emotional value it provides

☑ Understand what motivates people to bird and what emotional value it provides

☑ Map the specific barriers birders with visual impairments face: physical, social, and digital

☑ Map the specific barriers birders with visual impairments face: physical, social, and digital

☑ Identify what sighted birders misunderstand about guiding and supporting peers with VI

☑ Identify what sighted birders misunderstand about guiding and supporting peers with VI

☑ Surface design opportunities that build on existing tools rather than starting from scratch

☑ Surface design opportunities that build on existing tools rather than starting from scratch

Constraints

Scope: We could not redesign Merlin. Our prototype had to be buildable on top of Merlin's existing infrastructure.

Recruitment: Birders with visual impairments are a small, dispersed population; we relied on Birdability and a published article to find participants.

Design Challenge

How might we evolve birding culture so that the insights and experiences of birders with visual impairments enrich the community as a shared source of learning, inspiration, and belonging?

03 — Research Process

Three phases, one throughline

We ran a three-phase research program: desk research to ground our assumptions, generative research to understand lived experience, and evaluative research to test whether our ideas actually landed.

Desk research

Study plan, lit review, competitive audit

Study plan, lit review, competitive audit

Generative Research

Field ethnography, SME interviews, data analysis

Field ethnography, SME interviews, data analysis

Evaluative Research

Co-design, user testing, prototype iteration

Co-design, user testing, prototype iteration

04 — Desk Research

What we learned before talking to anyone

Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
Birding by Ears

“I feel … no particular loss at not being able to see most birds anymore. It is the song that now gives me immense joy and connects me to the birds that I love.”
-Martha Steele (birder with retinitis pigmentosa)

This challenges the assumption that birding relies solely on sight and highlights the need to design multi-sensory experiences that celebrate diverse ways of experiencing birds.

Birding by Ears

“I feel … no particular loss at not being able to see most birds anymore. It is the song that now gives me immense joy and connects me to the birds that I love.”
-Martha Steele (birder with retinitis pigmentosa)

This challenges the assumption that birding relies solely on sight and highlights the need to design multi-sensory experiences that celebrate diverse ways of experiencing birds.

Barriers in Birding

People with disabilities face physical, social, and structural barriers, including distance, lack of equipment, safety concerns, and limited social support that prevent full participation.

Barriers in Birding

People with disabilities face physical, social, and structural barriers, including distance, lack of equipment, safety concerns, and limited social support that prevent full participation.

Lack of Digital Accessibility

During benchmarking of existing birding apps, including the major app Merlin ID, we found that most platforms lack proper screen reader support and have poor visual readability due to small fonts and low contrast.

Lack of Digital Accessibility

During benchmarking of existing birding apps, including the major app Merlin ID, we found that most platforms lack proper screen reader support and have poor visual readability due to small fonts and low contrast.

04 — Generative Research

Grounding in lived experience

  • Field Ethnography

I joined a two-hour Birds Connect Seattle outing in Bellevue, Washington, guided by an experienced leader.

Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
  • SME Interviews

We conducted semi-structured interviews with three birders with visual impairments and five sighted birders, including Birds Connect Seattle leadership.

Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
Michael Carter craft strategic design
  • Data Analysis

Through coding and affinity mapping, we synthesized research data into key themes centered on exclusivity within the birding community, challenges in guidance and support, and learning through birding.

Finding 1: Finding Community is structurally hard

“I want the birding community to be more open to assisting people with disabilities to go birding.”
- J (SME)

We found that birders with visual impairments often struggle to find local communities or companions for birding.

Finding 1: Finding Community is structurally hard

“I want the birding community to be more open to assisting people with disabilities to go birding.”
- J (SME)

We found that birders with visual impairments often struggle to find local communities or companions for birding.

Finding 2: Misaligned Expectation

A limited understanding of the experiences of birders with visual impairments often prevents sighted birders from offering appropriate support.

Finding 2: Misaligned Expectation

A limited understanding of the experiences of birders with visual impairments often prevents sighted birders from offering appropriate support.

Finding 3: Learning Bird Calls is a shared interest, not a niche one

Across all participant types, learning bird calls by ear was identified as a valued but undersupported skill. Sighted birders want to develop it; birders with VI are often further along in it. This convergence pointed toward a feature opportunity where expertise flows from an underserved group to the broader community, rather than simply designing "for" people with disabilities.

Finding 3: Learning Bird Calls is a shared interest, not a niche one

Across all participant types, learning bird calls by ear was identified as a valued but undersupported skill. Sighted birders want to develop it; birders with VI are often further along in it. This convergence pointed toward a feature opportunity where expertise flows from an underserved group to the broader community, rather than simply designing "for" people with disabilities.

05 — Evaluative Research

Testing ideas with the people who matter

Based on generative findings, we designed two co-design sessions: one with Birds Connect Seattle leadership and one with Jay, a birder with visual impairment who actively participates in recordings, podcasts, and Birdability speaker sessions. We brought initial sketches and low-fidelity prototypes to each session to ground the conversation in concrete ideas rather than abstract questions.

Evaluative Research/ Ideations
Evaluative Research/ Ideations
Evaluative Research/ Ideations

Planning Co-Design Sessions

Planning Co-Design Sessions

Planning Co-Design Sessions

Based on insights from generative research, we planned two co-design sessions. We also developed initial sketches and prototypes to facilitate discussion and feedback during the sessions.

Michael Carter craft strategic design
Evaluative Research/ Co-Design
Evaluative Research/ Co-Design

Co-Design and User Testing

Co-Design and User Testing

We divided the sessions into three parts: Part I: Awareness, Part II: Guidance, and Part II: Reminiscence.

We divided the sessions into three parts: Part I: Awareness, Part II: Guidance, and Part II: Reminiscence.

06 — Solutions

Primary Prototype: AI-Based Audio Highlights on Merlin

User Testing Results

"Hope this actually works in Merlin."
Jay (SME, VI) · during user testing

Participants described the audio highlights prototype as joyful, intuitive, and easy to use. Jay saw the feature serving a dual function: not just as a bird identification recap, but as a bird call education tool that could help all birders develop their ear. The enthusiasm was unambiguous; the concern was whether Cornell Lab would actually ship it.

User Testing Results

"Hope this actually works in Merlin."
Jay (SME, VI) · during user testing

Participants described the audio highlights prototype as joyful, intuitive, and easy to use. Jay saw the feature serving a dual function: not just as a bird identification recap, but as a bird call education tool that could help all birders develop their ear. The enthusiasm was unambiguous; the concern was whether Cornell Lab would actually ship it.

Try our prototype

Tap the sound button to receive an AI-generated audio highlight from your trip of the day.

+Impact we've made

Making Accessibility Information Visible

As a result, the Birds Connect Seattle organization added a trip accessibility section to each event, helping users with visual impairments better understand trail accessibility.

Reflection

Tradeoff I'd revisit

We deprioritized the peer-matching concept in favor of the Merlin prototype. In retrospect, community connection may drive more sustained impact than a product feature, especially for a population that has historically been left out of the social fabric of birding.

Back to Main

Back to Main

GEMI: ADHD Motivator

GEMI: ADHD Motivator