Breaking Barriers: How Digital Video Books Make Literature Accessible to All
“A picture is worth a thousand words.” – As far as epigraphs go, there cannot be one that is more pertinent to this blog. For far too long, the education system has been based on text-heavy learning, leaving visual learners and those with certain disabilities at a significant disadvantage.
Digital Video Books are leveling the playing field, and in this blog, we will take a closer look at them and how they make literature accessible and beneficial to all.
Table of Content
What are Digital Video Books?
Digital video books are an amalgamation of traditional and digital technology. They are essentially books with a screen built into them that plays content the moment the book is opened.
Their applications are endless and can be used for anything from:
- Keepsakes
- Invitations
- Brochures and
- Educational material and more
They are available in different screen sizes that start as small as 4.3 inches and go as large as 10 inches. They can also come as stand-alone books or can connect to the internet for dynamic content.
Digital Publishers like KITABOO can also integrate VR and AR technologies to enhance the realism and engagement of the content. The possibilities with digital books are endless.
The Importance of Accessibility
According to data gathered by the WHO, about 16% of the world’s population suffers from some form of disability. That equates to about 1.3 billion people worldwide, which is a staggering number, to say the least.
Add to this the fact that over 96.8% of homepages today have evident WCAG 2 failures. Put them together, and you get a scope of how much of the world’s population has trouble accessing literature in any shape or form.
Access to knowledge should never be a hindrance, and that is where Digital Video books make all the difference. To get a better understanding of the true importance of accessibility, let’s take a look at how the remaining 84% of the world with unhindered access to knowledge learns.
What are the Different Styles of Learning?
Neuroscientists have come to a consensus that there are four categories of learners. They are:
- Visual Learners: Visual learners learn best when presented with visual information such as photos, videos, or infographics, to name a few. They make up about 65% of the general population.
- Auditory Learners: These groups of people learn best by listening. Have you ever observed someone reading aloud to themselves? If so, you are looking at an auditory learner. Listening to lectures, podcasts, or discussions works best for this group.
- Read/Write Learners: As the name suggests, these groups of people respond best to text-based learning. Books, assignments, and essays are where they excel.
- Kinesthetic learners: Kinesthetic learners are those who learn best via active movements or anything hands-on.
As you can see, even without any disabilities and with unhindered access, people without disabilities still cannot make the most out of learning unless it is provided in a format that works best for them.
How Can Digital Video Books Make Literature Accessible to All?
Digital video books are a game changer when it comes to accessibility.
People with any form of visual impairment or disability come packed with technology such as text-to-speech, the ability to zoom in, or to adjust the brightness or color contrast for a better reading experience.
For people with auditory impairments, they offer subtitles or closed captions to understand the content of the video book. In addition, a video book can also have a picture-in-picture section that explains the context of the video book using sign language.
For people with physical disabilities who cannot travel to a place of education or a library, a video book can be updated with fresh content, which can help them access all the literature they need.
In short, they are a win for all.
The Additional Benefits of Digital Video Books
Let’s take a short detour here and briefly talk about attention spans. Marketers pay close attention to this science, and they all have a few precious moments to grab the attention of potential customers.
So, what does this have to do with digital video books, education, or access to literature, you may ask?
Studies have found that our attention spans have been dropping at alarming rates. Based on studies conducted in this field, our attention spans today are a mere 8.25 seconds. This is why marketers think of every way to immediately capture a customer’s attention.
This attention span deficit is affecting students as well, and the rise of social media and short-form content, such as Instagram and TikTok, is found to be the primary culprit.
This content creation frenzy has also led to a massive bump in creating all forms of content, and videos have emerged as the most consumed format of media on the internet. In fact, as of statistics from 2022, they accounted for a whopping 82% of internet traffic.
That said, an interesting statistic about videos has emerged: an average person spends 2.7 minutes on average when it comes to watching a single video.
This is where, in addition to accessibility benefits, digital video books also improve all its users’ attention levels.
Wrapping It Up
As the world transitions into the digital age, digital video books are poised to become the format of choice for consuming literature. Over and above all the benefits they provide over traditional books, they are also leveling the playing for readers of all abilities, no matter their preferred learning style.
In short, they are a win for everyone and are well-suited to match the coming years’ lifestyle and learning needs.
If digital video books have piqued your interest and you are looking to create your own, check out KITABOO. They are cloud-based digital publishing platforms that can help you create, enhance, and deliver engaging and accessible digital video books for all.
Contact our expert team to learn more.
To know more, please write to us at KITABOO@hurix.com
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