Most people with a visual impairment retain some residual vision, yet accessibility strategies and research for visual art focus on non-visual aids and strategies. Little is known about how image enhancements may benefit people with low vision in art settings. Our study explored the challenges of people with visual impairments in museums and art galleries and the potential of visual enhancements to improve accessibility. Through online focus groups with 18 participants, we uncovered multifaceted visual challenges. Participants emphasised the role of non-visual senses to reduce visual ambiguities. Subsequently, we presented participants with the concept of image enhancements on Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) as a potential approach to enhance visual accessibility. Participants expressed nuanced perspectives, advocating for this technology to improve visual art. The findings provide valuable insights for enhancing the visual experience of people with low vision in museums and galleries through design.

People with low vision experience reduced mobility that affects their physical and mental wellbeing. With augmented reality (AR) glasses, there are new opportunities to provide visual and auditory information that can improve mobility for this vulnerable group. Current research into AR-based mobility aids has focused mainly on the technical aspects, and less emphasis has been placed on understanding the usability and suitability of these aids in people with various levels of visual impairment. In this paper, we present the results of qualitative interviews with 18 participants using HoloLens v1 and eight prototype augmentations to understand how these enhancements are perceived by people with low vision and how these aids should be adjusted to suit their needs. Our results suggested that participants with moderate vision loss could potentially perceive the most benefit from glasses and underlined the importance of extensive customizability to accommodate the needs of a highly varied low vision population.