Aira’s 2024 Explorer Survey: Attitude is Everything
At Aira, the community is at the heart of everything we do. Throughout our ten years in business, our Explorers have played a vital role in shaping our product. We will continue to build Aira with you, which is why the annual Explorer Survey is such a crucial undertaking.
This initiative involves surveying users about their identities, their level of vision, their perspectives on Aira and other visual interpreting tools, their usage habits, and their experiences.
From the insights gained in our 2023 Explorer Survey, we implemented a significant portion of the feedback and requests you asked for in 2024. We introduced Access AI, an integration with the Meta Ray-Bans, and a highly requested call-transfer feature, just to name a few.
Our team takes great care to understand the level of vision and age of our Explorers, as this information helps us tailor our service to provide the utmost value. Of our Explorer Survey participants, 78% identified as “blind,” while 26% reported having low vision. The majority of participants (78%) were between the ages of 21 and 60.
It’s not just about knowledge of blindness. Once individuals feel comfortable and trust the service to provide objective assistance, they become advocates for it, recommending it to others. The Net Promoter Score for 2024 was 49, meaning almost half of Aira Explorers who participated in the survey would recommend the service to others. Sixty percent of participants expressed that they were “very satisfied,” while 29% reported they were “satisfied.”
Our 2024 Explorer Survey yielded many additional insights that will guide us in our ongoing innovation. One thing that emerged consistently is the importance of attitude.
As we celebrate our tenth year of operation, we are proud to acknowledge that Explorers have traveled the world, utilizing our visual interpreters to enhance their independence.
Interactions between blind and low-vision individuals and the sighted world often turn into educational sessions about life without eyesight. While many people are willing to provide this education, it can be inconvenient and frustrating when trying to accomplish simple tasks like finding a dropped pill or reading the oven temperature. This can make asking for visual input daunting. Since its inception, Aira has strived to provide the blind and low-vision community with the experience of professional visual interpreters who are already familiar with the basics.
“Agents’ attitudes toward blindness are exemplary. I have never encountered inappropriate or stereotyping responses,” explained one Explorer. “Agents genuinely understand that blindness is simply the absence of a specific sensory channel and know how to provide the information that sight would otherwise offer.”
This quote from a participant in our 2024 customer survey encapsulates the significance of cultural competency in delivering a service. Aira’s visual interpreters undergo rigorous training, guided by a team comprising both our staff and customers.
The 2024 customer survey revealed several factors that influence the decision to choose Aira for visual interpreting. In upcoming blogs, we’ll delve into each aspect and share remarkable use cases.