DOI: 10.5061/dryad.gmsbcc313
title: Generative AI use by blind and low vision software professionals in the workplace

description: The software development workplace poses numerous technical and
 collaborative accessibility challenges for blind and low vision software
 professionals (BLVSPs). Though Generative AI (GenAI) is increasingly
 adopted within the software development industry and has been a rapidly
 growing topic of interest in research, to date, the unique perspectives of
 BLVSPs have yet to be consulted. We report on a qualitative study
 involving 39 semi-structured interviews with BLVSPs about what the
 introduction of GenAI has meant for their work. We found that BLVSPs used
 GenAI for many software development tasks, resulting in benefits such as
 increased productivity and accessibility. However, significant costs were
 also accompanied by GenAI use, as they were more vulnerable to
 hallucinations than their sighted colleagues. Sometimes, organizational
 policies prevented use. Based on our findings, we discuss the higher-risks
 and higher-returns that BLVSPs had to carefully weigh when deciding
 whether and when to use GenAI tools for work.
description: <strong>Data Preparation</strong>
 The researchers developed the interview protocols before the
 semi-structured interviews. The Study_1 protocol was used to interview 30
 participants in an earlier study that subsequently formed part of this
 one. The Study_2 protocol was used to interview nine additional
 participants and to re-interview some of the previous 30
 participants.  <strong>Data
 Collection</strong> The demographic data in this
 dataset were collected during the study's recruitment
 process. The accompanying research paper provides
 further details on the research method, including participant
 recruitment.
description: # Data from: "Game Changer" or "Overenthusiastic Drunk
 Acquaintance"? Generative AI Use by Blind and Low Vision Software
 Professionals in the Workplace Dataset DOI:
 [10.5061/dryad.gmsbcc313](10.5061/dryad.gmsbcc313) ## Overview This
 dataset consists of four files relevant to the research conducted for the
 "Game Changer" or "Overenthusiastic Drunk
 Acquaintance"? Generative AI Use by Blind and Low Vision Software
 Professionals in the Workplace paper, accepted into the 48th International
 Conference on Software Engineering (ICSE). The interview-based study
 consisted of semi-structured interviews with 39 Blind and Low Vision
 Software Professionals (BLVSPs) about their use of GenAI in the workplace.
 The study's goal was to understand how BLVSPs used GenAI in the
 workplace and identify the benefits and challenges of AI use.
 Specifically, the study answered two research questions: * RQ1: How do
 BLVSPs perceive and utilize generative AI in the workplace? * RQ2:  How do
 generative AI tools impact BLVSPs’ work and career prospects? The dataset
 is provided to supplement the paper’s study design section and to aid
 other researchers interested in repeating or running a similar study. The
 participant interview transcripts are not included as they contain
 sensitive and identifiable data. The accompanying data consists of: *
 Anonymized demographic data from the 39 participants involved in the
 study. Due to space constraints, these are ommitted from the related
 paper. * Two interview protocols containing the questions used to
 interview participants. These allow other researchers to repeat the study
 or to conduct a similar study. ## Study design The Study Design section of
 the associated paper provides the context for the data files. It describes
 the recruitment and interview processes, data collection, data analysis,
 and ethical concerns. The data analysis section describes the generation
 and use of the provided codebook to support the overarching thematic
 analysis. All participants in the study met the recruitment criteria.
 Namely, they (i) self-identified as being blind or having low vision, (ii)
 worked or had worked as a software professional (e.g., engineer, product
 manager, accessibility specialist), and (iii) had at least one year of
 professional work experience as a software professional. This study
 extended a [prior
 study](https://dl.acm.org/doi/full/10.1145/3706598.3713302) that explored
 the use of custom tools by BLVSPs at work. Thirty participants took part
 in that first study. The initial interview protocol included questions
 about the use of GenAI, and it is this part of the dataset that informs
 this study. Subsequently, five participants from the prior study were
 re-interviewed for this study, along with a further nine participants
 recruited for this study. These two rounds of interviews led to
 thirty-nine participants involved in this study on the use of GenAI in the
 workplace by BLVSPs. It is recommended to read the related paper to better
 understand the study's full context before using the provided data
 files. ### Description of the data and file structure The data provided
 is: 1. The interview protocol that was used in the first set of interviews
 about custom tools, including some questions on the use of GenAI. 2. The
 interview protocol used in additional GenAI-focused interviews. 3.
 Anonymized participant demographic data (*Participant_Information.pdf* and
 as a machine readable file *Participant_Information.csv*) The first
 interview protocol file
 (*Study_1_Interview_Protocol_Workarounds_and_GenAI.pdf* ) contains the
 questions used in the first interview. The GenAI related questions in this
 protocol are highlighted. The second interview protocol
 (*Study_2_Interview_Protocol_GenAI_Utilization_in_the_Workplace.pdf*) has
 questions focusing on GenAI use at work. The interview protocols are free
 to reuse and amend. The data files included in this dataset are: | Data
 File | Description | |
 :------------------------------------------------------------------------
 | :----------------------------------------------------------------------
 | | Participant\_Information.pdf | Anonymized participant information | |
 Participant\_Information.csv | Same anonymized participant information,
 but in a machine-readable form | |
 Study\_1\_Interview\_Protocol\_Workarounds\_and\_GenAI.pdf | Interview
 questions used in the first set of interviews | |
 Study\_2\_Interview\_Protocol\_GenAI\_Utilization\_in\_the\_Workplace.pdf
 | Interview questions used in the second set of interviews | ###
 Sharing/Access information The dataset is licensed under a [CC0 1.0
 Universal (CC0 1.0)](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
 Public Domain Dedication license. ## Human subjects data The data contains
 a table of de-identified demographic information about the interview
 participants. Each participant was provided with a unique participation
 identifier to be referred to in research papers and in the included data
 file. No personal identifiable information is shared. The study followed
 the University of California, Irvine's (UCI) Human Research
 Protection protocols and was approved by UCI's Institutional Review
 Board (IRB). All participants provided informed consent to participate in
 the study.