Auditorial

Auditorial is an experimental accessible storytelling platform created through a collaboration between Google Brand Studio, RNIB (the Royal National Institute of Blind People), The Guardian, and R/GA. Launched on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (May 20, 2021), the project addresses a stark inequality: while more than 2.2 billion people worldwide are blind or visually impaired, 97% of the top one million websites fail to meet standard accessibility requirements. Traditional screen readers convert text to synthetic speech, stripping away the emotion, emphasis, and nuance that makes storytelling compelling. Auditorial set out to demonstrate that inclusive design can enhance rather than limit a publisher's storytelling capabilities.

The creative approach centered on human-first design — rather than retrofitting accessibility features onto an existing design, the team included blind and low-vision collaborators in the design process from inception. The platform offers three distinct ways to experience the same story: a fully customizable audio-visual narrated experience with spatial audio, a written article with enhanced accessibility controls, or reading along with closed captions. The editorial content, provided by The Guardian, tells the story of Bernie Krause, a soundscape ecologist who has spent 50 years tracking the effects of the climate crisis through sound — a topic deliberately chosen for its focus on auditory experience.

The team developed 22 adaptive features enabling users to experience the same story in over 100 different ways. Visual customization includes six alternative color palettes, dark mode for photophobia, and motion graphics conversion to static keyframes. Audio capabilities include professional human narration, adjustable playback speed, ambient sound controls, and binaural 3D spatial audio. Content presentation features include narrative alt tags written as descriptions aligned with storytelling rather than succinct labels, and mindful language throughout. The platform was built using HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and Angular over a seven-month development period, with R/GA's London and São Paulo offices leading creative and technical delivery.

All development techniques and research learnings were documented in the Auditorial Accessibility Notebook, published alongside the site as a resource for web creators worldwide to implement inclusive design practices. The project was featured on the Google homepage at launch and won over 10 major industry awards, including a Cannes Lions Silver, two Clio Silvers, an ADC Gold Cube, and recognition at the One Show, D&AD, AICP Next, BIMA, and the Webby Awards.

Over 100,000 readers and makers were reached, with 96% of user testers reporting a vastly improved experience compared to traditional websites. The project was featured on the Google homepage at launch. Inclusive design lectures from Google and RNIB continue to tour the creative community, and the Accessibility Notebook provides ongoing guidance for web developers. The site remains online as an example of accessibility best practice.