3,980 research outputs found
Design and User Satisfaction of Interactive Maps for Visually Impaired People
Multimodal interactive maps are a solution for presenting spatial information
to visually impaired people. In this paper, we present an interactive
multimodal map prototype that is based on a tactile paper map, a multi-touch
screen and audio output. We first describe the different steps for designing an
interactive map: drawing and printing the tactile paper map, choice of
multi-touch technology, interaction technologies and the software architecture.
Then we describe the method used to assess user satisfaction. We provide data
showing that an interactive map - although based on a unique, elementary,
double tap interaction - has been met with a high level of user satisfaction.
Interestingly, satisfaction is independent of a user's age, previous visual
experience or Braille experience. This prototype will be used as a platform to
design advanced interactions for spatial learning
An environment for studying the impact of spatialising sonified graphs on data comprehension
We describe AudioCave, an environment for exploring the impact of spatialising sonified graphs on a set of numerical data comprehension tasks. Its design builds on findings regarding the effectiveness of sonified graphs for numerical data overview and discovery by visually impaired and blind students. We demonstrate its use as a test bed for comparing the approach of accessing a single sonified numerical datum at a time to one where multiple sonified numerical data can be accessed concurrently. Results from this experiment show that concurrent access facilitates the tackling of our set multivariate data comprehension tasks. AudioCave also demonstrates how the spatialisation of the sonified graphs provides opportunities for sharing the representation. We present two experiments investigating users solving set data comprehension tasks collaboratively by sharing the data representation
Digital touch for remote personal communication: An emergent sociotechnical imaginary
This article makes legible emergent social imaginaries of digital touch for remote communication in personal relationships, with attention to digital touch interfaces. It draws on data from rapid prototyping research workshops with apprentice professionals embedded within digital communication. Touch is discussed with respect to four analytical themes: materiality, body, emplacement and temporality. We illustrate how participants’ past and present experiences and future visions of remote digital touch thread through these themes and weave together to form a hegemonic, emergent sociotechnical imaginary of digital touch. The article contributes to social debates within digital personal remote communication by foregrounding touch, the material and the sensorial. The article’s novel interdisciplinary framework (combining design-based rapid prototyping with a multimodal and multi-sensorial analysis within the frame of the sociotechnical imaginary) also contributes to methodology around future-facing phenomena, prior to the process of their solidification into material, political formations
Design Strategies for Adaptive Social Composition: Collaborative Sound Environments
In order to develop successful collaborative music systems a variety
of subtle interactions need to be identified and integrated. Gesture
capture, motion tracking, real-time synthesis, environmental
parameters and ubiquitous technologies can each be effectively used
for developing innovative approaches to instrument design, sound
installations, interactive music and generative systems. Current
solutions tend to prioritise one or more of these approaches, refining
a particular interface technology, software design or compositional
approach developed for a specific composition, performer or
installation environment. Within this diverse field a group of novel
controllers, described as ‘Tangible Interfaces’ have been developed.
These are intended for use by novices and in many cases follow a
simple model of interaction controlling synthesis parameters through
simple user actions. Other approaches offer sophisticated
compositional frameworks, but many of these are idiosyncratic and
highly personalised. As such they are difficult to engage with and
ineffective for groups of novices. The objective of this research is to
develop effective design strategies for implementing collaborative
sound environments using key terms and vocabulary drawn from the
available literature. This is articulated by combining an empathic
design process with controlled sound perception and interaction
experiments. The identified design strategies have been applied to
the development of a new collaborative digital instrument. A range
of technical and compositional approaches was considered to define
this process, which can be described as Adaptive Social Composition.
Dan Livingston
Wayfinding and Navigation for People with Disabilities Using Social Navigation Networks
To achieve safe and independent mobility, people usually depend on published information, prior experience, the knowledge of others, and/or technology to navigate unfamiliar outdoor and indoor environments. Today, due to advances in various technologies, wayfinding and navigation systems and services are commonplace and are accessible on desktop, laptop, and mobile devices. However, despite their popularity and widespread use, current wayfinding and navigation solutions often fail to address the needs of people with disabilities (PWDs). We argue that these shortcomings are primarily due to the ubiquity of the compute-centric approach adopted in these systems and services, where they do not benefit from the experience-centric approach. We propose that following a hybrid approach of combining experience-centric and compute-centric methods will overcome the shortcomings of current wayfinding and navigation solutions for PWDs
MAIDR: Making Statistical Visualizations Accessible with Multimodal Data Representation
This paper investigates new data exploration experiences that enable blind
users to interact with statistical data visualizationsbar plots, heat maps,
box plots, and scatter plotsleveraging multimodal data representations. In
addition to sonification and textual descriptions that are commonly employed by
existing accessible visualizations, our MAIDR (multimodal access and
interactive data representation) system incorporates two additional modalities
(braille and review) that offer complementary benefits. It also provides blind
users with the autonomy and control to interactively access and understand data
visualizations. In a user study involving 11 blind participants, we found the
MAIDR system facilitated the accurate interpretation of statistical
visualizations. Participants exhibited a range of strategies in combining
multiple modalities, influenced by their past interactions and experiences with
data visualizations. This work accentuates the overlooked potential of
combining refreshable tactile representation with other modalities and elevates
the discussion on the importance of user autonomy when designing accessible
data visualizations.Comment: Accepted to CHI 2024. Source code is available at
https://github.com/xability/maid
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