A method story about brainstorming with visually impaired people for designing an accessible route calculation system

In this paper we describe a brainstorming session with visually impaired users, a sighted locomotion trainer, as well as sighted and blind researchers. This brainstorming session was part of a larger project on designing accessible guidance systems for visually impaired people. In this session we specifically addressed the design of an accessible route calculation tool. In a method story, we describe how this session took place and report our insights from this experience on adapting brainstorming to a non-visual world

Map design for visually impaired people: past, present, and future research

International audienceOrientation and mobility are amongst the most important challenges for visually impaired people. Tactile maps can provide them with spatial knowledge of their environment, thereby reducing fear related to travelling in space. To date, raised-line paper maps have been used to make geographic information accessible, but these paper maps have significant limitations with regards to content and the presentation of information. Recent advances in technology may help to design usable interactive maps that overcome such limitations. In this paper, we first review different accessible map concepts. We then present our design of an interactive map prototype, and provide evidence of this interactive map’s high user satisfaction and efficiency as compared to a regular raised-line paper map. To conclude, we suggest that advances in interactive technologies (e.g., haptic touch surfaces) provide a unique opportunity to design usable maps in the near future

UNDERSTANDING THE SOCIAL AND COGNITIVE EXPERIENCES OF CHILDREN INVOLVED IN TECHNOLOGY DESIGN PROCESSES

Technology has become ubiquitous not only in the lives of adults, but also in the lives of children. For every technology, there is a process by which it is designed. In many cases, children are involved in these design processes. This study examined the social and cognitive experiences of children who were integrally involved in a technology design process in partnership with adults. This research study employed a Vygotskian lens with a case study research method, to understand the cognitive and social experiences of child technology design partners over a one-year period of design and partnership. Artifact analysis, participant observation, and interviews were used to collect and analyze data. Results from this study demonstrated that children involved in technology design process in partnership with adults experienced social and cognitive experiences which fall into the areas of relationships, enjoyment, confidence, communication, collaboration, skills, and content

Toolset for Visual Creative Conflict Management

Conflict is neuro-physiologically processed by emotional faculties of the humanbrain, similarly to pain processing (Lack & Bogacz, 2012). Pain causes an away-reflex , and so does conflict. Most of us, therefore, try to avoid pain and likewise conflict. Some of us are drawn into conflict, either as an active party or a referee, against our will, while others of us must handle conflict as a matter of life role. Because of this away-reflex to conflict, we often try to resolve conflict in a single step in order to get it over with as quickly as possible. Many people expect to resolve a conflict in a single intervention (Elliott, d\u27Estrée & Kaufman, 2003). When that doesn\u27t work, our emotional response is amplified, typically including frustration, anger, and withdrawal. This project aims to provide a toolset that transitions a user\u27s handling of conflict from their emotional faculties to their logical faculties, overcoming the away-reflex. It also provides a visual representation of the conflict, which allows a conflict manager to logically plot and manage a multi-step resolution process with improved potential for long term results over the get-it-over-quickly single-step reflex. And, it comprises an open framework to which an expanding number of resources can be added to bolster a conflict manager\u27s understanding of all parties\u27 concerns, personalities, motivations, fears, and to enable the conflict manager to generate new ideas using Creative Problem Solving, and increase influence and persuasiveness

Imagining Artificial Intelligence Applications with People with Visual Disabilities Using Tactile Ideation

There has been a surge in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies co-opted by or designed for people with visual disabilities. Researchers and engineers have pushed technical boundaries in areas such as computer vision, natural language processing, location inference, and wearable computing. But what do people with visual disabilities imagine as their own technological future? To explore this question, we developed and carried out tactile ideation workshops with participants in the UK and India. Our participants generated a large and diverse set of ideas, most focusing on ways to meet needs related to social interaction. In some cases, this was a matter of recognizing people. In other cases, they wanted to be able to participate in social situations without foregrounding their disability. It was striking that this finding was consistent across UK and India despite substantial cultural and infrastructural differences. In this paper, we describe a new technique for working with people with visual disabilities to imagine new technologies that are tuned to their needs and aspirations. Based on our experience with these workshops, we provide a set of social dimensions to consider in the design of new AI technologies: social participation, social navigation, social maintenance, and social independence. We offer these social dimensions as a starting point to forefront users' social needs and desires as a more deliberate consideration for assistive technology design

Interactive maps for visually impaired people : design, usability and spatial cognition

Connaître la géographie de son environnement urbain est un enjeu important pour les personnes déficientes visuelles. Des cartes tactiles en relief sont généralement utilisées mais elles présentent des limitations importantes (nombre limité d'informations, recours à une légende braille). Les nouvelles technologies permettent d'envisager des solutions innovantes. Nous avons conçu et développé une carte interactive accessible, en suivant un processus de conception participative. Cette carte est basée sur un dispositif multi-touch, une carte tactile en relief et une sortie sonore. Ce dispositif permet au sujet de recueillir des informations en double-cliquant sur certains objets de la carte. Nous avons démontré expérimentalement que ce prototype était plus efficace et plus satisfaisant pour des utilisateurs déficients visuels qu'une carte tactile simple. Nous avons également exploré et testé différents types d'interactions avancées accessibles pour explorer la carte. Cette thèse démontre l'importance des cartes tactiles interactives pour les déficients visuels et leur cognition spatiale.Knowing the geography of an urban environment is crucial for visually impaired people. Tactile relief maps are generally used, but they retain significant limitations (limited amount of information, use of braille legend, etc.). Recent technological progress allows the development of innovative solutions which overcome these limitations. In this thesis, we present the design of an accessible interactive map through a participatory design process. This map is composed by a multi-touch screen with tactile map overlay and speech output. It provides auditory information when tapping on map elements. We have demonstrated in an experiment that our prototype was more effective and satisfactory for visually impaired users than a simple raised-line map. We also explored and tested different types of advanced non-visual interaction for exploring the map. This thesis demonstrates the importance of interactive tactile maps for visually impaired people and their spatial cognition

Convey Data in Qlik® Sense from a Universal Design Perspective

“The important criterion for a graph is not simply how fast we can see a result; rather it is whether through the use of the graph we can see something that would have been harder to see otherwise or that could not have been seen at all.” William S. Cleveland When presenting graphs for people with visual impairments the solutions found on the market today often present pure data values only. Overview is missing and there is no possibility to get any additional information about the visual content of the graph. Should we accept the fact that visually impaired persons are only presented with the data or could they actually benefit from data represented in graphical form? The aim of this project was to investigate how to provide people with visual impairments the best possible user experience when analyzing data in the business intelligence program Qlik Sense. The research showed that it is possible to convey an overview of the content in graphs with a synthetic speech solution. The synthetic speech presents the purpose of the graph and key values as well as the overall shape of the curve. In a future development it is possible to extend the product to include voice recognition to allow the user to explore the data and make own discoveries. The project begun with a literature study to find previously conducted work in the same field. To gather proper knowledge about what information users find interesting, what they are looking for and how they can benefit from using charts, a pilot study was initiated. The pilot study was performed by people who have vision classified as normal. Further, persons from the target group, i.e. people with visual impairments, were interviewed to receive an understanding of what is missing from today’s low vision aids and solutions. These results were used when creating a Low Fidelity prototype in an attempt to show how to present visual data to a visually impaired user. The prototype was tested on both sighted persons and persons from the target group. Results were then collected and analyzed to create a foundation for the High Fidelity (Hi-Fi) prototype that was developed to realize the design ideas. Finally, the Hi-Fi prototype was evaluated through usability tests that resulted in the above-mentioned conclusion.“Det viktigaste kriteriet för en graf är egentligen inte hur fort vi kan se ett resultat; det är snarare om vi genom användandet av en graf kan se något som hade varit svårare att se annars eller som inte hade alls kunnat ses." William S. Cleveland Översättning: Celie Gunnarsson De lösningar som finns på dagens marknad gällande presentation av grafer för synskadade bygger ofta på ren presentation av enskilda värden. Översikt saknas och det finns ingen möjlighet att få övrig information om det visuella innehållet i grafen. Ska man som synskadad nöja sig med att endast få ta del av datan eller ska man faktiskt kunna ha samma nytta av ett diagram som en seende person? Syftet med detta projekt var att undersöka hur man kan erbjuda personer med synnedsättning den bästa möjliga användarupplevelsen då de analyserar data i Business Intelligence-programmet Qlik Sense. Arbetet visade att det är möjligt att förmedla en överblick av en grafs innehåll med hjälp av syntetiskt tal. Det syntetiska talet kan då presentera grafens syfte, nyckeltal tillika formen på kurvan som bildas. Vid framtida utveckling är det möjligt att utöka produkten så att även röstigenkänning kan inkluderas. Detta skulle ge användaren en möjlighet att på egen hand utforska datan och göra egna upptäckter. Projektet inleddes med en litteraturstudie för att finna tidigare utfört arbete inom samma område. För att insamla kunskap om vilken information som upplevs som intressant, vad användare tittar efter och hur de kan ha nytta av grafer utfördes även en pilotstudie. Försökspersonerna i denna studie utgjordes av personer med syn klassificerad som normal. Vidare intervjuades personer ur målgruppen, det vill säga personer med olika typer av synnedsättning, för att skapa förståelse för vad som saknas i dagens hjälpmedel och lösningar. Dessa resultat användes för att skapa en Low Fidelityprototyp i ett försök att visa hur man skulle kunna presentera visuell data för en synskadad person. Prototypen testades sedan, både utav seende personer och personer från målgruppen, varefter resultatet sammanställdes och analyserades. Analysen användes för att skapa en grund till den High Fidelityprototyp (Hi Fi-prototyp) som kom att utvecklas ur designidéerna. Slutligen utvärderades Hi Fi-prototypen genom användbarhetstester, vilka resulterade i ovan nämnda slutsats

Identifying core knowledge and skill sets for model curricula: update

This deliverable presents state of the art in curriculum development work, and compares IDCnet to it. Next it discusses the methodology followed to identify key knowledge and skill sets for Design for All. The categories of knowledge thus identified are organised into a taxonomy with examples given for each category and subcategory along with a set of learning outcomes. The purpose of the taxonomy is to structure the knowledge. As this deliverable was a ‘living’ document, and as further activities have taken place since this deliverable was first submitted, this version includes a substantially expanded chapter 5, incorporating comments from: the project review process; the new members of IDCnet; the second IDCnet workshop; as well as comments received from colleagues in response to dissemination activities at conferences. The categories and subcategories of the taxonomy remain unchanged, but further topics and examples have been added to illustrate and clarify the use and range of each category. Finally, the next steps in the IDCnet WP3 strategy are briefly described