Tools in and out of sight : an analysis informed by Cultural-Historical Activity Theory of audio-haptic activities involving people with visual impairments supported by technology

The main purpose of this thesis is to present a Cultural-Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) based analysis of the activities conducted by and with visually impaired users supported by audio-haptic technology.This thesis covers several studies conducted in two projects. The studies evaluate the use of audio-haptic technologies to support and/or mediate the activities of people with visual impairment. The focus is on the activities involving access to two-dimensional information, such as pictures or maps. People with visual impairments can use commercially available solutions to explore static information (raised lined maps and pictures, for example). Solu-tions for dynamic access, such as drawing a picture or using a map while moving around, are more scarce. Two distinct projects were initiated to remedy the scarcity of dynamic access solutions, specifically focusing on two separate activities.The first project, HaptiMap, focused on pedestrian outdoors navigation through audio feedback and gestures mediated by a GPS equipped mobile phone. The second project, HIPP, focused on drawing and learning about 2D representations in a school setting with the help of haptic and audio feedback. In both cases, visual feedback was also present in the technology, enabling people with vision to take advantage of that modality too.The research questions addressed are: How can audio and haptic interaction mediate activ-ities for people with visual impairment? Are there features of the programming that help or hinder this mediation? How can CHAT, and specifically the Activity Checklist, be used to shape the design process, when designing audio haptic technology together with persons with visual impairments?Results show the usefulness of the Activity Checklist as a tool in the design process, and provide practical application examples. A general conclusion emphasises the importance of modularity, standards, and libre software in rehabilitation technology to support the development of the activities over time and to let the code evolve with them, as a lifelong iterative development process. The research also provides specific design recommendations for the design of the type of audio haptic systems involved

Angle sizes for pointing gestures

One factor which can be expected to influence performance in applications where the user is expected to point a device in some direction to obtain information is the angle interval in which the user gets feedback. The present study was performed in order to get a better understanding of the influence of this angle interval on navigation performance, gestures and strategies in a more realistic outdoor setting. Results indicate that users are able to handle quite a wide range of angle intervals, although there are differences between narrow and wide intervals. We observe different gestures and strategies used by the users and provide some recommendations on suitable angle intervals. Finally, our observations support the notion that using this type of pointing gesture for navigation is intuitive and easy to use

Methods for understanding the mobile user experience

Evaluating the user experience is often done in a laboratory. Methods for observing what happens in the wild are nonetheless being employed because they bring results that the traditional methods of evaluation do not yield. In this paper we describe and discuss methods used at our lab for understanding the mobile user experience. These methods range from quantitative to qualitative evaluation, and encompass diverse aspects of the design process. Finally we argue the need for combining different methods to obtain a better picture of real mobile usage

Designing guidance along audio-haptically augmented paths in a city environment

The main purpose of this thesis is to show in a case study how it is possible to inform, with Activity Theory, the design and evaluation of a pedestrian navigation system that uses audio-tactile feedback. The case study consists of an iterative design process that results in a tourist guide application used in a mobile phone. The interaction with the user is mostly through the audio and haptic modalities. The mobile phone is used as a scanning device and guides the user by means of vibrations. An auditory ambiance and recorded speech information also enriched the augmented reality experience. The tourist guide was evaluated in the real context of its use. This interaction proved to be an unobtrusive way to guide tourists to points of interest in the city. During the evaluation, several tools from the framework of Activity Theory were used. The evaluation benefited from the following: the Activity Checklist, the Activity Diamond, the hierarchical structure of activity and the extended activity framework. Activity Theory was chosen so that more than just the interaction between the user and the device/technology would be included in the evaluation. Other elements of the artifactual and natural environment were also taken into account, as well as the human environment, the object of the user’s activity and the user’s motive. Activity Theory provides a solid theoretical background when analyzing the subject’s behavior toward the technology, offering a better understanding as to how it is possible to improve the mediating technology. Other important factors for the design process have also been identified and are discussed as well

The Influence of Angle Size in Navigation Applications Using Pointing Gestures

One factor which can be expected to influence performance in applications where the user points a device in some direction to obtain information is the angle interval in which the user gets feedback. The present study was performed in order to get a better understanding of the influence of this angle interval on navigation performance, gestures and strategies in a more realistic outdoor setting. Results indicate that users are able to handle quite a wide range of angle intervals, although there are differences between narrow and wide intervals. We observe different gestures and strategies used by the users and provide some recommendations on suitable angle intervals. Finally, our observations support the notion that using this type of pointing gesture for navigation is intuitive and easy to use

Scanning angles for directional pointing

The present study was performed in order to get a better understanding of the influence of the scanning angle interval on navigation performance, gestures and strategies in a more realistic outdoor setting. Results indicate that users are able to handle a wide range of angle intervals. We observe different gestures and strategies and provide recommendations for suitable angle intervals. Our observations also support the notion that using this type of pointing gesture for navigation is intuitive and easy to use

Navigation by pointing to GPS locations

This article deals with a method for interacting with a handheld navigation application, based on using the mobile device for pointing. When the user points the device in any direction, feedback will be provided based on if the user is aiming at the next point in the track or beside it. The presented study has been performed in order to get a better understanding of how the basic parameters in this type of interaction—like the angle for pointing and the size of the target—influence the navigation performance. We have applied a dual investigation by running a computer simulation varying additional parameters such as GPS accuracy and user behavior, and also running an in-context study with 15 participants in a realistic outdoor setting with real location-based GPS data. The study has resulted in general recommendations for angle intervals and the radius of the circles surrounding the track points

Show me the direction – how accurate does it have to be?

One factor which can be expected to influence performance in applications where the user is expected to point a device in some direction to obtain information is the angle interval in which the user gets feedback. The present study was performed in order to get a better understanding of the influence of this angle interval on navigation performance. Results indicate that users are able to handle quite a wide range of angle intervals, although very narrow and very wide are less suitable

Exploring History: a Mobile Inclusive Virtual Tourist Guide

In the present paper we report on the design decisions and the field test results of an inclusive mobile tourist guide app, the Time Machine. The historical information is conveyed by sound and the navigation information by haptics, while the app can be controlled eyes-free by a combination of on-screen and free-form gestures. To emphasize the eyes-free use, 9 of 11 test users recruited had severe visual impairment or blindness. The field test results show that users find that the Time Machine is fun, stimulating and usable, but also provide valuable information for future designers of inclusive apps/location based services. We argue that the Time Machine provides an exemplar of how one can design inclusively in a way that benefits both users who are sighted and users who have a visual impairment

Haptic and Audio Interaction Design7th International Conference, HAID 2012, Lund, Sweden, August 23-24, 2012. Proceedings /

VIII, 153 p.online resource