From Vision to Touch: Bridging Visual and Tactile Principles for Accessible Data Representation.

Blind people access visual information by touching tactile graphics. Many of the tactile graphics are produced by sighted people, but a few of blind people produce tactile graphics independently. A raised-writer is often use when blind people draw tactile graphics. When a blind person writes line-drawings on the cellophane sheet using the pen, the script swells so that the blind person can feel them. However, once a line has been drawn on a cellophane sheet, it cannot be erased and redrawn. Furthermore, any line-drawings of a raised-writer cannot be utilized as digital images. So, we have developed a tactile graphics editor which enables blind people edit line-drawings independently. In this paper, we introduce a tactile graphics editor which has been improved from our previous version; the editor enables blind users to produce tactile graphics interactively with LaTeX codes. We then show an experience of a blind physics teacher when he used our editor.

Zoom Maps are a recent design development from the Teaching Aides Department at Huseby Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired Oslo, Norway (see Figures 1 and 2). The aim of Zoom graphics is to produce better maps for individuals with visual impairments and to present a design methodology for the producers of tactile graphics. The first two pilot tests of a set of Zoom Maps have proved favorable (see the Pilot tests section). [FIGURE 1 OMITTED] Zoom Maps and Zoom graphics were designed specifically for braille readers who are not accustomed to reading tactile graphics. Zoom Maps can be thought of as introductory maps that a reader with visual impairment uses before he or she advances to more complicated maps. A series of Zoom Maps can be compared to those created by online map services. In an online map, a map of an area is presented from a distance and the user is able to closer and closer to see more and more details, both geographical and political. Instead of online screen images, however, Zoom Maps provide hardcopy tactile maps which each new close-up results a new, more detailed, page of a tactile graphic (see Figure 3). In Zoom Maps, the amount of graphic information is restricted to avoid clutter. If the graphics exceed a given amount, the original graphic is divided to create a new map with fewer graphics and more specific information. This division can result a series or hierarchy of maps that take a small section of a map and zoom in on it--hence the name, Zoom Maps. [FIGURE 2 OMITTED] MAP HIERARCHY The map hierarchy and number of maps that are needed are dependent on which geographic information will be presented. That is, if one wants to show towns all the counties of a region, then it is likely that more maps will be required than if only select towns of that region are to be shown. If there is a large amount of information a section of a map, the section needs to be divided into segments--such as Northwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Southwest--and then four new maps are created to show the detailed information for each new section (see Figure 3). [FIGURE 3 OMITTED] DESIGN The design of the maps is based on four main concepts or rules. The first rule is to use the structured reading methods of a braille reader, that is, to read a text page line for line. The second rule is to divide text from graphics by a defining rectangle. The third rule is to restrict the amount of symbolic graphic information that is allowed one tactile graphic. The fourth rule is to use texture to create contrast between the textures used to differentiate geographic areas. One result of these rules is that each new map will, for the reader, seem familiar to the ones from before and thereby establish consistency. Another result is that they give the designer clearer guidelines for creating certain tactile graphics. Structured reading A reader of braille first scans the page and then reads one line after another. Zoom Maps take this process into consideration by placing text used a map an orderly way, similar to a page of braille. Text is placed only at the sides of the defining rectangle. Division of text and graphics Graphics and text appear on the same page of a Zoom Map, but they are physically divided by a rectangle. The graphics of the map are encompassed by a rectangle, and the text of the map is on the outside of the rectangle. The text on the outside of the rectangle is adjacent to the specific part of the graphic that it relates to. If there is a great distance between the text and the graphic, a leading line (made up of the braille letter g), is used to connect the text to the graphic. The purpose of using the letter g is to differentiate clearly between a leading line and a line used the graphic. By doing so, the leading line is less likely to be confused with a graphic line and therefore does not add graphic clutter to the map. …

Low vision people who are more than 88% of visually impaired people want to use their residual vision and don't want to look like disabled. However, many assistive devices for low vision are suitable for use indoors and people with disabled are exposed using assistive device so that they are reluctant to use that. So, many low vision people want to use smart phone to solve problem but now functions of smartphone are not enough. In this study, we want to suggest smart assistive software and device for low vision people to use with residual vision as much as possible without being self-conscious. For that, we interviewed expert of low vision and low vision people with qualitative research methods. Based on the results, we present solution and suggest EYESEE, assistive device and application for low vision people.

Visual impairments encompass a range of visual abilities. People with low vision have functional vision and thus their experiences are likely to be different from people with no vision. We sought to answer two research questions: (1) what challenges do low vision people face when performing daily activities and (2) what aids (high- and low-tech) do low vision people use to alleviate these challenges? Our goal was to reveal gaps in current technologies that can be addressed by the UbiComp community. Using contextual inquiry, we observed 11 low vision people perform a wayfinding and shopping task in an unfamiliar environment. The task involved wayfinding and searching and purchasing a product. We found that, although there are low vision aids on the market, participants mostly used their smartphones, despite interface accessibility challenges. While smartphones helped them outdoors, participants were overwhelmed and frustrated when shopping in a store. We discuss the inadequacies of existing aids and highlight the need for systems that enhance visual information, rather than convert it to audio or tactile.

In this article, a collaborative workstation for sighted and visually impaired users is proposed. It can be used for creating tactile graphics in a collaborative manner. The workstation consists of a classical drawing application extended with tools supporting the design of tactile graphics as well as a non-visual interface to the drawing application. As a result, blind users get both auditory and tactile feedback from the workstation through a dynamic planar tactile pin-matrix device. We also introduce supporting features as well as discuss problems in collaboration. Ultimately, we provide a set of recommendations for building a collaborative system with these different interface modalities.

Aiming at the problem that the static presentation of graphic design information cannot meet the needs of current designers, a curve fitting algorithm based on inflection point detection is proposed. Combine it with the electronic whiteboard system to build an interactive whiteboard system for railway graphic design, and realize the transformation of graphic design information from static to dynamic in this way. The performance comparison experiment of the curve fitting algorithm proposed in the research shows that the accuracy rate of the algorithm is 88.2%, which is higher than that of similar comparison algorithms. The results show that the proposed curve fitting algorithm has better fitting performance. In the empirical analysis of the interactive electronic whiteboard system of railway plane information, it is found that the happy and excited emotional scores of users using the system are increased by 1.8 and 1.3 points respectively. In addition, the Timeliness and Convenience index scores of the transformed graphic design information transmission mode have increased by 1.7 and 1.3 points respectively. The result shows that the transformation of graphic design information transmission mode into dynamic interactive mode through the curve fitting algorithm can effectively improve its user experience, thus improving the designer's graphic design efficiency.

Eye tracking technique in the visibility study of low vision was newly introduced in the previous report, where we examined the ease of finding public signs on the streets and in the interior of buildings by low vision people. We got a conclusion that they hardly notice these signs. In this report we continue our research in this direction. We describe details of eye tracking technology applied to low vision. We devise calibration method for low vision. We describe analysis of eye tracking data on the basis of simplified gaze circle model of sight of low vision, leading to a conclusion that it is possible as well for low vision to locate regions of interest (ROI) by applying classical method of scanpath analysis. We also show a preliminary result of public sign recognition in the view by using a fast pattern matching technology called “boosting,” linking to a future system for guiding the gaze of low vision to a missing public sign and zooming into it.

Use of a novel sensor to investigate the complicated boundary between biotribology and surface topology and their impact on tactile graphic perception

Graphical information, such as illustrations, graphs, and diagrams, are an essential complement to text for conveying knowledge about the world. Although graphics can be communicated well via the visual modality, conveying this information via touch has proven to be challenging. The lack of easily comprehensible tactile graphics poses a problem for the blind. In this paper, we advance a hypothesis for the limited effectiveness of tactile graphics. The hypothesis contends that conventional graphics that rely upon embossings on two-dimensional surfaces do not allow the deployment of tactile exploratory procedures that are crucial for assessing global shape. Besides potentially accounting for some of the shortcomings of current approaches, this hypothesis also serves a prescriptive purpose by suggesting a different strategy for conveying graphical information via touch, one based on cutouts. We describe experiments demonstrating the greater effectiveness of this approach for conveying shape and identity information. These results hold the potential for creating more comprehensible tactile drawings for the visually impaired while also providing insights into shape estimation processes in the tactile modality.

Reading is a challenging task for low vision people. While conventional low vision aids (e.g., magnification) offer certain support, they cannot fully address the difficulties faced by low vision users, such as locating the next line and distinguishing similar words. To fill this gap, we present GazePrompt, a gaze-aware reading aid that provides timely and targeted visual and audio augmentations based on users’ gaze behaviors. GazePrompt includes two key features: (1) a Line-Switching support that highlights the line a reader intends to read; and (2) a Difficult-Word support that magnifies or reads aloud a word that the reader hesitates with. Through a study with 13 low vision participants who performed well-controlled reading-aloud tasks with and without GazePrompt, we found that GazePrompt significantly reduced participants’ line switching time, reduced word recognition errors, and improved their subjective reading experiences. A follow-up silent-reading study showed that GazePrompt can enhance users’ concentration and perceived comprehension of the reading contents. We further derive design considerations for future gaze-based low vision aids.

Tactile graphics play an essential role in knowledge transfer for blind people. The tactile exploration of these graphics is often challenging because of the cognitive load caused by physiological constraints and their complexity. The coupling of physical tactile graphics with electronic devices offers to support the tactile exploration by auditory feedback. Often, these systems have strict constraints regarding their mobility or the process of coupling both components. Additionally, visually impaired people cannot appropriately benefit from their residual vision. This article presents a concept for 3D printed tactile graphics, which offers to use audio-tactile graphics with usual smartphones or tablet-computers. By using capacitive markers, the coupling of the tactile graphics with the mobile device is simplified. These tactile graphics integrating these markers can be printed in one turn by off-the-shelf 3D printers without any post-processing and allows us to use multiple elevation levels for graphical elements. Based on the developed generic concept on visually augmented audio-tactile graphics, we presented a case study for maps. A prototypical implementation was tested by a user study with visually impaired people. All the participants were able to interact with the 3D printed tactile maps using a standard tablet computer. To study the effect of visual augmentation of graphical elements, we conducted another comprehensive user study. We tested multiple types of graphics and obtained evidence that visual augmentation may offer clear advantages for the exploration of tactile graphics. Even participants with a minor residual vision could solve the tasks with visual augmentation more quickly and accurately.

Tactile perception is a crucial channel for education in individuals with blindness and low vision (BLV), and beadwork is a low-cost and widely adopted tool in their educational practices. In this paper, we aim to explore what the field of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) can learn from beadwork practices in relation to educational somatic experiences and tangible interaction. To understand how beadwork practices are enacted, we conducted in-class observations, semi-structured interviews, and focus groups with BLV students and teachers. Our results suggest that beadwork is an effective tool to foster personal development (e.g., mathematical and creativity skills) and social engagement (e.g., career development). Based on our findings, we offer insights into how beadwork can serve as a cost-effective material for HCI, particularly in the context of embodied cognition and soma design. Finally, we propose how state-of-the-art technology could be integrated to optimize the overall process.

Research work has been ongoing in the field of dynamic display of tactile graphics for about forty years now. Compared to these numerous efforts, the number of systems actually in use in daily life has remained quite low. Today, there are still very few workplaces for the blind that include a dynamic tactile graphic display for providing information in graphic form, besides speech and Braille output systems. One application which does utilize such devices today, however, are math classes in schools. The following paper introduces a system that permits blind students to both create and explore mathematical graphics without assistance

Risk perception of illness determines the ability of individuals to adopt behavioural changes to protect their health. It is influenced by individual, motivational, behavioural, previous experiences and risk communication strategies. In the context of traveller’s medicine, pretravel counselling is an efficient way to increase individuals' risk perception, with a shortfall in approach to various infectious diseases. The use of informative posters and infographic representations allows concise information to be more accessible to the audience, although its effectiveness requires a more detailed evaluation. While enrolled in the Post-Graduation course of Information and Visualization by ISCTE-IUL and Faculty of Fine Arts of the University of Lisbon, an infographic poster was developed with the objective to increase the perception of disease risk in the context of travel, through the representation of the most incident pathologies from destinations most frequented by the Portuguese and description of preventive measures prior to travel. Collaborations between the Public Health, Graphic Design, and Visualization and Information Management areas have potential to increase disease prevention and health promotion by increasing the perception of disease risk in the context of travel.

Modern mobile devices provide several functionalities and new ones are being added at a breakneck pace. Unfortunately browsing the menu and accessing the functions of a mobile phone is not a trivial task for visual impaired users. Low vision people typically rely on screen readers and voice commands. However, depending on the situations, screen readers are not ideal because blind people may need their hearing for safety, and automatic recognition of voice commands is challenging in noisy environments. Novel smart watches technologies provides an interesting opportunity to design new forms of user interaction with mobile phones. We present our first works towards the realization of a system, based on the combination of a mobile phone and a smart watch for gesture control, for assisting low vision people during daily life activities. More specifically we propose a novel approach for gesture recognition which is based on global alignment kernels and is shown to be effective in the challenging scenario of user independent recognition. This method is used to build a gesture-based user interaction module and is embedded into a system targeted to visually impaired which will also integrate several other modules. We present two of them: one for identifying wet floor signs, the other for automatic recognition of predefined logos.