SEGD_Design - (Page 52) ew technologies such as RFID tags, Quick Response codes, and Wi-fi routers are dramatically altering wayfinding solutions for the sighted, but digital wayfinding tools for the visually impaired have been slower to develop. David Sweeney, a research associate with London’s Royal College of Art, is changing all that. Working in the RCA’s Helen Hamlyn Center for people-centered design, Sweeney—an electronics engineer who earned his master’s degree in industrial design from RCA—set out to research how new digital technologies could be used to create wayfinding solutions for the visually impaired. He developed prototypes for three navigation systems that have captured the attention of institutions such as the Victoria & Albert Museum, which has asked Sweeney to pilot them at the V&A. “The work David is doing is very much in line with our commitment to inclusive design and providing information that is accessible to all,” says Karen Livingstone, the V&A’s head of projects. “We’re very interested in the idea of visitors being able to use their mobile or Blackberry technology to access our exhibitions—and eventually do away with the need for paper.” “Near-future” solutions N allows the visitor to quickly scan through all the building’s functions and services. At the Vassall Centre, the map is connected to a video screen that displays the information as it’s spoken, providing aid to hearingimpaired as well as vision-impaired individuals. User feedback from the testing helped improve the style and depth of the information provided, says Sweeney. The information is stored online, where it can be edited remotely by center staff. Most wayfinding solutions are geared to the needs of people with good eyesight, says Sweeney. “Where systems have been designed for low-vision users, they’re generally limited to audio loops that can be expensive to install or Braille, which only a small percentage of people can read.” But the rapid development of wireless technology and the high uptake of personal electronic devices provide new options for the visually impaired. Sweeney has explored how these technologies could be harnessed to enable new forms of navigation that rely less on sight and more on the other senses. Sweeney’s devices use what he calls “near-future” technologies, those that are or soon will be accessible to most people. Using the devices, users access wayfinding information that can be stored on the Internet to provide “blow-by-blow” directions in real time as the user walks through a space. “People can also post their own directions or comments on a particular space and aid other users,” says Sweeney. “And recipients can adjust the amount of information they want to hear.” A key objective in Sweeney’s research was to develop concepts that would facilitate the four essential components of wayfinding: orientation, route decision, route monitoring, and destination recognition. Sweeney tested the devices at the Vassall Centre, a flexible community building in Bristol, England, designed to provide a barrierfree working environment for voluntary organizations oriented to the disabled. (The research was funded by the Audi Design Foundation based on the Vassall Centre’s request for wayfinding solutions for its visually impaired users.) Talking Tactile Map A Google Maps image shows how the Talking Tactile Map replicates the building’s footprint. The Talking Tactile Map combines a physical object with voice information to describe a building using hearing and touch. The shape of the map is a simplified version of the footprint of the actual space. Corridors are indicated by channels, while exits and entrances are indicated by ramps. A large stainless steel ball serves as the “you are here” indicator. When a user touches the map, he or she hears a spoken description of the function located at that point. The longer the person’s finger stays on the spot, the more information they receive. This approach David Sweeney’s Talking Tactile Map is a simplified version of the building footprint, with channels indicating corridors and ramps indicating exits and entrances. A stainless steel ball serves as the “you are here” indicator. segdDESIGN 49
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