SEGD_Design - (Page 55) “Instead of treating those users as a group removed from the wider mainstream, we should treat them as people who have an acute form of something that we all experience—an inability to locate relevant information when we need it.” Toward universal wayfinding While Sweeney’s goal was to improve the experience of the visually impaired user, he also embraced an inclusive design ethos that recognizes there would be little benefit in designing a wayfinding system solely for their use. “Instead of treating those users as a group removed from the wider mainstream, we should treat them as people who have an acute form of something that we all experience—an inability to locate relevant information when we need it.” Digital information has the potential to be accessible to all, Sweeney notes, and the trick is to design interface tools that deliver the information in the ways—and depths—required by different users. And he says this is the single most important insight to emerge from his research. “We are constantly battling to filter out the important information from the superfluous. Inclusive wayfinding could be expressed in more simple terms, as the barrier-free access of relevant information that is delivered intuitively, on demand, and while mobile.” Essentially, Sweeney notes, wayfinding is just another type of information access. “If we can facilitate an efficient retrieval of information, through sight, sound, or other means, we will not only design improved wayfinding systems, but also improve any other system that involves information transfer, such as museums or other learning environments.” Pathfinder is Sweeney’s solution. Pathfinder is an inclusively designed navigation and filtering tool for mobile devices and an online wayfinding community that provides detailed information about locations and services. With a geographic tagging standard in place and the emergence of location-based information sources, Pathfinder is the interface that allows access to information stored on WikiNav and similar sites. With Pathfinder, users can customize the types and depth of information they want to received. Digitally stored information can potentially be communicated in whichever format a user wishes: onscreen, translated into different languages, spoken aloud, or even conveyed as a series of more exotic stimuli. If users choose to hear this information as spoken text, they can speed it up, slow it down, adjust the emotional range of the speech, change the voice of the person speaking it, etc. It will also incorporate information depth control, which will allow the user to adjust the level and type of information to match his or her needs or experience with the space. “It’s inevitable that information technology will eventually pervade every aspect of our human lives,” says Sweeney. “This project emphasizes the importance of applying an inclusive design approach while the foundations of this world are being set. We have a responsibility to ensure that each and every one of us has total access to all that lies ahead.” 52 segdDESIGN Pathfinder is a navigation and filtering tool for mobile devices, a tag product, and an online information community. It allows users to customize the level and types of information they want to receive.
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