A review of principles in design and usability testing of tactile technology for individuals with visual impairments

Abstract

To lay the groundwork for devising, improving, and implementing new technologies to meet the needs of individuals with visual impairments, a systematic literature review was conducted to: a) describe hardware platforms used in assistive devices, b) identify their various applications, and c) summarize practices in user testing conducted with these devices. A search in relevant EBSCO databases for articles published between 1980 and 2014 with terminology related to visual impairment, technology, and tactile sensory adaptation yielded 62 articles that met the inclusion criteria for final review. It was found that while earlier hardware development focused on pin matrices, the emphasis then shifted toward force feedback haptics and accessible touch screens. The inclusion of interactive and multimodal features has become increasingly prevalent. The quantity and consistency of research on navigation, education, and computer accessibility suggest that these are pertinent areas of need for the visually impaired community. Methodologies for usability testing ranged from case studies to larger cross-sectional studies. Many studies used blindfolded sighted users to draw conclusions about design principles and usability. Altogether, the findings presented in this review provide insight on effective design strategies and user testing methodologies for future research on assistive technology for individuals with visual impairments.

An ARCore Based User Centric Assistive Navigation System for Visually Impaired People

“…However, the human brain has its own understanding for positioning, direction, and velocity [19,20], which is not robot-styled. Some recent works proposed using haptic interfaces in obstacle avoidance [1,3,6,10,13,[21][22][23]. However, due to the restriction of turn-by-turn path planning, the haptic interaction is unlikely to be used in a continuous path-following interface in assistive systems.…”

“…Over 90% of the information transmitted to the brain is visual, and the brain processes images tens of thousands of times faster than texts. This explains why human beings are called visual creatures; when traveling, visually impaired people have to face difficulties imposed by their visual impairment [1].…”

Vocabulary instruction for an English language learner with visual impairment: A multiple-components intervention including tactile representations

“…Tactile tools have become increasingly researched and used for teaching academic content to students with VI. Tactile methods can include devices such as pin-matrices, touch screens with vibration, pressurized touch devices, and even tactile virtual–reality environments (Horton et al, 2017). In a study by Sahin and Yorek (2009), educators who taught science to students with VI mentioned using objects such as “stuffed animal figures, rocks, embossed maps, etc.” (p. 23), as well as strategies such as collaborative learning, texts in Braille, and adapted media materials.…”

Computational Chemistry in the Undergraduate Classroom – Pedagogical Considerations and Teaching Challenges

“…In this respect it is interesting to note the growing effort in developing technological tools such as tactile graphics, audio based tools and even tiny candies shaped as protein models to help blind and visually inspired students understand three dimensional molecular structure. [33][34][35][36][37] Grushow and Reeves [9] claimed that the goal of including CC in undergraduate programs should be that every lab manual, starting from general chemistry, will include a computational experiment. According to their view, integrating CC in laboratory courses does not necessarily require students to fully understand the theoretical details behind each computation, much like the way other laboratory equipment is used without the full understanding of its working principles (e. g., one can successfully use a laser spectrometer without the full understanding of the principle of population inversion).…”