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A Prototype Audio-Tactile Map System with an Advanced Auditory Display

A Prototype Audio-Tactile Map System with an Advanced Auditory Display

Liam O'Sullivan, Lorenzo Picinali, Andrea Gerino, Douglas Cawthorne
Copyright: © 2015 |Volume: 7 |Issue: 4 |Pages: 23
ISSN: 1942-390X|EISSN: 1942-3918|EISBN13: 9781466677487|DOI: 10.4018/IJMHCI.2015100104
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MLA

O'Sullivan, Liam, et al. "A Prototype Audio-Tactile Map System with an Advanced Auditory Display." IJMHCI vol.7, no.4 2015: pp.53-75. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJMHCI.2015100104

APA

O'Sullivan, L., Picinali, L., Gerino, A., & Cawthorne, D. (2015). A Prototype Audio-Tactile Map System with an Advanced Auditory Display. International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction (IJMHCI), 7(4), 53-75. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJMHCI.2015100104

Chicago

O'Sullivan, Liam, et al. "A Prototype Audio-Tactile Map System with an Advanced Auditory Display," International Journal of Mobile Human Computer Interaction (IJMHCI) 7, no.4: 53-75. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJMHCI.2015100104

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Abstract

Tactile surfaces can display information in a variety of applications for all users, but can be of particular benefit to blind and visually impaired individuals. One example is the use of paper-based tactile maps as navigational aids for interior and exterior spaces; visually impaired individuals may use these to practice and learn a route prior to journeying. The addition of an interactive auditory display can enhance such interfaces by providing additional information. This article presents a prototype system which tracks the actions of a user's hands over a tactile surface and responds with sonic feedback. The initial application is an Audio-Tactile Map (ATM); the auditory display provides verbalised information as well as environmental sounds useful for navigation. Two versions of the interface are presented; a desktop version intended as a large-format information point and a mobile version which uses a tablet computer overlain with tactile paper. Details of these implementations are provided, including observations drawn from the participation of a partially-sighted individual in the design process. A usability test with five visually impaired subjects also gives a favourable assessment of the mobile version.

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