TALKING TACTILE MAP
Simplicity is key to a tactile map’s success. Excessively complex maps are useless as they are impossible to read, ovely simplifed maps are easier to read but the sparse information limits their usefulness. Tactile maps have always suffered from this trade-off between legibility and information quality.
The Talking Tactile Map improves both the clarity and quality of the information.
The Vassall Centre (google)
The Vassall Centre in Bristol has been used as the test site to evaluate the ideas resulting from this study. This centre is a flexible community space and was established to provide a barrier free working environment for voluntary organisations.
The layout of the building is very simple, but there are some serious problems with the present wafinding system. The nature of the building means that tenants are often in flux, and due to there being no receptionist, the strain on the navigating system affects everyone, particularly the visually impaired group.
The shape of the map is an extremely version of the actual space, yet represents it completely. The building’s subtleties are omitted, sacrificed to conserve clarity. The tactile language employed is composed from a minimal vocabulary. Intuition acts as the translator.
Corridors are indicated by channels whereas exits and entrances are indicated by ramps.
The ‘You Are Here’ indicator is described by a large stainless steel ball.
Its distinctive form and feel alerts the user to the fact that they have encountered a special object.
When the map is touched, the person hears a spoken description of the organisation or service that is located at that point. The longer the person leaves their finger there,
the more information they will receive about that place.
This approach allows a visitor to quickly scan through all the services available at the centre.
The device uses a bank of capacitive keys to sense the user’s hand above them.
These switches allow the top surface to remain featureless and improve the clarity of the map.
The map is also connected to a video screen that displays the information as it is spoken.
This device is as useful to people with a hearing impairment as it is to anybody else too. Some valuable user feedback helped to improve the style and depth of the information displayed.
The spoken information is to be provided as a joint effort between the Vassall Centre administration and the individual organisations. This information will be composed in a topdown or Inverted Pyramid style, where the most important information is presented at the beginning,
then each subsequent item of information will be less critical than the previous.
The information is stored online where it can be remotely edited.
An interface has been created to allow an administrator to edit information, move organisations around when they relocate and update ad-hoc notices relating to the centre.
3 prototypes
Talking Tactile Map
RFID Torch
Smart Camera
Helen Hamlyn Centre, 2008
Sponsored by the Audi Design Foundation