Week 12
The past few days have been incredibly busy and full of making lists of what is left to be done. I've been working on my final deliverables like the app, the promo video, the experience video and creating the boards and other diagrams.Citimap App
This is the stage that the Citimap App got to. I figured out the main functions, the UI and applied some basic branding to it. If I had more time I would work on this a lot more but from what I had, I'm happy enough with it.
There are 2 different modes to the app: the Blind User mode and the Sighted User mode.
The main function of the app for the Blind user is the navigation and being made aware of obstacles through audio navigation.
The main function of the app for the Sighted user is to tag and map obstacles.
There are 2 different modes to the app: the Blind User mode and the Sighted User mode.
The main function of the app for the Blind user is the navigation and being made aware of obstacles through audio navigation.
The main function of the app for the Sighted user is to tag and map obstacles.
Promotion Video
Coming soon...
Experience Video
Also coming soon but I've had issues with my editing programme and am hoping that the video will be done in time for the exhibition opening. Unfortunately it won't make my final presentation and I have to accept it.
Boards
Next stop: final presentation!
Week 11
It's almost presentation day! Next Friday will either make me or break me.. just kidding.. I'll somehow survive.
Since last week I've been trying to finalise what I will be presenting at my presentation as well as the exhibition which will be open to the public.
My deliverables will be:
- A prototyped Citimap app
- A promotional video
- A physical experience video and audio recording
- 2 boards that represent the sighted user and the visually impaired user and how the navigation system works for both
I have been going back and forth between what the physical experience will be.. My initial idea was to blindfold a person and have something guide them around the room, either using an Arduino or else have someone give instructions through a phone call, walkie talkie etc. Then the idea changed to using binaural microphones which record sound with the intent of creating a 3D experience. So I would go out and record the sound of me walking down a street, at the same time I would be recording a video of it too. I will then overlay different sound effects and directions like a visually impaired user would experience using the app. In the exhibition a visitor will be asked to put on a pair of earphones to listen to the sound and watch the video to get a sense of what the visually impaired user would feel when using the app and navigation system.
The promo video is pretty much self explained. It's very much like what we did before in the Peggit project and EEK, a video that goes through a short use case/ story of how Citimap is used, what it does and how it works.
The 2 boards are to explain how each user interacts with the system and how it works and to give a background to the story for the visitors to see.
The prototyped app is to feature in the promo video as well as have on the table for the exhibition. This will be for visitors to click through and would help imagine what it feels like to use it. I've been digitising the app using Sketch and have started creating a clickthrough prototype using Principle (which hasn't been the easiest to use for me for some reason) but it's being created and is slowly coming to life.
Filming was meant to be started today but mother nature AKA the rain decided today wasn't the day to start filming so I am trying to work very hard around that and get other things done like an updated blog post.. I've also been working on the video script and the app prototype.
Week 10
This week is 2 weeks away from the final presentation so it meant that a lot of to-do lists had to be written and things had to start happening.
For the majority of the week I've been working on the app screens of Citimap, using existing apps like Blindsquare and Be My Eyes for inspiration.
I began by drawing out screens with basic functions that they need. The app has 2 different user modes: for the sighted user and the visually impaired user. After that the functions of the 2 modes are similar enough but the layout and actual functionality of the screens are very different. I didn't do much research into app screens for visually impaired, that is not what my project is about, so I researched some existing successful apps and took inspiration from what they have done.
I am Sighted
The most important task of the sighted user is to map obstacles and places of interest. They do this by taking a photo of the object and recording the timeframe they think it will be there for or some details about the event. For each place they map, the user gets points, just as a little incentive. This user is also able to view the map of all the marked objects and browse through the different categories to look for somewhere to go.
I am Blind
The visually impaired user's main function in the app is to navigate and use existing markers to help them with the navigation. They can also map obstacles and places of interest, as well as browse the different categories and select a destination from there. The app is navigated through audio and is narrated.
On Friday everyone presented the development of their concept up to date. For me, it was a crazy 3 weeks of preparing for the Something in the Air exhibition and squeezing in some MP work in the last few days before the Friday presentation. I eventually got everything done and presented a good deck.
I went through the insights driving my project to give a background to why I'm designing what I'm designing.
It can be quite difficult to make people understand that this is.. That you can’t park a car up on the pavement. Environmental changes and obstacles are sometimes difficult to avoid.. It’s not just for the visually impaired, to make sure that the area is safe. Accessibility should be universal.And then I took everyone through what I have been doing up to date (the user testing, researching, decision making) and also the things that I am planning to do next.
For the presentation I did very lo-fi wireframes of the 2 versions of the apps for the visually impaired user and the mapping user and that is one thing I need to keep working on.
The drafts of our design rationales are due in a few days and that will have to take priority. Once that is submitted, these are the things that I will have to work on:
- wireframes of the apps to turn into a clickable prototype for the exhibition
- language of the navigation
- a promo video
- creating the physical experience of using the app at the exhibition
Less that 3 weeks left to go!
Persona
Since yesterday I made up a quick persona, Jane, which might help me focus my design to this specific demographic.It can be quite difficult to make people understand that this is.. That you can’t park a car up on the pavement. Environmental changes and obstacles are sometimes difficult to avoid.. It’s not just for the visually impaired, to make sure that the area is safe. Accessibility should be universal.Jane is a 24 year old who has just been accepted into a local college. She uses the GPS on her phone to help her navigate around. She uses her laptop on a daily basis for college work.
Jane doesn't feel very comfortable being out on her own, especially in new places. She finds it difficult to avoid temporary obstacles like cars parked up too close or up on curbs and she generally doesn't spend a lot of time exploring the city centre. Jane prefers to run her errands and not stick around.
One of Jane's goals is to become more independent and not rely on her parents to come out with her a lot of the time. Jane loves art and being creative and would love to enjoy the local culture and attend galleries and different exhibitions more often. She wants to feel more comfortable navigating around the city on her own.
System Features
There are 2 different users and perhaps 2 different versions of the mapping system. The visually impaired person is one user who uses to app for navigation, being made aware of obstacles and places of interest. They can plan a route using their own destination or they can scroll through mapped points of interest and choose one as a destination.
The second user is the person who is mapping and obstacle or a place of interest. They use the app (which is an app at the moment - it could take a different form after further development and testing) to map out an obstacle and add some details as to what it is, how long its there for etc. The place of interest also requires some detail like what the event is, which is sorted into categories like food, design, art, entertainment etc, a description about it, the opening times and the cost of entry. All the details are relayed back to the visually impaired user to find out a little bit more about the type of event that is going on.
The other part of the system is the actual navigation - the language, the directions, the obstacle detection. It will be important to try out a few different versions of the navigation and user test it in order to get it right. One of the questions that I have right now is whether the obstacle detection consists of a voice telling you there is an obstacle or using sounds or vibrations to make the user aware of the obstacle, e.g. there is an obstacle on your left side so a vibration or sound comes from the left side of the user. I am also not sure how that would be implemented in real life but it is something to consider and keep it mind.
The screens are done at a very low fidelity level at the moment. The next step is to create a lo-fi working prototype and to user test it and get some feedback to be able to develop it further.
Week 9
I decided to start somehow creating or adding audio to a GPS map. I came across Map Maker which is a website that lets users drop pins with audio on a GPS map but was unable to register and use it - I'm not sure if the website is still working. I then came across Sonic Maps and downloaded the app to give it a go. I recorder some audio and began placing it on the map. I decided to focus my attention on the exhibition space and around the exhibition, along the main street. I recorded instructions that tell the user, as they're walking past the gallery that a project is being exhibited at the moment. The user then has the option to ignore the message or to find out more and if they want to know more they are told about what the opening hours of the exhibition are, if it's busy at the moment and how to get inside the gallery.
I user tested this and found out that the accuracy of the map wasn't the best and the markers that I placed on the map were also too big and so 2 different audios overlapped each other and made it difficult for the user to understand.
The next day I mapped out a route on the ground in the courtyard at college using chalk. Instead of recording instructions and placing them on a map I got 2 phones and through a phone call (me on one end and the user on the other end) I instructed them what to do. I tried to sound like a sat nav which might not have been the best way to do it - the users seemed to prefer the more human contact. I placed obstacles throughout the route and would either tell the user using words that there was something in their way or I beep.. beep... beep beep beeped which also told them when they were getting closer to an obstacle.
One of the difficulties was when I told the user to walk 5 metres ahead and nobody knew what 5 metres was so it would be better to relate the distance to something they know. The language that I used might not have always been suitable and by that I mean that I was too much of a sat nav and less of a human navigator. When turning left and right the users said it would help to include the degree that I want them to turn to make it more specific. The instructions were simple and easy enough to follow. Some of the users had already seen the route mapped out so it helped them navigate and so a more difficult terrain would be better to use in the future.
The next steps are to figure out the features of the visually impaired user's app and the features of the mapping app/ website and to draw up some wireframes. A persona might help me focus as well as a scenario of a specific use case.
Week 8
I've been feeling like I'm struggling a little bit recently. I've been putting pressure on myself to design something "brand new", something "never imagined" before which realistically isn't possible. A class chat was well needed so that's what we did yesterday.
My mapping concept is based in the city which is quite a big scale to work in and I knew myself from before that I had to focus on a smaller area to help me develop my idea more and for some reason I struggled to do that. So during our chat the exhibition space was brought up as an area/ space for me to focus my design in and I thought it was a great idea. If I found a way to work with the exhibition space and maybe the local area around it, I could not only showcase my design but it would also be in context.
I really like the idea of using the exhibition space/ area around it as my test bed but I also have different thoughts about it.
I'm not sure whether I should focus on the inside - mapping the space, helping visually impaired to see the space and the objects within it or should I stick with the original mapping idea and focus on bringing people inside these spaces where they can relax and enjoy themselves. I think because there isn't a lot of time left, I should stick with the mapping idea and develop that further. I don't want to make things any harder for myself and I really want my design to be simple and easy to implement and use.
Now back to the drawing board..
My mapping concept is based in the city which is quite a big scale to work in and I knew myself from before that I had to focus on a smaller area to help me develop my idea more and for some reason I struggled to do that. So during our chat the exhibition space was brought up as an area/ space for me to focus my design in and I thought it was a great idea. If I found a way to work with the exhibition space and maybe the local area around it, I could not only showcase my design but it would also be in context.
I really like the idea of using the exhibition space/ area around it as my test bed but I also have different thoughts about it.
I'm not sure whether I should focus on the inside - mapping the space, helping visually impaired to see the space and the objects within it or should I stick with the original mapping idea and focus on bringing people inside these spaces where they can relax and enjoy themselves. I think because there isn't a lot of time left, I should stick with the mapping idea and develop that further. I don't want to make things any harder for myself and I really want my design to be simple and easy to implement and use.
Now back to the drawing board..
This week has been really hectic, mostly because we are preparing for an exhibition of our previous project about air quality, Joining the Data, where we partnered with the EPA and Intel. So our MP's have been put to the side and the Exhibition is taking control. I have tried to squeeze in a little bit of my own MP work because there is still a lot of work to be done.
Meanwhile, I've started creating a service blueprint to start figuring out how the mapping would work. This has made me realise that there might be a few different types of users using this service: the front-end users who map out the obstacles, the users who receive this information and use the data to navigate and also stakeholders and government bodies who might also be mapping out obstacles.
I also had an idea of creating a rating system, something like a scale of 1-5, 1 being not important and 5 being something that requires immediate attention. Along with the scale there'll be different categories under which things will get marked, permanent and temporary for example. Things that require immediate attention might somehow get forwarded to local authorities who can then do something to solve the problem. So to summarise, it would be like a constant loop where things are being detected and then marked and depending on certain things, action will be taken to help solve the issues.
At the moment these are things that are going through my head and it would be best to sit down with a clear head and try figure it all out.
I still have a lot of questions like how things are "marked" and how this relates back to the user and whether this is a product or a full service or if there is another way to map.
Week 7
Since Friday's presentation I've been unpacking the feedback that I got and trying to make sense of everything including what my next steps are.
I've decided to go with the Citimap idea - citizen mapping and relaying the information back to visually impaired users. The way I presented it on Friday was that citizens, businesses and councils are able to map permanent and temporary obstacles around the city on a map that everyone is able to access and view including the users themselves, other citizens, tourists etc. On Friday the mapping was done outside but now I am wondering what it would be like if it was done inside, like a shopping centre or a train station etc. Right now these are the questions that I have.
- Am I designing inside or outside?
- What space am I concentrating on?
- What am I trying to achieve/ map?
- How is this done?
- Who can I team up with?
Because of my timeframe, I want to concentrate my design within a specific space to be able to design it as thoroughly as I can - but the project would be implemented at a city wide scale.
My next steps are getting answers for my questions and narrowing my scope to be able to start designing.
I also have to start working on my design rationale and putting together some content. I've never done a thesis or any big design projects before so this should be interesting.. Deadlines are starting to appear out of nowhere and a lot of work has to be done.
Yesterday everyone presented their 3 concepts. After some problems with printing (which seem to have followed me from my undergrad) I finally had my 3 posters all ready to go.
The 3 concepts that I presented (that I've already mentioned in previous blog posts) were named as Hapticon, Citimap and Interact.
Overall I think my presentation went quite well, although there is still a lot of unpacking to do from the day. I got really positive feedback about my concepts. Which one am I going with? Well... That has yet to be decided. After the class presentations to our tutors we had professionals come in and chat to us about our projects. Someone from companies like Frontend and Each & Other were there to view our progress and offer us some of their own advice. It was fantastic to hear their thoughts on our projects and the fact that they were so positive and seemed genuinely interested was really encouraging to see. I got some more ideas from the people I spoke to which means I have to take some time to digest everything and see where I want to go next.
There are 6 weeks left until our final submissions... Where has the time gone?
The past few days I have been busy, busy, busy. After my tutorial on Tuesday I went straight into thinking out 3 concepts and deciding what those are. After that I went straight into preparing them on A2 sheets for the presentation on Friday.
A little bit about the concepts I went with.
A little bit about the concepts I went with.
HAPTICON
This is a wearable with haptic feedback. It gives the user feedback and guides the user using vibrations. It connects to apps and GPS systems users already use and it knows where the user is going. Hapticon helps the user walk in a straight line, avoids obstacles all around and overhead, it guides the user in the direction they should go in and is almost like a navigating partner. Above are a few sketches of what this wearable could be like.
CITIMAP
This concept is about citizen mapping and encouraging everyone to get involved in documenting different hazards around the city as well as marking in spots that are nice to spend time in for people like those who are visually impaired. Everyday citizens, tourists and different government bodies are able to access the data and Citimap is a tourist map that visitors can use. The data gets relayed back to visually impaired users through apps that they use already and this helps them plan their journey in more detail.
INTERACT
Interact is an interactive map, a public installation and a personal map that users can order and use from home in their own time. The way Interact works is the user inputs the name of the building that he's never been to and wants to visit and the map forms the shape of the inside plan of the building. The user can then get familiar with the plan or the area that he wants to go to so he feels more comfortable going somewhere new on his own. The purpose of Interact is to familiarise yourself with a particular area to get to know it a little bit better.
Week 6
The last few days have been a bit of a struggle for me. I've felt like I have been going around in circles trying to design different somethings to solve the same problem or help the same issue. I had a tutorial with my tutors this morning and from the chat it was also clear that my head is a bit all over the place, not knowing really where to start and how to go about my concepts. I did a bit of research about current devices that are out there that help visually impaired people to navigate and that put a bit of a downer on my concepts. I realise that it probably won't be possible to invent something new, but rather add on to something existing.
After my tutorial I walked away with 3 different routes in my mind. So rather than trying to design for the same problem, I am trying to design 3 different solutions/ routes to take. These are the 3 different routes that I have thought of:
- a wearable with haptic feedback
- citizen mapping & citizen contribution
- a map that visually impaired can use
Right now I am identifying what each concept is and what it does or might do and then once that is done I will have to start working on my presentation for Friday.
A little update on my use of scenarios to design for specific situations. I noticed that because my scenarios go through a full journey of a person planning their trip, using some mode of transport or GPS and then having to find the location by foot, it opens me up to designing different interactions like waiting on a bus or knowing which bus is the right one, which stop to get off, while my initial research was mostly based on finding ways to detect obstacles and/ or to avoid obstacles. By going back to the scenarios I've found that my head has been back and forth between several completely different ideas and journeys and it's been making it really hard for me to be able to concentrate and start developing just one (never mind 3 for next Friday). So I think the solution to this is to create a new scenario which is specific to what I want to design for.
I attempted to simplify things for myself in order to clear up my head and started to create a new board where I can put up some clear ideas, to keep them all together, and to have some principles and guidelines for whatever it is I will design. One of the questions that I have is am I designing a product that sees things or is this at a much bigger city scale and is the eyes for my users? Am I detecting obstacles and avoiding them or looking for things and knowing what they are?
After spending a few hours trying to come up with some ideas and researching things already out there, it felt like I was getting nowhere. Everyone who was in studio that day decided to do a quick brainstorming session for everyones projects. It felt like everyone started to hit a wall for some reason.
There was 6 of us in so we got 5 minutes for each project and posted up any ideas that we had. This just gave us something different to do, rested our minds and allowed us to help each other and get ideas from other people. Half an hour later and we had this.
For now I am going back to the drawing board and sketching out all the ideas that I have to put them down on paper and maybe start developing some. I've seemed to hit a wall or else its the activities that I'm doing that aren't suitable to my project that aren't helping me get too far at them moment. Either way, I'm hoping to come across something that will be my eureka moment..
I attempted to simplify things for myself in order to clear up my head and started to create a new board where I can put up some clear ideas, to keep them all together, and to have some principles and guidelines for whatever it is I will design. One of the questions that I have is am I designing a product that sees things or is this at a much bigger city scale and is the eyes for my users? Am I detecting obstacles and avoiding them or looking for things and knowing what they are?
After spending a few hours trying to come up with some ideas and researching things already out there, it felt like I was getting nowhere. Everyone who was in studio that day decided to do a quick brainstorming session for everyones projects. It felt like everyone started to hit a wall for some reason.
There was 6 of us in so we got 5 minutes for each project and posted up any ideas that we had. This just gave us something different to do, rested our minds and allowed us to help each other and get ideas from other people. Half an hour later and we had this.
My own project received some funny futuristic ideas as well as things that I've already been thinking about and things that are simple and yet effective. One of my problems is that sometimes I think too hard about what I can design when the answer might be much more simple and is staring right at me. I try to open too many doors for myself and don't know which way to go so it might be best to make everything simpler for myself.
Yesterday I created 3 scenarios to design for really briefly. As I've mentioned before, one is of an everyday journey, the second is something that the user does a few times a month and the third is a brand new experience. Today I've been working on trying to think outside the box and imagine different ways the user might make each other these journeys. I've gone from sketching different ideas based in the city and in a quiet neighbourhood in the suburbs to setting a countdown timer for 5 minutes and writing down the craziest ideas I can think of. Some of these are about citizens being surveyed in a future city 24/7 and machines knowing everything about you and people looking crazy by talking to thin air and getting responses.. There have been moving pavements that create a path for you and objects that citizens can move around daily to mark and represent different things.
As of now I am feeling a little bit lost as to what my design could be, never mind the 3 designs that I have to come up with for next week.. Wish me luck.
Week 5
This week is the beginning of concepts and ideas taking shape. For next Friday we should have about 3 concepts and some sort of prototypes or physical representations of them.
From all of the insights I have had different ideas drifting through my head but I have found it difficult to capture things and to organise my thoughts because there are so many different directions that I can go and it's been a little difficult to focus on one or another. So right now my plan is to try somehow organise my head and make sense of everything I've gathered up to now.
From last Friday's presentation, I was able to identify different strands and possibilities for a design. I then took the navigation strand and divided that into: orientation - knowing whether I'm walking the right or the wrong way, indoor navigation - this is something that is being looked into but I have yet to find something solid and somewhat working in this area and it is something that will greatly help visually impaired people especially when visiting a new building they've never been in before, and last but not least, obstacles - things that you want to avoid like bins on collection day, bumping into parked cars etc, and things that you need to find like the "stop" button in a bus, pedestrian crossing light, the doorway of a building you're trying to get into.
I did a quick 5 minute brainstorming around each of the strands yesterday to get the ideas started. From the quick idea generation I realised that I found it hard to think of ideas for some strands like indoor navigation, maybe because I don't have that much experience in it or know a lot about it. I also realised that obstacles might be something that I am interested in designing for. At the same time, the 3 strands definitely overlap each other and are related to each other so it is possible that whatever I end up coming up with it might be linked to all 3.
From my chat with the tutors I was advised to start creating scenarios and they might help me visualise things and have something more specific to design for and also help in getting my thoughts together.
I decided to do out 3 different scenarios that involve 3 different journeys.
- Something that is part of an everyday routine that is done a few times a week close to home.
- Something that is done a few times a month, like going into Dublin City Centre.
- A brand new experience visiting a place you've never been to before, something that you're not familiar with.
Next task is to work on these scenarios and hopefully come up with different ideas for each one. I don't know if this way of working will necessarily help me right now but I'll try it out and let you know how I get on.
On Friday everyone got a chance to present what they have done in their research, what insights they have gained, what ideas are starting to develop from all the insights and what they think their next steps are. It was really great to see what work everyone has done up to now, the different research methods that people have done like sending out cultural probes, shadowing various professionals and creating hashtags to see how curious people would be to find out more. There was also something nice about seeing people being honest about where they are now, that they are not sure this is the right way to go and wondering whether they should pivot towards a different angle. It shows that through research you will find some things that you are looking for and sometimes you'll come across something unexpected and realise that maybe your initial study wasn't what you thought it might be.
For my project, I got really positive feedback about the things that I've done up to now. For myself, I thought maybe next time I should try doing a digital presentation instead of having stuff up on the wall. About 3 people did digital presentations and I found them very neat, simple and clear. I've gotten very good insights from all my research so far and have ideas forming around things like navigation - which has a lot of different strands within including indoor navigation and avoiding obstacles, redesigning the cane and ATM's for the visually impaired.
My next steps are ideating around the different ideas that I currently have, doing more in depth research into those specific areas and coming up with solid ideas that I might begin to prototype and start user testing.
Today myself and one of my classmates went out to a centre for the visually impaired to host a focus group. He came with me because he was hoping to get some insights for his own project from the focus group and it was an extra help for me.
When we arrived the tables were set up in 3 groups so it worked out perfectly for us, as we intended to have 3 groups discussing 3 different topics.
There was also 2 other guys there who were doing research for their own design project who happened to come to the same focus group as us and they ended up taking the 'technology' group for us. I took the 'navigating' group as that is where my research seems to be leading me right now and Paget took the 'communication' group which was also suitable for his own research.
We stayed there for about an hour and a half which was a lot longer than we intended to, so I think thats a sign that it was successful. I was a bit nervous and wasn't sure what to expect when I got there but everyone there was very willing to talk and share their ideas and opinions which was of a massive benefit to me and my project.
What I got from my group was reinforcement for previous insights or ideas that I have had, as well as plenty of new things that I learned from everyone in my group. I asked my group how they got to the centre, what they usually use to navigate around and whether they use any devices to help them to navigate. They told me the problems they have when navigating, losing their white cane's for example, or using a GPS system that is only aware of the permanent buildings and can't tell you where the nearest pedestrian crossing is, or where the doorway to the hardware store is and where you can find the 'stop' button in a bus. These are struggles that they face every time they make a trip outside their home and therefore might make it difficult for some to get away from the comfort of their home in the first place, which discourages an active lifestyle.
Being aware of obstacles that are constantly changing like bins being out on collection day or a car parked up on the curb, bushes and beaches sticking out of the walls, was another issue that kept being mentioned in all 3 groups. These are temporary environmental changes but they're constantly changing and there's always something new on the side walk that wasn't there the day before. This isn't a struggle for someone who is sighted and can avoid obstacles by simply stepping around them. For the those people who have lost or are losing their eyesight, it is a massive discomfort and perhaps something that affects their confidence when they're out because they're walking into these things and don't have anything to let them know there is something in front of them.
Using ATM's is also a difficulty for visually impaired people as I discovered from the focus group today. The ATM's software and interfaces are constantly being changed and updated, probably for security reasons, and it's difficult for the blind to be able to navigate their way through it. They might memorise the process and be able to do it by themselves a few times but once the system gets updated they have to go out of their way to find someone around them who they are able to trust to take the money out for them and this isn't easy to do.
From all these insights I'm starting to develop some ideas and the shape that my project could take. Right now I feel slightly overwhelmed by the amount of directions I can take and the different things that I can design that can be low-tech or very high-tech so I think it is just a matter of time and sitting down and thinking about what I really want to do and which way I want my project to go.
Today I spent the day preparing for my visit to a focus group for the visually impaired. By preparing I mean making a list of all the recording equipment I need to bring with me, creating consent forms for participants, stocking up some sweets to take with me and most important of all, thinking about what I will do once I actually get there.
I've been wondering how to best use the time that I have there and how to get the most for my own research. I've been coming up with questions and answers that I would like to get answers for. Questions around navigation and how do they navigate and what are the things that make them feel comfortable and assured when navigating, as well as other topics.
I have come up with 3 topics for discussion:
- navigation
- technology
- communication
And I have also prepared some questions to go along with the topics. I am hoping to divide the group up into smaller groups and get each group to brainstorm around one topic and then present back to everyone else.
Not having led a focus group or any kind of group (apart from a student-led presentation myself and a fellow classmate did for the rest of the class) I am not sure what to expect from tomorrow, what plans the other coordinators might have for the group and how it will go in general.
I am hoping some of my preparation pays off and I can successfully create a fun, comfortable and safe environment where we can all learn from each other and have a good time.
The whole idea of going out and wearing dark glasses that I could barely see through is to allow myself to imagine what it feels like to be visually impaired. This helps me feel the emotions others might feel and allows me to experience it myself in order to understand it better.
I actually went out twice, once with my eyes shut and sunglasses on (I decided against wearing a hairband over my eyes because it would draw attention to the fact that I can't see - I wanted to see other peoples reactions when I was more discreet) and the second time with the special glasses.
The first time I was out it was pitch black for me and I couldn't see a thing. It was difficult to navigate and orient myself and I used the wall to lead my way down the staircase while Louise supervised me. I don't think anyone paid that much attention to me apart from the fact that I was walking really slowly and touching the wall as I walked. I ended up walking down 2 flights of stairs and out the door, into the court yard and attempted to go to the luncheonette without success, before I decided to go back and try on the glasses. Walking around with my eyes shut was extremely difficult. I was in a familiar surrounding and I still couldn't take a few steps across the court yard to find the building across - I ended up walking in circles when in fact I was certain I was walking in a straight line.
The second time I went out wearing a pair of glasses that represented retinitis pigmentosa. They had little tiny holes that allowed a small beam of light in. All I was able to see was light and shapes. You would think that judging by how badly I was able to navigate myself, or lack of navigation from my previous journey that these glasses would be better because they had small holes. And they were in some cases. But mostly they were just as bad if not worse. They made me feel frustrated. I could see some shapes and figures but it was extremely uncomfortable being so close to seeing and yet so far away at the same time. This time I went out of the studio and down to the canteen with friends who were purchasing food.
Overall the whole experience was quite frightening to someone who has always used their vision. The glasses let through a little beam of light so I was able to see light and shapes. It was worse in darker places like in the corridor and under the shadow of a tree and in the dark canteen. It was also bad when the sun was out and it was very bright outside, there was too much light shining on me.
Walking without a cane felt like a disadvantage, I felt like if I had one it would help me figure out the ground surface so I would know where I was walking (I was in a familiar place so it would be completely different going somewhere new), the can would also let me know if there were any obstacles in my way. I couldn't tell if there were otherwise. I walked into benches and into bins, things below my hands that I couldn't reach to feel and things at my waist level that I wasn't expecting. I figured out that by reaching out and trying to use the walls around me as a guide works really well. They are permanent fixtures. But when I was outside, there was nothing to guide me the right way and so I was completely lost, making circles and walking in the opposite direction.
I didn't have a good sense of orientation at all, even though I consider myself to be good at navigating usually, but that is also because I can see and remember my surroundings and this time I wasn't able to do that. I couldn't get from A to B without guidance, I wasn't able to walk in a straight line without my sight and it is harder than it looks or seems like.
Other people around me didn't seem to react to me as much, possibly because I didn't have a white cane or maybe because they knew I was a student probably researching something.
While I was down in the canteen, something that happened. I sat down waiting for my friends to order their lunch. While I was sitting I remembered that I needed a fork so I looked around the counter to see where the plastic forks were. I looked around because I wanted to figure out where they were first instead of getting up and loosing my sense of direction. I also understand that being fully blind, this wouldn't be possible. Once I found them I got up and took one. Later when we left the canteen, one of my friends asked me if I got a fork while he was paying for his food and I said I did. He said he asked me that because he noticed the lady behind the counter seemed to be concentrating on someone behind him while he was paying, and she didn't seem very happy with me taking the fork. She looked like she wanted to say something to me but didn't and I am presuming that was because she thought I was blind, wearing the glasses.
That was a very interesting insight that I got from my journey of wearing the glasses. She treated me differently because I may have been blind as opposed to giving out to me or not letting me take the fork because I didn't purchase anything.
Do visually impaired people get different treatment by people they are surrounded with? From my experience of it today I could say that they might be treated differently, whether that is a good or a bad thing, I don't know.
The empathy research was a really interesting thing for me to do in order to try to feel what visually impaired people feel like in that situation. It really depends on where they are in their journey and on the individual person and everyone else has to be mindful of that too.