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.
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