pn1138-hamilton-fletcher.pdf (1.22 MB)
“I always wanted to see the night sky”: blind user preferences for Sensory Substitution Devices
conference contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 00:51 authored by Giles Hamilton-Fletcher, Marianna Obrist, Phil Watten, Michele Mengucci, Jamie WardJamie WardSensory Substitution Devices (SSDs) convert visual information into another sensory channel (e.g. sound) to improve the everyday functioning of blind and visually impaired persons (BVIP). However, the range of possible functions and options for translating vision into sound is largely open-ended. To provide constraints on the design of this technology, we interviewed ten BVIPs who were briefly trained in the use of three novel devices that, collectively, showcase a large range of design permutations. The SSDs include the ‘Depth-vOICe,’ ‘Synaestheatre’ and ‘Creole’ that offer high spatial, temporal, and colour resolutions respectively via a variety of sound outputs (electronic tones, instruments, vocals). The participants identified a range of practical concerns in relation to the devices (e.g. curb detection, recognition, mental effort) but also highlighted experiential aspects. This included both curiosity about the visual world (e.g. understanding shades of colour, the shape of cars, seeing the night sky) and the desire for the substituting sound to be responsive to movement of the device and aesthetically engaging.
Funding
SenseX - Sensory Experiences for Interactive Technologies; G1589; EUROPEAN UNION; H2020-ERC-2014-STG-638605
Seeing the World through Sound: Developing Multi-Sensory Technology for Young Blind People; G1478; UNIVERSITY OF SUSSEX
History
Publication status
- Published
File Version
- Accepted version
Journal
CHI '16 Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing SystemsPublisher
Association for Computing MachineryExternal DOI
Page range
2162-2174Event name
ACM CHI Conference on human factors in computing systems (CHI 2016)Event location
San Jose, CA, USAEvent type
conferenceEvent date
May 7-12, 2016Place of publication
New York, NY, United StatesISBN
9781450333627Department affiliated with
- Informatics Publications
Full text available
- Yes
Peer reviewed?
- Yes