Towards Developing Assistive Haptic Feedback for Visually Impaired Internet Users

Haptic technologies are thought to have the potential to help blind individuals overcome the challenges experienced when accessing the Web. This paper proposes a structured participatory-based approach for developing targeted haptic sensations for purposes of web page exploration, and reports preliminary results showing how HTML elements can be represented through the use of force-feedback. Findings are then compared with mappings from previous studies, demonstrating the need for providing tailored haptic sensations for blind Internet users. This research aims to culminate in a framework, encompassing a vocabulary of haptic sensations with accompanying recommendations for designers to reference when developing inclusive web solutions.