Optimizing Multi-Modal Displays for Blind and Visually-Impaired Technology Users

描述（由申请人提供）：我们的目的是为改进和优化盲人无障碍仪器和设备中使用的非视觉、非语音信息显示提供定量基础。这些多模态“听觉/触觉”显示器用于经由听觉提示和物理调整或操纵（例如，旋钮、滑块或触摸板）。与合成语音不同，这些显示往往用于必须在真实的时间内执行快速调整、搜索、扫描或瞄准任务的任何时候。例子包括一切从可访问的螺柱发现者的目标线索说话的迹象（R）接收器。虽然听觉/触觉显示器遍及盲人可访问技术领域，但是在不同显示方案的速度、准确性或易用性方面的性能或如何在给定方案内优化性能方面不存在客观数据。设计师通常会根据过去的使用情况或在硬件中最容易实现的方式偶然采用一种显示格式。我们的初步数据表明，这种显示的速度和准确性显着不同，在一个不明显的方式，表明需要客观的信息，可以显着简化使用和提高效率的辅助技术和仪器和器具，利用多模式输出和/或通用设计。为了客观地研究这个问题，我们将最常见的听觉触觉显示分为阶跃、尖峰、波谷和波峰类型。这些分类保持听觉线索是否是音高，音量，重复率或其他变量。对于这些显示类别中的每一个，我们将研究性能对显示特性的依赖性（例如，尖峰宽度、斜率等），然后比较四种显示器类型在每个显示器的最大有效性点处的相对有效性。我们还将扩展这些一维发现以探索二维触觉条件，在两组实验中使用径向（仅具有一个听觉反馈参数）和x-y（具有两个听觉反馈参数，每个空间分量一个）的性能最佳的听觉显示类。研究结果将使我们能够为研究人员和行业发布和传播具体的音频触觉显示器设计指南，促进盲人和视障公民未来技术无障碍功能的速度和准确性的重大改进。公共卫生相关性：拟议的研究将比较几种类型的音频显示器常用的引导设备和电子仪器的盲人。虽然经常使用这种音频反馈技术，但关于哪些技术最有效却知之甚少。通过更好地了解如何应用音频显示技术，这项研究的结果可能会显着改进盲人和视障人士使用的旅行设备和其他工具。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Our aim is to provide a quantitative basis for improving and optimizing the non-visual, non-speech information displays used in blind-accessible instruments and devices. These multi-modal "auditory/haptic" displays are used to provide feedback in a huge array of devices, instruments and travel aids via a combination of auditory cues and physical adjustment or manipulation (e.g., a knob, slider, or touch pad). Unlike synthetic speech, these displays tend to be used whenever a rapid adjustment, searching, scanning or aiming task has to be performed in real time. Examples include everything from accessible stud finders to the aiming cues for Talking Signs(R) receivers. Although auditory/haptic displays pervade the field of blind-accessible technology, no objective data exist on performance in terms of speed, accuracy or ease of use of the different display schemes or how to optimize performance within a given scheme. Designers usually adopt a display format by happenstance, based on past use or what is easiest to implement in their hardware. Our preliminary data demonstrates that speed and accuracy of such displays differ significantly, in a non-obvious way, demonstrating the need for objective information that could significantly ease the use and increase the efficiency of assistive technology and of instruments and appliances that utilize multi-modal outputs and/or universal design. To study the problem objectively, we categorize the most common audio-haptic displays as step, spike, trough and peak types. These classifications hold whether the auditory cue is pitch, volume, repetition rate or some other variable. For each of these display classes, we will investigate the dependence of performance on display characteristic (e.g., spike width, slope, etc.), then compare the relative effectiveness of the four display types at each display's point of maximum effectiveness. We will also extend these one- dimensional findings to explore two-dimensional haptic conditions, in two sets of experiments using the best-performing auditory display classes for both radial (with only one auditory feedback parameter) and x-y (with two auditory feedback parameters, one for each spatial component). The results will enable us to publish and disseminate concrete audio-haptic display design guidelines for researchers and industry, facilitating major improvements in speed and accuracy of future technology accessibility features for blind and visually impaired citizens. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The proposed research will compare several types of audio displays commonly used in guidance devices and electronic instruments for the blind. Although such audio feedback techniques are often used, little is known regarding which ones are most effective. The results of this research are likely to yield significantly-improved travel devices and other tools used by blind and visually-impaired people through an improved understanding of how to apply audio display techniques.