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

描述(申请人提供)：我们的目标是为改进和优化盲人可接近的仪器和设备中使用的非视觉、非语音信息显示提供量化基础。这些多模式“听觉/触觉”显示器用于通过听觉提示和物理调整或操作(例如，旋钮、滑块或触摸板)的组合，在大量设备、仪器和旅行辅助设备中提供反馈。与合成语音不同，每当必须实时执行快速调整、搜索、扫描或瞄准任务时，都会使用这些显示器。例如，从可接近的种马搜寻器到对准说话标志(R)接收器的提示，应有尽有。尽管听觉/触觉显示遍布盲人可访问技术领域，但在不同显示方案的速度、准确性或易用性或如何在给定方案内优化性能方面，还没有关于性能的客观数据。设计人员通常根据过去的使用或最容易在硬件中实现的方式，偶然地采用一种显示格式。我们的初步数据表明，这种显示的速度和准确性有很大差异，但不是很明显，这表明需要客观的信息，以显著简化辅助技术以及利用多模式输出和/或通用设计的仪器和用具的使用并提高效率。为了客观地研究这一问题，我们将最常见的视听触觉显示分为阶跃型、尖峰型、低谷型和峰型。无论听觉提示是音高、音量、重复率还是其他变量，这些分类都是有效的。对于这些显示类别中的每一个，我们将调查显示特性(例如，尖峰宽度、斜率等)对性能的依赖，然后比较四种显示类型在每个显示的最大效率点的相对有效性。我们还将把这些一维发现扩展到探索二维触觉条件，在两组实验中，使用径向(只有一个听觉反馈参数)和x-y(两个听觉反馈参数，每个空间分量一个)的最佳听觉显示类别。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视听触觉显示器设计指南，促进为盲人和视障公民提供未来技术无障碍功能的速度和准确性的重大改进。与公共健康相关：这项拟议的研究将比较几种常见的音频显示器，这些显示器通常用于盲人的引导设备和电子仪器。虽然这种音频反馈技术经常被使用，但关于哪种技术是最有效的，人们知之甚少。这项研究的结果可能会通过提高对如何应用音频显示技术的理解，显著改善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.