smartphone haptic feedback for nonvisual wayfinding
We explore using vibration on a smartphone to provide turn-by-turn walking instructions to people with visual impairments. We present two novel feedback methods called Wand and ScreenEdge and compare them to a third method called Pattern . We built a prototype and conducted a user study where 8 participants walked along a pre-programmed route using the 3 vibration feedback methods and no audio output. Participants interpreted the feedback with an average error rate of just 4 percent. Most preferred the Pattern method, where patterns of vibrations indicate different directions, or the ScreenEdge method, where areas of the screen correspond to directions and touching them may induce vibration.
haptic feedback wayfinding accessibility blind