Access to touch screens, whether on Kiosks or a home appliance
poses a formidable problem for the blind. Ideally, there should be
an alternative keypad. If this cannot be had, then at least there
must be a locatable area on the screen with tactile borders
outlining the touch sensitive areas.
If a completely separate keypad is provided, then accessing an
Information Kiosk becomes analogous to accessing any other
graphical user interface. Significant progress has been made
toward accessing GUI's on PC's. This experience could be readily
transferrable to kiosks.
The touch screen is but another dimension of the GUI problem, and
it is a catch twenty-two. You can't tell what is on the screen
without touching it, and you can't tell where to touch it without
first knowing what is on the screen.
It seems unlikely that North Communications or any other
manufacturer is likely to voluntarily equip their machines with
additional hardware keypads just for us. For the sake of
discussion, then, let's suppose that the kiosk manufacturer will
agree to designate a row of touch points along the bottom of the
screen, and that a raised line border be used to outline its
location. Suppose also, that raised dots mark the center (hot
point) where the blind person must position his finger to input a
control signal. Never mind about accidentally tripping a touch
switch; de-bounce circuits that require a lingering touch can be
designed to prevent or minimize these events.
I have tried here to describe a touch sensitive control panel that
a blind guy could operate. Some of you could do a better job of
describing the characteristics of a tactile touch panel. Please
do.
How many keys do we need on a separate keypad or on a tactual touch
panel? What should their functions be?
Perhaps a tactile pad could be used to interact with the screen by
converting icons to menu-like items. One key should GO TO START.
Another key should READ CURRENT ICON. One key could SELECT THIS
ITEM.
When the screen is in a MENU mode, then three keys may be all
that's needed. Once the menu selection has been made, the kiosk
will deliver something. It will likely be animated pictures,
stereo sound, bit mapped text with elegant fonts, and (who knows?)
maybe a free sample of a new breakfast cereal. I can't imagine
what this technology will be like in five years, but I am sure that
it will still be expanding in to new areas of consumer services.
The first kiosks will be wonderful to behold for a fleeting moment
and then be replaced with the next generation marvel. Today's
kiosk will soon be as obsolete as my 80286 microprocessor.
Before I can better respond to your request for input on designing
access to Information Kiosks, Mr. Chong, I need to have a better
understanding of the interaction between these machines and sighted
consumers. With the knowledge of what the sighted user sees on the
kiosk screen, and how he makes his choices and receives the
"information," we might then describe how a blind person could
enjoy the same or similar participation.
I regret that I did not see the demonstration video dealing with
information kiosks mentioned in your memorandum. I wonder if we
could get from North Communications some description of their
product that would help us as we grapple with the access problem.
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