IC2D: Integrated Communication 2 Draw

A drawing program for the visually impaired

A screenshot of the side view of a car done by a visually impaired participant in an IC2D pilot study [Enlarge this picture]

In a world where computer use has become a necessity for almost everyone, there exists a problem for visually impaired individuals. Technology has made it possible for the blind to function, be more productive, and be independent. Yet, these blind individuals do not have the ease sighted individuals do in negotiating computer programs which have graphical user interfaces (GUI).

Since drawing software typically has a purely graphical user interface, blind users have had only limited success in using this software. This is due to the difficulty which users have with data input (e.g., using a mouse) and the inability of traditional drawing software to translate graphical data output in a way that screen access programs can interpret.

The purpose of this research project is to address the problem of computer aided drawing for the visually impaired. The major problem with drawing arises when visually impaired persons attempt to "find" their way back using the cursor to a previously selected point on the screen. This problem is as challenging as having a sighted person use a computer to draw with the monitor turned off. One of our main goals is to allow a blind person to select a desired point on the screen, move the cursor to perform another task at a new location, and later relocate the cursor back to the original point. Approximate relocation of the point is often inadequate.

We are designing the Integrated Communication 2 Draw (IC2D) system, a user interface that will enable navigation and drawing on the screen using voice synthesis and musical sounds as feedback.

Through the IC2D user interface, which partitions the screen into nine equal squares, the user may select an arbitrary set of points and later return to any one of those selected points. Navigation and fine point selection are done via a new recursive scheme based on the layout of the telephone keypad.

Some questions we are considering include:

• Is this interface a visually demanding UI, where users get over loaded when they have to visualize what they're drawing?
• How much this familiar model will improve usability in the graphics world?

As much as sighted users have a mobility advantage, they are able to travel away from their computer and be able to use their preferred drawing software on commonly available machines. We seek to give blind users this same ability.

The ultimate goal of the Integrated Communication 2 Draw (IC2D) design is to allow visually impaired users to access a computer for drawing without relying on external devices. Although some of those devices may provide useful feedback, they generally are not portable and therefore restrict the mobility of the user.

As seen in the figure, an early pilot study shows that blind computer users were able to successfully draw using the IC2D UI with speech sound as feedback.

Publications

Videos

Windows Media

• Streaming: 300 Kbps - 320×240
• Downloadable: 720×480 (15.3 MB)

Presentations

ASSETS 2002

• Constructing Images Eyes Free: A Grid-based Dynamic Drawing Tool for the Blind
  PowerPoint

CHI 2001

• The Use of Labeling to Communicate Detailed Graphics in a Non-visual Environment
  PowerPoint

ASSETS 2000

• A Study of Blind Drawing Practice: Creating Graphical Information Without the Visual Channel
  PowerPoint

CHI 99

• IC2D: A Drawing Program for the Visually Impaired
  HTML | PowerPoint

Contact Information