1.0 Introduction
The client is Tanvas which is a company that works on designing and developing haptic (“involving tactile sense” [1]) touchscreen technology. They developed this technology using electrostatics to generate controlled resistive forces against the user's fingers and tablets surface [2]. This gives users virtual touch experience, such as clothing material or a rough piece of virtual sandpaper [2]. Furthermore, 60% of people in the world will be using smartphones by 2020 [3]. A smartphone is defined as “a mobile phone able to function like a computer that is typically touch screen” [4]. Based on this information it can be assumed that smartphone users heavily rely on their sight to interact with the mobile devices, which is a disability that VI individuals struggle with. Visual impairment is defined as having a 6/60 or worse vision in the better eye, which is not correctable by standard glasses, contact lenses, medicine, or surgery [5]. In this project we will focus on individuals with vision between 6/60 to 3/60. Furthermore,Visual impairment causes a person’s ability to perform everyday activities, challenging.[5] Hence, Tanvas sees their technology being used to ease VI individuals lives.
2.0 Problem Statement
Tanvas tasked the Engineering Strategies and Practice teams at University of Toronto to utilize their technology to enhance an existing app’s method of communication with VI users. Tanvas has specifically asked us to use their technology on apps relating to, Health and wellness, time, operating system or navigation [6]. Since, navigation is an important part of our life, as a group we chose this topic as the scope of our project.
Current navigation technologies utilized by the VI often update the users with information by auditory communication, however audio cues are not always reliable or effective. Background noises in a loud, urban environment, for example, can prevent one from hearing the device clearly without use of headphones [7]. Headphones, on the other hand, can also be detrimental in a busy and loud environment, as they prevent other sources of sound from reaching the user. Visually impaired people rely heavily on their auditory senses in order to maintain spacial awareness [8].
Therefore, the gap in technology is a navigation app that can use communicate with the users through the sense of touch [9], and doesn’t only rely on visual or auditory feedback.
3.0 Detailed Requirements
The design will focus on improving the Google maps app by converting the navigation route, streetcar and intersection information into a format which can be conveyed through Tanvas’ haptic feedback [6]. Success will be measured through tests and objectives.
3.1 Functions
Through research on how VI users use Google Maps [10],[11],[12],[13], we created a Task Analysis of their actions that can be seen in the Appendix (A). From it, we discovered that the Google Maps app is missing information on the physical environment that may cause danger to the users. This results the chosen functions of the navigation app which shows in table 3.1.
Table 3.1. The primary functions and their respective secondary functions
Primary Functions
Secondary Functions
Indicate current location and destination
Display current location
Calculate current location through satellites
Current location is indicated through haptic touch
Convert directions, intersections and streetcar locations to haptic touch
Generate directions
Locate directions from Google map calculations
Display the directional path
Prevent the user from entering an area inaccessible or blocked
Generate location of street cars and intersections close to the user
Locate street car lines and road crossings in the direction of the user
Display the streetcar lines and the intersections
Directions, streetcar crossings and intersections felt through haptic touch
To indicate areas which the user is not permitted to enter
3.2 Objectives (how well does the app gives info to user)
The general objectives of the navigation app for VI users are the ability to navigate while using the app and better accessibility output compared to Google Maps found through research and consideration of the service environment. The how-why tree in Appendix (B) presents the idea of the generation of sub-objectives such as enough information output for the users from the general objective. The respective metrics, goals and the priority are shown in the Table 3.2.
Table 3.2 The objectives with its respective objective meric, objective goal, and priority.
Objective
Sub-objective
Metric
Objective goal
Priority
Ability to Navigate
Enough information given to the user
Number of prompts of information while walking
At least 1 every time a street is passed
At least 1 to indicate a turn [12]
2
Ability to accomodate errors or specific preferences
Count the number of choices of alternate paths
At least 3 paths [14], [15]
3
Less steps needed during navigation
Count the number of tasks needed while navigating
Less than 2 tasks [12], [16]
4
Accessibility
Able to distinguish street car crossings and intersections
Amount of electrostatic force on the screen [17], [18], [19]
At least the strength indicated by the strength bar at half in the Tanvas demonstration app based on user experience.
1
Multi-lingual
Count the number of language
At least 50 different languages (count from the google maps app)
5
3.3 Constraints
The absolute limits for this navigation app results from Tanvas, the client and laws. Tanvas states the limitation of their tablet in the client statement and during an interview with the CEO of Tanvas, Ed Colgate [6],[20]. The code restricts actions of the app such as disclosure users’ information. The table 3.3 demonstrate the constraint details and their metric
Table 3.3 The constraints with its respective metric and limit.
Section
Constraints
Metric
Tanvas
Must use Tanvas tablet [6]
Must not use digital braille
Using digital braille =0
All haptics must be distinguishable with constant movement of the finger
Frequency of finger movement ≥ 1
Must not use haptics for identifying letters or numbers
Use haptics for identifying letters or numbers = 0
Standards/ codes/ regulation
Must abide the “Freedom of Information and Privacy Act”
[21]
Must follow these sections of the act (shown in Appendix C):
“Personal Privacy s.12(1) FIPPA/s.14(1) MFIPPA”
“Consent s.21(1)(a) FIPPA/ s.14(1)(a) MFIPPA”
Through these acts, the application must not send information of the users to outside organizations without user consent. [22], [23]
4.0 Service environment
The navigation app will operate in the Tanvas tablet when the users travel outdoor. The location where the app will run includes virtual and physical environment. The service environment are presents in Table 3.4 with three sections.
Table 3.4 A description of the service environments where the app will operate in
Section of Service Environment
Environment
Physical
Precipitation
Average precipitation in Toronto daily is 2.19mm. [24],[25],[26],[27]
Noise level
In Toronto, the mean level of noise for day and night was 62.9dBA (A-weighted decibels) in 2016. [28],[29]
Living things
Amount of pedestrians and cars
The app will operate in downtown toronto with average 15,755 vehicles and 1,990 pedestrians crossing one intersections during eight peak hour. [30]
Virtual
GPS Coverage
Google maps satellites covers whole Canada [31]
5.0 Stakeholders
Given the function and service environment of our app, three categories of stakeholders should be taken into account: first, other components on road, mainly sighted pedestrians and vehicle drivers, second, the civil public sector, which includes some government institutions and urban planners, and third, market competitors in the same field.
Table 3.5 Stakeholders and their interest
Stakeholder
Interest
Sighted Pedestrians
The navigation app would provide users with reliable information about their surroundings, which then reduces the risk of getting involved in navigation-related accidents, in return increase their confidence to travel independently. [32]
Government Institutions
Government institutions plan and permit events which have the ability to close roads. The application will require information regarding road closures such that the navigation does not route users through an area which is inaccessible to them.[33]
Vehicle Drivers
Wearing earphones or headphones dramatically increases the risk of traffic accidents, as stated by some studies. The replacement of auditory instructions with haptic messages would then positively affect the vehicle drivers.[34]
Other Navigation App Design Teams
Due to market competition, the emergence of the new navigation app would take away partial market shares of those other design teams. Some individuals working as call center assistants might lose their jobs.[35]
Urban Planners
Provided with the navigational information through an online platform, the visually impaired would travel to a larger area. This requires urban planners to ensure that all accessibility infrastructures are in place in those regions. [36]
7.0 Conclusion
Tanvas desires an improvement on an navigation application for VI users with the use of their haptic technology. We are focusing on converting navigation information to haptic touch with Tanvas’ technology. We will hand in the problem statement document by November 2, 2018. During the next stage, idea generation, we will be coming up with as many solutions as possible that fall within the constraints and perform the functions that we have specified in this document.