Affiliation:
1. University of California, Santa Cruz, CA (U.S.A); University of Maine, Orono, ME (U.S.A)
Abstract
In this article, we introduce Semantic Interior Mapology (SIM), a web app that allows anyone to quickly trace the floor plan of a building, generating a vectorized representation that can be automatically converted into a tactile map at the desired scale. The design of SIM is informed by a focus group with seven blind participants. Maps generated by SIM at two different scales have been tested by a user study with 10 participants, who were asked to perform a number of tasks designed to ascertain the spatial knowledge acquired through map exploration. These tasks included cross-map pointing and path finding, and determination of turn direction/walker orientation during imagined path traversal. By and large, participants were able to successfully complete the tasks, suggesting that these types of maps could be useful for pre-journey spatial learning.
Funder
National Eye Institute of the National Institutes of Health
National Science Foundation
Publisher
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Subject
Computer Science Applications,Human-Computer Interaction
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