Accessible Graphical Data Visualizations via Tactile and Auditory Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current digital data visualizations are inaccessible to blind and visually impaired users, particularly in complex formats that rely on spatial relationships, size, color, and other visual characteristics, hindering their participation in STEM education, employment, and navigation.
Innovation Solution
A system with a touch-sensitive display generates structured document code to create graphic visualizations, associating accessibility information with each element, allowing users to navigate and receive verbal feedback through gestures, enabling tactile and auditory interaction with complex data visualizations like scatter plots and geographic maps.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If complex visualizations use spatial relationships, size, color, and other visual characteristics to convey information, then the information conveyance capability is improved, but accessibility for visually impaired users deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary system that includes accessibility information associated with each graphic element and a speech synthesizer. This intermediary translates visual information into tactile and auditory forms, allowing visually impaired users to access complex visualizations without directly perceiving visual characteristics like color and spatial relationships.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces the visual-mechanical system with a multi-sensory system combining tactile feedback through touch-sensitive surfaces and auditory feedback through speech synthesis. This substitution enables access to information previously only available through visual channels.
2Ease of operation
If data is represented in simple table format, then accessibility for visually impaired users is improved, but the ability to convey complex spatial relationships deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the advantages of both table format and complex visualizations by combining structured data representation with tactile and auditory feedback mechanisms. The system maintains the simplicity of tabular data access while enriching it with spatial relationship information conveyed through touch and speech.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent adds new dimensions of interaction beyond traditional visual or tabular formats by incorporating tactile feedback through touch-sensitive surfaces and auditory feedback through speech synthesis. This creates a multi-dimensional access method that preserves data simplicity while adding spatial context.
3Adaptability or versatility
If graphic visualizations are made interactive with navigation gestures, then user engagement and exploration ability are improved, but system complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal interface where touch-sensitive surfaces serve multiple functions: displaying visual information, providing tactile feedback, and enabling navigation gestures. The speech synthesizer also serves multiple purposes by describing both simple and complex graphic elements using the same mechanism, reducing overall system complexity.
4Measurement precision
If accessibility information is associated with each graphic element, then verbal feedback accuracy is improved, but data processing complexity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies preliminary action by pre-generating accessibility information for each graphic element during the visualization creation process. This accessibility information is stored and associated with corresponding elements, allowing the speech synthesizer to retrieve and read descriptions without complex real-time processing during user interaction.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods are provided, at an accessible electronic device having a visual display with a touch-sensitive surface, for displaying on the visual display a graphic visualization having a plurality of graphic elements, and in response to detecting a navigation gesture by a finger on the touch-sensitive surface, selecting one of the plurality of graphic elements and outputting accessibility information associated with the selected graphic element. Systems and methods are also provided for generating computer code for converting a data set into graphic visualization annotated with accessibility information.