The Find Project: Introducing an Opportunity for Independence to the Visually Impaired

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dc.contributor.advisorDavis, Jeffrey G.
dc.contributor.authorLazo, Paul Richard
dc.contributor.committeeMemberMeek, William E.
dc.contributor.committeeMemberTamir, Dan
dc.date.accessioned2014-12-08T16:47:13Z
dc.date.available2014-12-08T16:47:13Z
dc.date.issued2014-12
dc.description.abstractThe number of visually impaired (VI) people is expected to increase to unprecedented proportions in the near future due to an aging population and diabetes, the nation’s leading cause of blindness. An alternative to braille and embossed signage is needed as a VI person’s means of way-finding and indoor navigation. These traditional means of indoor navigation, in conjunction with current mobile assistive technology such as canes or guide dogs, do not provide all of the information a VI person could receive with current technology existing in industries, outside of mobile assistive technology (MAT) for VI people. This research examines the configuration of existing hardware and software technologies including a mobile application for VI people which interacts with a user’s physical environment to facilitate a more effective, independent, indoor navigation experience. The traditional experience of a VI person using braille or embossed signage for indoor navigation is replaced by The Find Project’s interactive technologies which guide a user through a physical space with visual and audible commands from a smartphone mobile device or Bluetooth® headset. Usability testing revealed the prototype’s effectiveness at assisting a VI person to independently navigate a physical space by lowering the number of errors the user committed moving through an unfamiliar space.
dc.description.departmentArt and Design
dc.formatText
dc.format.extent106 pages
dc.format.medium1 file (.pdf)
dc.identifier.citationLazo, P. R. (2014). <i>The find project: Introducing an opportunity for independence to the visually impaired</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10877/5372
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectMobile device
dc.subjectAssistive technology
dc.subjectBlind
dc.subjectLow vision
dc.subjectVision impairment
dc.subjectNavigation
dc.subjectIndoor
dc.subjectAccessibility
dc.subjectSignage
dc.subjectWay-finding
dc.subjectMobile application
dc.subject.lcshPeople with visual disabilities--Orientation and mobility--Technological innovationsen_US
dc.subject.lcshPeople with visual disabilities--Means of communication--Technological innovationsen_US
dc.subject.lcshBlind, Apparatus for the--Technological innovationsen_US
dc.subject.lcshCommunication devices for people with disabilities--Technological innovationsen_US
dc.subject.lcshAssistive computer technologyen_US
dc.titleThe Find Project: Introducing an Opportunity for Independence to the Visually Impaired
dc.typeThesis
thesis.degree.departmentArt and Design
thesis.degree.disciplineCommunication Design
thesis.degree.grantorTexas State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Fine Arts

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