The Moon Alphabet

The complexities of a complete alphabet or comprehensive symbol language seem to work against purpose. The typical decline in many cognitive domains in the aging process create an unintended problem. Declines in tactics perception, cognitive processing, and reduced working memory can leave the vulnerable vision impaired without this means of communication (Prescott et al., 2015).

Haptics are applied to packaging in several ways. On folding cartons, applying them can be as simple as a male and female embossing die applied during the die cutting process. On flexible packaging, designers can aid raised symbols through inkjet technology and varnishes. It would need added dry time and would need to run at a slower speed to maintain their integrity. Proctor and Gamble has found success by using a laser to etch haptic designs into its Herbal Essence packaging.

Proctor and Gamble identified that many of their consumers’ vision impairments were exacerbated by the fact that they couldn’t wear their glasses or contacts in the shower where their product is used. Proctor and Gamble utilized a laser in the packaging line to etch markers onto the packaging. They differentiated products by etching a row of raised lines on the back of their shampoo bottles and two rows of raised dots in the same location on their conditioner bottles. They did this without weakening the product or negatively impacting their production lines (Reynolds, n.d.).

Moving past physical contact there are other technologies that are in use elsewhere that can be redirected for the purpose of easing eye strain or increasing inclusivity. They can be as simple as software or as complex as a separate piece of electronic equipment. Bionic Reading is software that adds emphasis, or bold lettering in the most concise parts of words (Bionic Reading, n.d.). This bold type guides the eye over the text and your brain completes the word.

One of the most commonly consumed items in the United States is reportedly Oreo Cookies (Amatulli, 2015). Here is how their ingredients list reads (University of South Dakota, 2018):

Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), Sugar, Palm and/or Canola Oil, Cocoa

(Processed with Alkali), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Leavening (Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate), Salt, Soy Lecithin, Chocolate, Artificial Flavor.

When applying Bionic Reading they now read as:

Unbleached Enriched Flour (Wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine Mononitrate {Vitamin B1}, Riboflavin {Vitamin B2}, Folic Acid), Sugar, Palm and/or Canola Oil, Cocoa (Processed with Alkali), High Fructose Corn Syrup, Leavening (Baking Soda and/or Calcium Phosphate), Salt, Soy Lecithin, Chocolate, Artificial Flavor.

As a stand alone technology this would not be enough for a robust solution. This augmented typography, when incorporated into design, would greatly assist the myriad types of vision impaired consumers in reading the packaging requirements.

Electronic Technology has become incredibly interactive to assist the vision impaired with packaging. The technology has changed dramatically over the years and it is now making leaps in terms of independence. These leaps help the vision impaired consumer navigate a grocery store as well as use the products at home. It is available digitally only at this time. There isn’t a packaged product that utilizes this font; from a production standpoint, when using a proportion wheel on the two sampled body copies it would take up roughly 1.7 percent more surface area for the same content.

While Bionic Reading is a recent innovation, it is already receiving praise for how it is also supporting the neurodiverse community. Early reporting of the format of Bionic Reading has allowed people with dyslexia to immediately understand the content of various texts on their first readings (Gibbs et al., 2022). Bionic Reading is also showing success with people who have ADHD (Lavelle, 2022). The ability to process more text much faster is inline with ADHD’s tendency to shift perception priorities.

NaviLens is an expanded gamut QR code that can access a great deal of information when scanned by your smartphone (NaviLens, n.d.). QR codes are limited because you can only scan them when they are centered in your smartphone’s camera. Visually impaired users can use NaviLens codes, as they do not need to know precisely where they are placed (Navilens, n.d.). The phone just needs to be pointed in the Navilens code’s direction. Because the NaviLens digital codes trigger audio notes, the amount of information that can be conveyed is potentially limitless, Figure 5 (NaviLens, n.d.). NaviLens is used in several European cities for their public transportation. Scanning the code with the NaviLens app has allowed thousands of visually impaired people to navigate their public transport systems.

NaviLens QR codes were put into use on World Sight Day in the United Kingdom on October 8, 2020 (Kelloggs, n.d.). The Royal National Institute for the Blind partnered with Kellogs and NaviLens to create a limited run of packaging. In sixty stores across the United Kingdom there were boxes of Coco Pops whose packaging was designed for the blind or vision impaired. The packaging utilizes all the printed materials guides that the RNIB has suggested such as larger print, simplified artwork, and Braille as well as adding a NaviLens QR code, Figure 6 (Qureshi &

Bradbury, 2020). The promotion was a success. Over 90% of the participants wanted more accessibility features (Royal National Institute for the Blind, 2021). On the heels of this success Kellogs has announced that it will be adding NaviLens codes to their entire cereal line across all of Europe (Royal National Institute for the Blind, 2021).

Discussion

There are few regulations in regards to packaging design. There are no mandated inclusive graphic design requirements currently (Food and Drug Administration, n.d.). According to the 2018 National Health Survey Interview, 32.2 million American adults over age 18 have some form of vision loss, as seen in Figure 7. Vision loss refers to individuals who reported that they have trouble seeing, even when wearing glasses or contact lenses, as well as to individuals who reported that they are blind or unable to see at all (Center for Disease Control, n.d.).

A detailed look at statistics compiled by the Center for Disease Control is insightful. The CDC has extensive data collected in regards to vision loss. The CDC has over 700,000 surveys that cover vision impairment. It can be broken down in a myriad of ways. The most telling example shows that vision impairment is increasing rapidly. The data indicates that by the year 2050 the number of United States citizens living with vision impairment will have doubled (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.), see Figure 8. The CDC also identified in an earlier survey that vision impairment is among the top ten disabilities among adults eighteen and older. With that type of an increase it should add even more urgency to developing ways for vision impaired people to use packaging.

To confirm the CDC’s data, I downloaded its 700,000 line CSV file. A sample of 1000 lines were taken at random and the data plotted in Matlab to recreate the CDC’s graphs. The results are very close to what the CDC has predicted. Vision impairment in the United States is on an upward trajectory, see Figure 9.

The alarming increase in the vision impaired population makes it clear that inclusivity in packaging needs to happen now. In 2015, a total of 1.02 million people were blind, and approximately 3.22 million people

Arthritis or rheumatism

Back or spine problem

Heart trouble/hardening of the arteries

Lung or respiratory problem

Deafness or serious hearing problem

Limb/extremity sti ness

Mental or emotional problem in the United States had vision impairment, as defined by the best-corrected visual acuity in the better-seeing eye. By 2050, the numbers of these conditions are projected to double to approximately 2.01 million people who are blind, or have vision impairment of 20/200 or worse, 6.95 million people with vision impairment (Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention, n.d.). To put this in perspective, there are 36 million vision impaired people in the world. If the Centers for Disease Control and Preventions model is applicable to the entire world, then by 2050 that number will be 72 million. That number is greater than the current population of the United Kingdom. The Center for Disease Control and Preventions hasn’t updated their color vision deficiency reports since 1972 (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Current data shows that 3.7% of the United States population has some degree of color blindness. That is 12 million people in the United States alone (Lee, 2020). It is impossible to predict growth as color vision deficiency is genetic, usually inherited from their mother, and affects predominantly males (Color Blind Awareness, n.d.).

Conclusion

There isn’t a one way approach to resolving this issue. It’s going to take a combination of raising awareness, use of technology and an evolution in existing processes. Earlier we touched on Haptics and how they are currently used. They need to be part of the solution to this issue. Currently haptics, with the exception of Braille, are very specialized. What if we break that out into a larger idea? Millions of people around the world can readily recognize the old NFPA Diamond. It is a diamond broken into 4 quadrants. Each quadrant represents 1 thing. For instance the top quadrant is red for flammability. The higher the number in that quadrant the higher the risk. This basic setup has lasted decades and is the framework for what I believe would be an enormous help to the vision impaired.

I propose breaking down the four quadrants into grocery concerns that are most in need of identification. Those are 1) Refrigerate, 2) Shelf Stable, 3) Freeze and 4) Allergens, Figure 10. These would be debossed into the packaging to avoid them being damaged when stacked. There would be a straight line debossed at the base of the diamond to indicate where the bottom so the consumer can orient themselves to the diamond and understand what it is saying by touching it. Being able to identify by touch whether something needs to go into the freezer or fridge while in the store or at home is an enormous improvement. I would go a step further and inside the debossed diamond add an emboss pictogram for a hazard, such as crush hazard, do not stack, bacteria issue if not refrigerated, and of course put a pictogram for exactly what allergen could be at risk such as a pictogram for “manufactured at a facility that also processes tree nuts.”

These embellishments are easily incorporated into folding carton packaging in the die cutting operation. The debossing and embossing would become part of the cutting die and every die cavity would have them. It would be more difficult in the flexible packaging realm. If a flexible film packaging contains something rigid (foil, paperboard, or a thicker caliber material), a male and female heated die plate can be made to add this identifying diamond. This would be an added function in its converting steps.

REFRIGERATE

Embossed

Pictograms

For Issues

I.E. Crush Hazard

SHELF STABLE

Embossed

Pictograms

For Issues

I.E. Do Not Stack

ALLERGENS

Embossed

Pictogram

For Allergen

FREEZE

Embossed

Pictogram

For Issues

I.E. Do Not Stack

There are processes being developed for flexible film that would allow the identifier diamond to be on the thin packaging. There have been advancements in inkjet technology and varnishes that can apply similar haptics inline. A combination of raising public awareness, enforcing rights in the American with Disability act, technology and haptics will break the current communication barrier. By utilizing combinations of these new design attributes a far greater amount of vision impaired consumers will be able to engage with their packaged products. The act of clear understanding of the packaged product by the vision impaired will create better communication with the manufacturer. Ultimately this new understanding will bring equity to the two groups.

California Polytechnic State University

References

Amatulli, J. (2015, December 4). The Definitive List Of America’s Favorite Cookies. HuffPost. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.huffpost.com/ entry/cookies-om-nom-nom_n_5661a953e4b079b2818e3e68

AZ Deaf and Blindness. (n.d.). Dr Moon Page. AZ to Deafblindness. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from http://www.deafblind.com/moon.html

Baitz, I. (2020, 11 30). Accessible Packaging Design in the Beauty Industry. Cambridge Dictionary | English Dictionary, Translations & Thesaurus. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiOh6i-v_H0AhVLVs0KHb5ICFQQFnoECAMQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww. ryerson.ca%2Fcontent%2Fdam%2Fgcm%2Fimages%2FCommunity%2FThesis%2F2020%2FMilarBentia-Beauty.pdf&usg=AOvVaw3K1

Bionic Reading. (n.d.). Bionic Reading. Faster. Better. More focused. Reading. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://bionic-reading.com/

Brailleauthority.org. (n.d.). Size and Spacing of Braille Characters. Size and Spacing of Braille Characters. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from http://www.brailleauthority.org/sizespacingofbraille/sizespacingofbraille.pdf

Braille Works. (n.d.). Braille Alphabet. Braille Works. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://brailleworks.com/braille-resources/braille-alphabet/

Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Vital and Health Statistics; Series 11, No. 118 (8/72). CDC. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/series/sr_11/sr11_118.pdf

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Burden of Vision Loss. CDC. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/visionhealth/risk/burden.htm

Cleveland Clinic. (2020, December 30). Color Blindness: Types, Causes & Treatments. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/11604-color-blindness

Color Blind Awareness. (n.d.). About Colour Blindness. Colour Blind Awareness. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.colourblindawareness.org/colour-blindness/

Commonwealth of Massachusetts. (2007). Accessible Print Materials : Formatting Guidelines to CyR.US System. (n.d.). The CyR.US™ System –VictorialandBeauty. Victorialand Beauty. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://victorialandbeauty.com/pages/cyr-u-s-system

ELIA Alphabet. (n.d.). ELIA Alphabet. ELIA. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from http://www.theeliaidea.com/elia-frames2

Technical Association of the Graphic Arts 2023

Food and Drug Administration. (n.d.). Food Labeling Guide. US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/files/food/ published/Food-Labeling-Guide-%28PDF%29.pdf

Gardner, E. (2017, July 12). Are packaging manufacturers doing enough for visually impaired consumers? -. Packaging Gateway. Retrieved June 3, 2022, from https://www.packaging-gateway.com/analysis/featureare-packaging-manufacturers-doing-enough-for-visually-impaired-consumers-5867734/

Gibbs, A., Habeeb, L., & Weingarten, B. (2022, May 20). What Is Bionic Reading and Why It Feels Like ‘Unlocking 100% of Your Brain’. Newsweek. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.newsweek.com/ what-bionic-reading-why-feels-like-unlocking-your-brain-1708614

Hagood, L. (2016, November 28). A Standard Tactile Symbol System: Graphic Language for Individuals who are Blind and Unable to Learn Braille. Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.tsbvi.edu/203-%20resources/1315-standard-tactile-symbol-%20 system

Kelloggs. (n.d.). World Sight Day. Kellogg’s. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.kelloggs.co.uk/en_GB/world-sight-day.html

Lavelle, D. (2022, May 27). Bionic reading: could an ADHD-friendly hack turn me into a speed-reader? | Daniel Lavelle. The Guardian. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/may/27/ bionic-reading-adhd-speed-reader

Lee, H. (2020, April 6). Wayfinding Signage for People with Color Blindness - Lee - 2020 - Journal of Interior Design. Wiley Online Library. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/joid.12169

McLaughlin, M. L. (n.d.). Introduction to Haptics. Higher Education | Pearson. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.pearsonhighered.com/assets/ samplechapter/0/1/3/0/0130650978.pdf

National Library of Medicine. (n.d.). THE DEMOGRAPHY OF BLIND AND VISUALLY IMPAIRED PEDESTRIANS. NCBI. Retrieved June 3, 2022, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK218022/

NaviLens. (n.d.). NaviLens EMPOWERING the visually impaired. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.navilens.com/en/

Prescott, T. J., Heller, M., & Ballesteros, S. (2015, May 28). Visually-impaired touch. Scholarpedia. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from http://www.scholarpedia.org/article/Visually-impaired_touch

Price, S. (2021, December 29). Average Household Cost of Food. ValuePenguin. Retrieved June 3, 2022, from https://www.valuepenguin.com/

California Polytechnic State University how-much-we-spend-food

Qureshi, W., & Bradbury, P. (2020, October 9). Coco Pops boxes trialed for the blind and partially sighted. Packaging News. Retrieved June 5, 2022, from https://www.packagingnews.co.uk/design/new-packs/ kelloggs-co-op-trial-coco-pops-boxes-designed-blind-09-10-2020 Reynolds, P. (n.d.). P&G’s Tactile Notching on Bottles Helps the Visually Impaired. Packaging World. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https:// www.packworld.com/design/package-design/article/21509433/ pgs-tactile-notching-on-bottles-helps-the-visually-impaired#next-slide

Royal National Institute for the Blind. (n.d.). http://scdg.org.uk/wp-content/ uploads/2019/02/Colour-information-with-header-sheet-2.pdf.

Royal National Institute for the Blind. (n.d.). Moon Alphabet. RNIB. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.rnib.org.uk/practical-help/reading/ braille-and-moon-tactile-codes/moon

Royal National Institute for the Blind. (n.d.). RNIB. RNIB - See differently -. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.rnib.org.uk/

Royal National Institute for the Blind. (2021, July 1). Kellogg’s: a game changer in accessible packaging. RNIB. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://www.rnib.org.uk/connect-community/connect-news-and-stories/ kelloggs-launch-accessible-packaging

Royal National Institute for the Blind. (2021, July 1). Kellogg’s: a game changer in accessible packaging. RNIB. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.rnib.org.uk/connect-community/connect-news-and-stories/ kelloggs-launch-accessible-packaging

The Elia Idea. (n.d.). Elia Alphabet. ELIA - ELIA. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from http://www.theeliaidea.com/

University of Pittsburgh. (n.d.). What is Vision Impairment? | Department of Ophthalmology | University of Pittsburgh. Ophthalmology. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from http://ophthalmology.pitt.edu/vision-impairment/ what-vision-impairment

University of South Dakota. (2018, January 11). Nutrition Label. Nutrition Label. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from http://nutrition.und.edu/foodpro/label.asp?locationNum=05&locationName=&dtdate=1/11/2018&RecNumAndPort=180001

United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division. (n.d.) The Americans with Disabilities Act. Retrieved Nov 18, 2022 from https://www. ada.gov/

U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2018, September 16). Guidance for Industry: Food Labeling Guide | FDA. US Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.fda.gov/regulatory-information/ search-fda-guidance-documents/guidance-industry-food-labeling-guide

Victorialand Beauty. (n.d.). The CyR.US™ System – VictorialandBeauty. Victorialand Beauty. Retrieved May 24, 2022, from https://victorialandbeauty. com/pages/cyr-u-s-system

World Health Organization. (2021, October 14). Blindness and vision impairment. WHO | World Health Organization. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ blindness-and-visual-impairment

W3C. (2021, December 7). W3C Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 3.0. W3C. Retrieved May 27, 2022, from https://www.w3.org/TR/wcag-3.0/