Design consultancy project book
Errrr... consultancy Meng-Chieh Lu Yi He Acy Feng Toby Starr Octavia Coutts Sam Henderson Linda MA Alvin Chan
RSA Student Design Award Mobility City
"Design or re-design a mode of public transport to improve the experience of people with disabilities that will, in turn, improve the experience for all."
Our solution to this brief is a new mobility system for the blind or visually impaired
Research
Our Focus • Lack of accessibility facilities • People with visual impairment • Sight the most important sense during commute
Our Approach • A new way finding or signage system that makes it easier for people with visual impairments or learning difficulties to understand • A service design proposal for transport providers to make transport more accessible to a range of users • A redesigned space
Current Situation
• Industry is wheelchair focused • Lack of 'true independence' • Strong use of tactile strips
Statistics • 90% people with sight loss cannot see an approaching bus in time to hail it • 80% people with sight loss say they miss the bus they want as a consequence of operators having no reliable service provision at request stops • 60% people said buses which stopped away from the official bus stop caused them to often miss their bus or step off the bus into hazards such as bins and lamp posts
Common Problems • Buses/bus stops lack accessibility facilities for the visually impaired • Such as braille text, audio guides • Heavy reliance on other passengers/drivers for assistance
How many people in the UK are registered as blind or partially sighted?
Fact about sight loss and eye conditions ‘http://fightforsight.org.uk/sight-loss-facts
Existing products and facilities iGlasses
When you approach obstacles such as overgrown branches, hanging signs or street furniture, the frequency of the vibration will increase — giving you more confidence to explore your surroundings. http://www.algordanza.com.hk/THREEGON/iglasses.html
Bradley Classic Canvas Watch
Helping blind musicians to read music
‘Ottavio Orioli’ is a service launched in Bologna that supplies and transcribes music scores into Braille.
http://www.perkinsproducts.org/store/en/clocks/1405-bradley-classic-canvas-watch.html
http://www.west-info.eu/helping-blind-musicians-to-read-music/
Smartphone App
The app features both visual and auditory cues choice of routes how long they will have to wait how many stops are left before theirs alert them when it’s time to ring the bell http://www.gizmag.com/onthebus-blind-bus-navigation-app/23054/
Path guide to bus station
Barcelona’s 2,500 bus stops now have special recycled rubber tiles which create tactile paths for blind people to follow to the bus door. http://www.psfk.com/2009/11/pics-bus-stops-designed-for-blind-passengers.html
Existing public facilities
Existing private facilities
Audio announcements
Standard mobility cane
Tactile paving/Directional Tactile
Personal products
on some buses only
Travel cards
concessions: eg. free travel during specified times
Bus Hailer
i.e. a card with the bus number on it
APS Accessible Pedestrian Signals In UK:
Tactile cones near or under the control button. These rotate or shake when the pedestrian signal is green.
Australia
- Tactile arrow within a larger visible arrow - raised bar on the tactile arrow indicates that this is an APS - locator tone and audible and vibrotactile WALK indication
Sweden
Tactile map on the side
Japan
Handheld terminal - Informs terminal holder about intersection - optical transmitters installed at intersections - Provides intersection name and pedestrian signal status by voice - Can extend duration of green light automatically Reflective sticker on white cane - Detected with white cane sensors installed at intersections - System is activated to inform intersection name pedestrian signal status via speaker - System can also extend duration automatically
Experience Issues encoutered on blindfolded bus simulation Walked past bus stop Couldn't tell which bus was coming and when without asking someone - issue if no one else is at the bus stop Problem getting on the bus due to gap inbetween bus and pavement Putting the change into the ticket machine Finding a seat Knowing when to get off as there was no audio Finding the exit of the bus to get off Conclusion is Linda had to be guided through every step of travel and if no one was there to help her, she would have struggled to use the public transport system
Story board We have created a storyboard to help visualise to process of using public buses. Along with the blindfolded bus simulation, this has helped us understand what issues need to be examined and potentially resolved. This has helped us realize what goal we want to achieve which is to aid independant mobility for people who are blind or visually impaired
Survey Research Royal National Institude of blind people (RNIB) surveyed over a 1000 people on their use of public transport. especially buses. Listed is a summary of the research conducted
Consequences are that blind and partially sighted people cannot get key travel information when onboard the bus, including: • bus route number and destination • upcoming diversions, changes to destination or out of service bus stops • directions to a seat • when to get off the bus • warnings if exit doors are obstructed by trip hazards when alighting the bus.
• Four in ten blind and partially sighted people use bus services according to a study based on in-depth interviews with over 1,000 people. • The highest proportion of blind and partially sighted people using buses were those aged between 30 and 49 (52 per cent). The lowest was by people aged between 65 and 72 (32 per cent). • The main reasons given for using bus services were for work (7 per cent), leisure andhobbies (47 per cent) and shopping (77 per cent). • The Network 1000 study asked respondents if they wanted to get out more and 43 per cent said yes. This shows that six in ten who aren’t using buses may well start using them if access improvements can be made. • One in three blind and partially sighted people are in employment and many rely on local bus services to commute. • 9 in 10 people with sight loss cannot see an approaching bus in time to hail it. • 8 in 10 people with sight loss say they missed the bus they want. • 7 in 10 missed the bus because it boarded away from the official bus stop.
Design Process
• Initial ideas • design development • final design
Initial Ideas Bus stop and tactile paving
We looked at tactile paving beacuse we didn't want to design a product that has a high learning curve - we learnt in our research that existing tactile paving colours and patterns mean different things which are taught to children in schools such as the Royal Blind school. We also realised that there were several disadvantages to the current tactile paving such as the truncated domes which are obstacles and inconveniant to wheel chair users and buggy users.
Create renders initially as it helped visualise the proportions and what it would look like in context.
Model Making
We brainstormed some shapes in different sizes. As the edges were not rounded we created a circle control shape to simulate the stop tactile paving. We then created an Illustrator file replicating these shapes in 2D which were then laser cut and glued to a board. This was then tested by volunteers to see how effective the different shapes were. However, although people liked the look of the shapes they could not feel the direction of the shapes underneath their shoes which was the main aim of having shpes domes.
Personal devices
During our research we found that there are several existing personal products, however they are all specified for a particular use such as avoiding obstacles or meeting up with friends via gps. There are no products on the market that aid independent mobility when using public transport. Statistics proves that there is potential market in this area as 4 out of 6 people. Initially we thought about designing a personal device that can connect to an audio box attached to the bus stop.
The Royal Blind School Interview We conducted a face-to-face interview with colleagues from the Royal Blind School and brought some of our models to get some feedback General: 2-3% registered blind, no sight at all, most have residual vision
1) How do students find their way to the bus stop?
4) Would a personal device help/improve students’ navigation?
Finding bus stop is taught in school: - landmarks eg. locating corners - different ways of using environment to help navigate > Sound eg. sound shadow > when bus shelter blocks out sound > detect changes in environment through air pressure eg. difference between low ceiling and high ceiling > light and warmth of light on skin > echo location - teach about what is past bus stop
- knowing the environment is important, acts as back up when eg. technology fails - any sound from equipment would be distracting (distract from environment) - sound from device would make distinction between useful sounds difficult
2) How do they know which bus to get onto? - bus drivers are trained to stop when blind person seen - bus number usually called out by bus driver
3) How do they find seats and how do they know where to get off? - people on bus aid them to seat or; - usually use cane to find seat - difficulties on the bus: balancing on a moving bus - students are taught to wait until they hear the door open, and then get off White cane: - use of white cane essential to teaching - length of cane measured to height of the students - symbol cane: a cane used to alert the public that person is visually impaired
5) Feedback on tactile paving mock up - difficult to feel through shoe - potential trip hazard - unable to distinguish shapes with cane - students are taught about different textures they can detect using cane eg. metal, concrete, plastic On glow-in-the-dark feature: - some visually impaired are sensitive to light; some have problems with contrast - too much light might take away any residual sight they have On ‘the box’: - existing talking box by RNIB - activated using Young Person’s Travel Card (contains chip inside)
Design Development
Personal Device
Tactile Paving
Problem Problem > couldn’t feel shapes or direction of tactiles
Solution Box becomes personal product to aid independent mobility
Solution Use of different textures which were proven to work more efficiently than truncated domes
Tactile paving
Images of smaples ordered from Marshalls. This was to help us ge a better idea of the dimensions and materials of standard tactile paving,
Tactile paving prototype
.
The visit to the Royal Blind School gaves us further insight into the use of the cane. We found that the shape of the raised lumps are indistinguishable to the user Surface textures are far easier to determine, provided there is stark contrast between the surface textures
We decided to adjust our tactile paving strategy to promotoe visual contrast and high tactility for a paving cane user.
Personal devices
Based on the information we received from the Royal Blind School, we decided to alter one of our designs as the Mobility box idea already exists and is currently in the testing process. Due to this, we diecided to turn what would be the public use box idea to a personal device. Here are some development skecthes exploring different ergonomic shapes and sizes.
Personal devices prototype
We made several models out of wood and blue foam to try out different ergonomic shapes to see which would fit the hand best. We also ried positioning the buttons in different places to see which would be the most comfortable. After testing the models on people, we finalised on a design.
Final Design - Tactile paving
Dimensions
Manufacturing the Tactile Slab We’ve contacted from Hoddocrete, a concrete manufacturer to inquire the basic process of creating concrete paving slabs. 600kg sand, 400 crushed gravel, 200kg cement changeable depending on gradient on sand, gravel and strength of cement. The measured amount of each material is transferred from the hopper to the mold, which sits on a vibration plate.
Chamber in the hopper. The top and the end of the hooper has doors, the top opens to allow the mixture to fill the chamber. After that, the bottom opens and the mixture travels to the mold which then becomes pressesd by a 15 tonne hydraulic ram. The mixture is also dried in the ram thanks to a pump which draws all the excess water.
Surface finish of the mould attached to the ram.
Slab being removed from the mould In addition, the roughness of the slab can be adjusted by placing filters on the press plates, allowoing different styles of concrete paving such as chamefered or riven faced slabs.
Tactiles at night
Currently, many tactile surfaces have low visibility when it’s dark. Hence, we wanted to incorporate the concept of glow-in-the-dark so our tactiles can be useful to alert people of the perimeters of the bus stop, which can benefit every pedestrian.
Tactiles at night
Before
After
We found a UK-based company called Pro-Teq Surfacing which specialises on spray painting surfaces with a plastic coating, which allows the surface to glow in the dark. The paint can be applied to a range of surfaces, concrete, gravel and asphalt. This painting process takes up to several days, eliminating the need to resurface pavements which may last for weeks.
Full Bus Shelter
Compact Bus Shelter
Tactile Paving • Use the cane to detect texture • The texture that is easier to detect then shape • Better for other commuters (wheelchair and buggy users)
Basic Bus Stop and Temporary Stop
Final Design - Personal Device
Techical drawing for the personal product The chosen manufacturing method for this product is injection moulding and the chosen material is polypropylene
Dimentions in mm
Signal Box
sits in the driver’s cabin next to the wheel
lights up when visually impaired person sends out signal with personal device
Final Images
SUBMISSION TO THE RSA ERRRR.... DESIGN PROPOSAL FOR MOBILITY CITY BRIEF The use of public transport is a major issue for the visually impaired; they encounter difficulties such as; -
finding the bus stop knowing which bus to get on to when the bus is coming getting off at the right stop finding a seat on a bus or tube
Our design tackles these problems through the use of technology and implemented improvements to the traditional tactile paving and flooring systems. The personal device allows for greater independent mobility when using public transport. The tactile paving and flooring act as guides to help not only the visually impaired, but also other members of the general public; allowing the bus system to be used to greater efficiency. By providing a queue system that leaves space for people to hail and catch their bus while other commuters are waiting for a different buses; confusion for both passengers and bus drivers is eliminated. With TFL committing £18m to increase the accessibility to 95% of their bus stops by 2016, we believe that our solution can provide cost effective increased accessibility for everyone, not just the physically impaired. The tactile paving takes advantage of ‘glow-in-the-dark’ surfaces and a high-visibility, highcontrast colour scheme; providing efficient signalling day or night. This will, in turn, allow street lighting to be reduced, saving energy and ultimately increasing visibility of the night sky through reduction in light pollution.