Project done in collaboration with Oscar Jones, Jonathan Tang and Kanya Thavanesan
There is a need for infrastructural change in order to make society a more accessible place for all. Blind and visually impaired people rely on tactile paving to navigate public spaces with a cane; however, research found that indoor settings such as museums and galleries are unwilling to install such paving as they are too permanent, conspicuous and inconvenient. See the video below for a summary of our solution proposal.
N.B. This project required designing a product within a brand's existing portfolio. The use of Google is for educational purposes only and is not an affiliation in any way.
Video edited by Oscar Jones
The proposed solution is a two part cane attachment and installation of metal strips along the floor of these public spaces.
1. The top handle attachment indicates directions received from an indoor navigation software to the user via a dial.
2. The bottom attachment detects when the base of the cane is in range of the metal strip by raising a ridge under the user’s thumb in the top attachment.
This works in conjunction with an indoor navigation platform, using Bluetooth Low Energy Beacons attached to the ceilings of buildings to emulate GPS tracking, coupled with an existing mapping application such as Google Maps.
See below a condensed version of the portfolio submitted for the Chatham House and London Design Biennale competition, under the brief of "Design in an Age of Crisis."
