Week 5: Tactile Tactics

Platon B -

Hello Fellow Mustangs! 

This week, there isn’t too much to blog about as my resin printer is still getting shipped. Of course, I’m keeping busy making new iterations of a functional braille cell and learning the intricacies of a difficult resin printer. In the meantime, I’d like to pose a few questions about the design of the braille device. Engineering an ergonomic item for people is even more difficult when they are blind, and there are many rudimentary questions that require a fair bit of thinking:

  1. Should the braille device have tactile lines that divide each row? As many of my avid readers may know, my braille device will comprise of a 2-dimensional grid (something like a 6 x 6 grid). Many beginners in braille prefer to have a line between each horizontal row, and that makes it easier for them to identify the characters. On the other hand, many more experienced braille readers find a tactile line to reduce fluency. An idea I have in mind to make the tactile ridge removable, so that individuals could remove them to their liking. What do you guy folk think?
  2. What would be an optimal size for the braille device? I mentioned a 6 x 6 grid, but the final braille cell count is still up in the air. Having more rows and columns of braille cells gives the added benefit of readability and user comfort, especially when using the device to read 2-dimensional graphs and tables. On the other hand, having so many braille cells gives the problem of rising costs, power draw, and bulkiness of the braille product. What would you consider a balance between the two factors? (I.e 5 x 6, 10 x 3, 8 x 8)

Thanks for reading, and catch you next week! 😊

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Comments:

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    rishi_s
    Hi Tosha, you pose two very crucial questions to answer for the project. I'm very interested in the first one. Having a modular design so that the tactile ridge can be removable seems to be the more beneficial one, but it will likely be harder to implement? Especially at such a small size, will you still be able to develop/implement that design?
    March 14, 2025 at 4:57 pm - Reply
    Dieago de la Cruz
    Hi Tosha, The idea of removable tactile lines is particularly intriguing. It presents an adaptive approach that caters to both beginners and experienced braille readers. Perhaps an alternative could be a mechanism where the tactile ridges are retractable rather than fully removable, allowing for on-the-fly customization without the risk of losing small components. Regarding the grid size, the balance between usability and practicality is key. A 6x6 grid seems like a strong starting point, but maybe conducting user tests with different grid configurations (5x6, 8x8, etc.) could provide insight into the best trade-off between readability and device efficiency. Additionally, considering modularity—where users can expand the grid size if needed—could offer flexibility without committing to a bulky base design. It’s exciting to see your thoughtfulness in addressing accessibility challenges through engineering. Looking forward to seeing how your design evolves!
    March 17, 2025 at 7:17 am - Reply
    platon_b
    Hello Rishi, Great question! I don't think that the removable would be too difficult to implement. It would just be a magnetic ridge, similar to a fridge magnet. Either way, there is a lot of time to explore this and see if it would be a viable option.
    March 17, 2025 at 3:04 pm - Reply
    platon_b
    Hello Mr. DLC, Great questions. I actually like the idea of a retractable tactile ridge. Having a detachable component that's magnetically attached would definitely be hard to not lose, especially if the user is blind. As for the grid size, I like the idea of a 6 x 6 as it's a reasonable number of cells to make, but it's important to consider that more efficient braille cells on the market have a large number of cells in each row (approx. 20-30) so that information is easier to read at a fast rate. Modularity is definitely something to consider in the future, although I would want to make sure the connections are seamless and the connections still work quickly. All the best, Tosha
    March 17, 2025 at 3:07 pm - Reply
    Don Whiteside
    In response to your questions: Tactile Line : I would assume that inclusion or exclusion of a tactile line would be an implementation question that would only affect the layout of the tactile surface, not affecting the fundamental challenges of how to design the individual braille cells. I wouldn't worry about this tactile line question for initial prototypes; leave this question for later. Braille Device Size : I would assume that braille users are accustomed to reading a sufficient inline number of characters/words before dropping vertically to the next line. So I suspect that achieving a maximum width is the critical design characteristic.
    March 18, 2025 at 11:09 am - Reply

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