SC 10 H: Accessibility Design Challenge – Harry & Daxton & Andrew & Eugene & Ray

Project: Tactile Map

Empathy & Define:

Our main goal for this project was to make a tactile map to help and ease Molly to navigate the school. After a conversation with her, our group decided to make this because we knew that she still has difficulties understanding the structures of our school. Her white cane was not enough and drawing mental maps in her head was extremely difficult.

Ideate:

First, we thought of lights that change colours depending on current location of Mollie using Microbits.

Second, we thought of self-driving wheelchair that has certain programs about routes in the wheelchair with a motor.

Third, we thought of tactile paths such as the ones found in Asia sidewalks.

Fourth, we thought putting different smells and perfumes around the school so that Molly could identify the sections of the school.

Finally, we decided to make a tactile map which was the most practical idea out of everything we had.

Brainstorm:

Our initial sketch & steps:

Prototype & Test:

(We failed printing several times before making prototype.)

We 3D printed the prototype to check any flaws. Unfortunately, the size of this map was too small that Molly had difficulty identifying rooms.

Pros:

• Printing small takes less time.
• It is easy to scale the map.
• 3D printing is successful.
• The printed map is a hundred percent identical to the designs we did on Blender app.
• We can use 3D printer any time.

Cons:

• Too small
• Difficult to change lines because we have to convert every single lines on Blender.
• Difficult to print bigger because it takes too much time.
• Braille that represent room numbers do not show on the map because of technical issues.
• Cannot choose colour.

Feedback from Molly:

• The entire map is too small.
• Office area has too many rooms that it is difficult to feel it by her hands.
• Likes the idea of puzzle-map.

Final Product:

We made the map more than twice as big as the prototype. We deleted unnecessary parts of the map to make bigger gaps, and we did not glue everything together since Molly liked how she could connect maps like puzzles. We overcame most of the issues except the braille. We tried to print the braille separately, but we could not because we did not have enough time.

Reflection:

My role in the project:

I took a leading role of this project. I presented practical ideas to the group members and integrated different suggestions to reduce as much as flaws in our final project. After we decided to make a tactile map, I directed group members and divided tasks for them to work individually. I was responsible for designing the school map.  My design was used to make our prototype and final product. I was also responsible for monitoring 3D printers . Fortunately, all the pieces printed well except only one.

My responsibilities:

• Design school map
• Divide school map into four sections
• Monitor 3D printers
• Make 3D model
• Accessibility Design Challenge sheet
• Detailed drawing
• Research & Analysis

Contributions:

I am proud that I was able to demonstrate my skills during this project. My designs and ideas were used in the project. I proposed an idea to make a tactile map of the school, and it was rewarding to hear that Molly was interested in our project.

Collaboration improvement:

I will improve my collaboration skills by communicating clearly. I will not try to assume that everyone knows my intention, and I will explain the steps systematically. This will increase work efficiency, which can help me to work together with other group members to complete the project before the deadline.

What I learned:

I learned that not everything works as planned and problem solving skills are important. We had to revise our 3D model several times because there were technical issues. Moreover, it took us a week to figure out the proper size of the map because we had to print it even larger. Since there was limited time given, instant problem-solving helped us to finish the product quicker than we expected.

I learned how difficult it is for the blind people to navigate the school. I was able to empathize with Molly through a conversation with her. To make our society more inclusive, I think we have to accept and respect those people with disabilities. It will eventually subside the stereotypical mindset of our community, hence it will inspire positivity to it.

This is what I learned while working with the SME (the student):

I learned that Molly mostly depends on her white cane to move and navigate around the school. The EA (Educational Assistant) described the cane as part of Molly’s body. I realized how important that cane is to Molly. Therefore, I chose to make a tactile map because I wanted to make an unprecedented object that could possibly help Molly to walk around the school without difficulties.

What I liked:

I liked the topic and intention of this project. I think this project was meaningful because it was a combination of science, technology, and helping Molly. I was able to gain knowledge about blind community through research and realized how difficult it is. I enjoyed working on this project because I could help Molly by using my own skills and talents. It fueled me to work harder when Molly showed interests in our project. I hope our project provided a great memory to Molly.

In the future:

My biggest key takeaway from this project is the importance of communication because it is one of the most vital qualities of a good leader. It acts as a connecting-link to other leadership qualities and skills which motivates other group members work diligently. If our group used effective communication skills, we would have fixed more mistakes and improved better.