It’s really nice to see GPS app makers start to focus on indoor navigation. If you’re blind I doubt I have to tell you that getting around in giant buildings can sometimes be its own special brand of pain in the ass, so being able to use the same apps that work so well outside inside is going to be pretty great as the technology improves.
Welcome to Sendero’s user survey. This study is part of a two-year project in which Sendero and partners are attempting to develop an indoor wayfinding application. The project, entitled, an Accessible Environmental Information Application for Individuals with Visual Impairments, is funded by a federal grant from the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), (grant number 90BISB0003-01-00). The Project PI is Dr. Paul Ponchillia.
The survey may be completed in the comfort of your own home, at your leisure. The survey will include 27 questions about challenges, barriers, technology, access to information, and general user needs input for independently navigating indoor facilities. The survey will be used to assess two things: (1) the perceived barriers of indoor orientation and navigation through a series of questions such as: What information should it provide? What are some of the value-added features? And (2) preferred delivery of information, specifically in output of information (tactile, verbal or audio) and exact phrasing of information. How should the device provide information to assist users as they navigate independently from store to store, gate to gate, and point to point within a variety of venues?
The survey is here. Assuming you’re not currently lost in an airport, take a few minutes and help them out.