A Comparison of Usability Factors of Four mobile Devices for Accessing Healthcare Information by Adolescents. Data were extracted from these materials according to a data extraction form based on questions asked in the survey. In this manner, wayfinding technology expanded access to survey knowledge for the travelers and facilitated environmental literacy. IEEE Trans. Examine the development of students with visual impairment in regard to communication, Rural Remote Health 14, 2908 (2014). 24 Best Software Testing Tools in 2023 [Updated] - Hackr Developers of most self-test apps may not have a background in vision healthcare.23,24,25 It may therefore be that any lack of reliability in self-testing apps is not a technological problem, but is due to lack of awareness on the part of app developers concerning the optometrically important features of the test (e.g., the style of the optotypes or their spacing). Enabling Building Service Robots to Guide Blind People a Participatory Design Approach, in 2016 11th ACM/IEEE International Conference on Human-Robot Interaction (IEEE Press), 310. 4. Additional possibilities may include directly linking self-test apps with clinical services, and/or remotely delivered care via video conferencing, or other technologies. doi:10.3141/2650-08, Keywords: wayfinding, deafblind, visually impaired, assistve technologies, mobility, routes, guide dog, long cane, Citation: Parker AT, Swobodzinski M, Wright JD, Hansen K, Morton B and Schaller E (2021) Wayfinding Tools for People With Visual Impairments in Real-World Settings: A Literature Review of Recent Studies. J. It is quite possible for someone with no useful vision to use a computer. Additionally, the form recorded the study methods, setting of the study (indoors, outdoors, or both), what mobility aids were used, a description of technology used, participants performance and perceptions while using the devices, and any additional notes the reviewer felt relevant to this review. Introduction Vision problems affect academic performance, social and mental health. Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Plann. Deafblind People, Communication, independence, and Isolation. To organize our discussion, we explored: the interconnections of participant descriptions; the technologies that supported the wayfinding tasks and their efficacy; the characteristics of the environments and routes where wayfinding occurred; and the university partners and funding sources which supported the wayfinding research. The United Nations (2006). Environ. Vision impairment is rising year on year, with global estimates of 237.1 million affected by moderate or severe vision impairment by 2020.1 Visual impairment has negative impacts on quality of life, mental and physical health,2,3,4,5,6 impedes performance in school, reduces employability and productivity7 and is associated with a greater risk of all-cause mortality in older persons.8 Uncorrected refractive errors (URE) and unoperated cataracts are the top global causes of vision impairment and over 80% of all vision impairments are preventable.9 UREs are responsible for 53% of vision impairment.10,11 UREs contribution to all moderate-severe vision impairments is estimated to be higher in lower and middle-income countries (LMIC) than in high-income countries e.g.,11,12,13. COVID-19 test kit instructions in alternative formats . doi:10.1177/2399808320933907. however they aren't always accurate tools for diagnosing any eye conditions or the cause for a change in your vision. Sherwin, J. C., Lewallen, S. & Courtright, P. Blindness and visual impairment due to uncorrected refractive error in sub-Saharan Africa: Review of recent population-based studies. Med. Our intent was to identify wayfinding tools that provide supplemental static or dynamic environmental information for the traveler to use during navigation; not only for obstacle avoidance, but for enhanced access to spatial knowledge. The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. The Best Software Testing Tools in 2023. Wayfinding Tools for People With Visual Impairments in Real-World Identify 3 pieces of information found in functional eye reports which impact cognitive testing. This finding represents a gap in our research as the bulk of the population, as they age, have one or more disabilities (Gray et al., 2016). You'll need a computer and some space to sit back so you can take the part of the test that checks your distance vision. GSMA Intelligence. Most blind computer users navigate through the system and control programs using the keyboard and a screen reader to read text from the screen by artificial speech. Four tools produced a simple decimal value with no further clarifications. None of the studies reported any participants with deafblindness, however one study mentioned a visually impaired participant who used hearing aids (van der Bie et al., 2019a). Sci. As a part of that ecosystem, mechanisms for funding and sharing research should create more widely distributed wayfinding solutions with people who are blind, visually impaired or deafblind worldwide. These eight represent roughly 23% of our included studies representing significant intellectual and private partner commitment to the development of wayfinding technologies. Within the six studies that included information about participants, there were a wide range of etiologies (n = 25) mentioned. National Eye Institute (2019b). Some investigators have studied the impact of constructive verbal guidance for wayfinding tasks, and described traveler perceptions of the timing and clarity of such guidance (Bradley and Dunlop, 2005; Giudice et al., 2007; Havik et al., 2011; Ahmetovic et al., 2019). Compatible with existing systems and protocols like HTTP, FTP, ssh. 2650 (1), 6673. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.295.18.2158 (2006). The Home Acuity Test, or HAT (available at homeacuitytest.org) is an open-source visual acuity screening test designed at Moorfields Eye Hospital in London that can be downloaded from the internet free of charge and printed out by patients. Auditory Cues Used for Wayfinding in Urban Environments by Individuals with Visual Impairments. All 35 studies included a combined total of 469 participants who executed routes and were visually impaired (see Table 1 for a summary). While the National Institutes of Health contributed grant funding for 2 of the 35 studies. This is a highly underrepresented population in the research and as demographics trend towards people living longer, there will be more people who experience vision and hearing loss (Perfect et al., 2019; Wittich et al., 2021). 71 (3), 347358. Automatically Generated Landmark-Enhanced Navigation Instructions for Blind Pedestrians, in 2016 Federated conference on computer science and information systems (IEEE), 16051612. doi:10.1109/mprv.2018.011591061, Flores, G., and Manduchi, R. (2018a). About half (n=20) used bespoke optotypes. 48, 15111526. Airport Accessibility and Navigation Assistance for People with Visual Impairments, in Proceedings of the CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (New York City, NY: Association for Computing Machinery), 114. (2020) work with Microsofts Hololens, a smartwatch was used to allow for easy toggling, while the person received audio, visual and haptic feedback for wayfinding. American Printing House for the Blind. CityGuide: A Seamless Indoor-Outdoor Wayfinding System for People with Vision Impairments, in The 21st international ACM SIGACCESS conference on computers and accessibility (New York City, NY: Association for Computer Machinery), 542544. Ten were found through Google Online searches and were intended for use with a desktop/laptop computer interface. As themes from this review were considered, it was evident to our team that the perceived needs of participants should inform our research agenda at all levels. Such studies amplify the voices of visually impaired travelers and provide insights into the ways that tools, such as wayfinding technologies, mitigate the barriers in navigating through complex environments. Several tests did not specify testing one eye at a time, so were categorised as testing binocular vision. Their knowledge, wayfinding strategies, and problem-solving skills are paramount in understanding what is needed to create a seamless wayfinding experience. Yoon, C., Louie, R., Ryan, J., Vu, M., Bang, H., Derksen, W., et al. JAMA. This finding is in harmony with demographic data regarding the heterogeneity of the causes of visual impairments; however, this modest sample of etiologies should be considered from the perspective of specific etiologies that are more prevalent in certain countries (Pascolini and Mariotti, 2012). A second study compared REST with ETRDS chart among 200 adult patients with immature cataracts. For example, depending upon the persons age and the progression of the disease, people with retinitis pigmentosa experience difficulty in transitioning between light and dark environments, as well as being sensitive to glare (National Eye Institute, 2019a). ISAB: Integrated Indoor Navigation System for the Blind. Dawes, P. et al. The types of sensory support afforded by the technologies are also worth noting because of the way travelers confirm intended routes using multiple forms of environmental information. Online vision self-assessment tools may help address the increasing burden of visual impairment in both high-income countries and in LMIC. However, cognitive processes may also be supported by secondary tools, such as wayfinding apps or tactile maps, which assist the traveler in accessing, remembering, or interpreting salient environmental knowledge (Wiener et al., 2010). J. Vis. Color Vision Screening (Ishihara Test) - MDCalc Other participants praised the feeling of independence when using the wayfinding system (Balata et al., 2018, p. 194). https://doi.org/10.2196/mhealth.5501 (2016). Rehabil. https://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/Legislation/CLIA/index.html (1988). 4, 12 (2002). Luminance Contrast of Accessible Tactile Indicators for People with Visual Impairment. doi:10.3109/13668250.2014.902429, Lukman, A. L., Bridge, C., Dain, S. J., and Boon, M.-Y. Google Scholar. But the range of tools available has made it difficult for clinicians and the public to determine which tools are the most effective.26. apps in 3D with the help of Reality Composer Pro, a tool that allows . Providing adequate time and coaxing patients tend to yield more accurate results. Our goals not only included understanding what types of participants and technologies were represented in these studies, we also sought to describe the ways that participants evaluate those technologies in authentic travel contexts. The tools recommended consulting a professional if the user had any concerns about their vision, and recommended regular vision testing. The Easee Online test also provided a prescription service at a cost to the user. 23 (10), 13151343. doi:10.1136/bjophthalmol-2011-300539, Patil, K., Jawadwala, Q., and Shu, F. C. (2018). (2017). Article But of the 42 tools for self-assessment of visual acuity . Gleason, C., Fiannaca, A. J., Kneisel, M., Cutrell, E., and Morris, M. R. (2018). For those with visual impairments, blindness, or deafblindness, exploring the art involved in human wayfinding is enigmatic not only because research in the field is limited, but also because there are varied lenses, including perceptual, behavioral, attitudinal, and analytic, for examining human factors in the process of navigation. Available at: https://www.nei.nih.gov/learn-about-eye-health/eye-conditions-and-diseases/diabetic-retinopathy#section-id-10527. 17 (1), 135149. https://doi.org/10.1093/ageing/afw022 (2016). Twenty-six of the studies (74.3%) were declared as funded with a mixture of support from national grants, corporate sponsorships, and private foundations (see Table 4 Research Institutions and Financial Support). Two tools provided a dioptre-based prescription for near vision; Nanyang optical recommended the lens strength for the user, and the test by Easee Online provided prescriptions with values relating to sphere, cylinder and vision percentage per eye. Once the form was completed and ready to use, the researchers ensured coding fidelity by reviewing the coding protocol as a team. Consumer Electron. The current research shows various technologies can support indoor and outdoor wayfinding tasks, however, learning how to use these tools efficiently is critical for their successful use. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-044873. Sastry, V., Shet, S., Jivangi, V., Katti, V. & Kanakpur, S. FP1078: RAPID EYE SCREENING TEST (REST)MobiApp Based Visual Screening in Outreach Camps. Jan-Bond, C. et al. 668648. Van Norman, G. A. Developer tools to create spatial experiences for Apple Vision Pro now Ophthalmol. Rogers, M. A. M. & Langa, K. M. Untreated poor vision: a contributing factor to late-life dementia. Having wayfinding support in place increases overall independence and confidence in traveling across all studies, which is important for quality of life. (2013). Non-profit accrediting agencies with authority to issue certification under US federal CLIA standards ensure consistency of record keeping and staff training.43 The CLIA model could be applied to eHealth tools to ensure that they comply with basic standards of accessibility (the inclusion of clear language, ease of use, affordability and usability), privacy and security (assurances that the tool appropriately secures private health data, and compliance with data sharing laws [e.g., general data protection regulation]) and content (apps are developed with healthcare professional involvement, with accurate information and limited monetisation practices).37,44 As US healthcare providers do not do business with laboratories that are not CLIA certified, users could choose to use eHealth tools with appropriate certification. Virtual-blind-road Following-Based Wearable Navigation Device for Blind People. eHealth tools offer a solution; two-thirds of the globe own mobile devices. J. Multimodal User Inter. and C.D. The inclusionary criteria required that the article 1) contained participants with visual impairments, without identified cognitive or memory loss 2) involved a real world indoor and/or outdoor route(s) which were used as the context of the study, 3) was published for peer review in an academic journal or conference proceeding, 4) included a route-centered travel experience, 5) articulated a route description with a specific destination/endpoint, and 6) executed a wayfinding task. The challenge. Five electronic surveys were returned, and a further 37 supplementary searches were conducted to uncover validity or reliability data (Fig. https://www.statista.com/statistics/267346/average-apple-app-store-price-app. Refraction. First, this review focused on individuals with blindness, visual impairments, and deafblindness without additional cognitive disabilities. Flathead screwdriver. Impairment Blindness 105 (10), 692702. An Outdoor Navigation System for Blind Pedestrians Using GPS and Tactile-Foot Feedback. doi:10.1177/0145482x1611000303. doi:10.1177/0145482x0910300406, Saha, M., Fiannaca, A. J., Kneisel, M., Cutrell, E., and Morris, M. R. (2019). J. Vis. Hamilton, A. D. & Brady, R. R. W. Medical professional involvement in smartphone apps in dermatology. 135, 102369. doi:10.1016/j.ijhcs.2019.102369, Havik, E. M., Kooijman, A. C., and Steyvers, F. J. J. M. (2011). doi:10.1145/3308561.3353776, Snchez, J., and Senz, M. (2010). Twenty-three studies (65.7%) recorded the amount or average amount of turns in each route. Then, you can visit the dashboard and start asking questions. #3. The visual acuity self-assessment tools in this review directed the user to visit a professional for further advice or testing. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrs.2004.01.014 (2004). This visual acuity test is an online tool that gives you a quick reading on your current vision. Our findings are organized into a conceptual framework, which is influenced by the FITT model for technology adoption (Sheehan et al., 2012; Gray et al., 2016). User's Evaluations of Four Electronic Travel Aids Aimed at Navigation for Persons Who Are Visually Impaired. Qualitative measures included interviews, rating scales, diaries, or functionality feedback on the features of the device. Huckvale, K., Adomaviciute, S., Prieto, J. T., Leow, M. K. S. & Car, J. Smartphone apps for calculating insulin dose: a systematic assessment. Editors M. J. Sensors (Basel) 17 (8), 1882. doi:10.3390/s17081882, Koutsoklenis, A., and Papadopoulos, K. (2011a). Wayfinding is an essential life function for human beings. For the second level of review, the research team which consisted of two faculty members, and three masters level graduate students, began reviewing the abstracts of each article, identifying studies that incorporated six specific criteria created to answer our original research question. Regulations to Be Made in Urban Areas in Order to Improve Accessibility of the Visually-impaired. Med. There is a need for regulation of tools for the self-testing of visual acuity to reduce potential risk or confusion to users. For technology developers and for researchers, understanding the reason that surface changes or stairs may be more challenging for some travelers with low vision is important; therefore, more information on participant etiologies is helpful for exploring the utility of devices for people with specific constraints. It's also the most important step, because, when making a decision, you'll have to choose between solutions that may satisfy different values. Engelstad, C., Malaier, S., ODay, B., Sheffield, R., Schaller, E., Snow, D., et al. Human Wayfinding and Cognitive Maps. JMIR mHealth uHealth. doi:10.1145/3290605.3300246, Guerreiro, J., Ohn-Bar, E., Ahmetovic, D., Kitani, K., and Asakawa, C. (2018). There is a need to establish regulatory standards for vision self-assessment tools to ensure that user safety is not compromised. As early hunter-gatherers, wayfinding was crucial for survival and today it remains a complex skill that is connected with quality of life, mental health, and economic prosperity (Allen, 2007; Golledge, 2003; Scherer and Glueckauf, 2005). It is described by Wiener et al. The majority (n=25) presented optotypes one by one. Not including a specific link to clinical or support services may mean that only a small proportion of people who fail a vision self-test act on the results. A majority of the studies had preview or training time to learn the wayfinding technology. Although wayfinding technology is designed to look for the concise routes, visually impaired participants expressed that longer routes were perceived, at times, to be safer routes than the most efficient route (Zaib et al., 2019; Cohen and Dalyot, 2020). There are a number of tools which are used to diagnose individuals who might be autistic. Article This project has received funding from the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 6:723816. doi: 10.3389/feduc.2021.723816. Acta Ophthalmol. Int. These training sessions ranged widely in duration and in form, with some sessions including a preview of the technology using two routes within a training area each being 80 feet long with three turns until 80% accuracy achieved. doi:10.1007/s00779-005-0350-y, Caraiman, S., Zvoristeanu, O., Burlacu, A., and Herghelegiu, P. (2019). https://doi.org/10.2196/10414 (2018). NITC-RR-1177). Availableat: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/assistive-technology. Only four studies included single routes which transitioned between indoor and outdoor settings (Ahmetovic et al., 2016; Ahmetovic et al., 2017; Rodriguez-Sanchez and Martinez-Romo, 2017; Cheraghi et al., 2019). The REST was also significantly quicker to administer than ETDRS. Other researchers used RFID tags, QR codes, magnetic data from steel building infrastructure, or broadly described sensor-based wayfinding supports. doi:10.1145/3308561.3354621, Cheraghi, S. A., Namboodiri, V., and Walker, L. (2017). Documind will scan all the documents to find answers. Design and Construction of Electronic Aid for Visually Impaired People. 2, 82 (2019). J. Vis. An eye test can help decide whether it's time to update your prescription or to begin wearing glasses or contact lenses. doi:10.1177/0145482X1110501016, Koutsoklenis, A., and Papadopoulos, K. (2014). A Vision-Based Wayfinding System for Visually Impaired People Using Situation Awareness and Activity-Based Instructions. Researchers reported the use of widely available commercial apps as well as specially designed apps to support visually impaired travelers with wayfinding tasks. Indoor Navigation with Smart Phone IMU for the Visually Impaired in university Buildings. (2018). Human-mach. The second most common presentation format was to present the entire chart (n=11). National Eye Institute (2019a). When technology is being used, additional time for training participants in use of the technology is required (Kalia et al., 2010; Ko and Kim, 2017). The child with both eyes opened is initially made familiar with the balls. From our systematic review, we found that a variety of scholars, institutions, governments, and corporations have been engaged in creating, funding, and disseminating practical summaries of wayfinding technologies (see Table 4 Research Institutions and Financial Support). Because wayfinding devices not only have audio but visual features, knowing about participants visual acuities and etiologies is important for researchers and practitioners alike to be able to make connections between what types of devices may be more supportive for different types of individuals. On both Google Play and Google online searches, the first hundred hits were screened. http://doi.org/doi:10.1001/archophthalmol.2009.240 (2009). The Effectiveness of Visual and Audio Wayfinding Guidance on Smartglasses for People with Low Vision, in Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (New York City, NY: Association for Computing Machinery), 114. doi:10.1108/JAT-05-2015-0018, Zhao, Y., Kupferstein, E., Rojnirun, H., Findlater, L., and Azenkot, S. (2020). Deep Trail-Following Robotic Guide Dog in Pedestrian Environments for People Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired-Learning from Virtual and Real Worlds. Front. The majority of tools (n=38) provided instructions for completing the test in a standard way, for example, positioning at the correct distance from the display. Claud Worth in 1896 introduced the ivory ball test for the visual acuity assessment of children between 1-3 years of age. To view Dr. Shinobu Ishihara's publications, visit PubMed. (Giudice et al, 2020) found that after using the wayfinding system, participants reported an increased likelihood of independent exploration. At times, guide dogs may avoid elements in a route that are novel. There was also a small number that presented the optotypes using non-validated methods, for example line by line (e.g., better vision by Cambridge Institute for Better Vision; SeeDrivePro by EyeLab Ltd), or within a circle of selectable letters (e.g., vutest by EyeLab Ltd). doi:10.1177/0145482X1110501009, Havik, E. M., Steyvers, F. J., Kooijman, A. C., and Melis-Dankers, B. J. For equity, it is important that researchers from diverse countries continue to create and support universal design with a focus on wayfinding. eye exams which impact cognitive testing. NavCog3 in the Wild. Our systematic review found that the positioning of these wayfinding devices on the travelers body had a profound impact on the way that participants were able to use information dynamically. Global Estimates of Visual Impairment: 2010. doi:10.1007/s12193-018-0263-5, Bradley, N. A., and Dunlop, M. D. (2005). 1. NIH. 140. doi:10.1145/3264919. (Statista, 2018). A potential reason for the prevalence of UREs may be the lack of access to vision care services. J. Vis. In some instances, participants voiced that the app was easy for them because the information from the device reduced what they needed to remember along an indoor route (Zaib et al., 2019). For example, in one study conducted in Amsterdam, a participant reported that he could not adequately benefit from the wayfinding instructions from the headset because it did not interface with his bluetooth hearing aids (van der Bie et al., 2016). What is Visual AI? - Automated Visual Testing | Applitools Age was not mentioned in nine of the studies. Shinobu Ishihara, MD, (d. 1963) was an army opthamologist in Tokyo, Japan. Tools and Techniques | Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) | W3C Eight of the 35 included studies involved research teams from Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) and each of these was supported by corporate sponsors such as IBM Japan or the Shimizu Corporation (Ahmetovic et al., 2016; Ahmetovic et al., 2017; Guerreiro et al., 2018; Guerreiro et al., 2019; Guerreiro et al., 2020; Murata et al., 2019; Ohn-Bar et al., 2018; Sato et al., 2019). Effective mobility devices are designed to support a person dynamically, enabling individuals to use compensatory sensory information for spatial navigation. Boolean operators were used in conjunction with the terms wayfinding, mobility, orientation or travel combined with visually impaired, blind or deafblind and indoor, outdoor or urban environment. The initial date range was restricted to roughly 10years, from 2009 to the present (February, 2021) and later limited to a five-year search to focus on more recent evolutions in wayfinding. Best Tools 2022 | Must-Have Tools for Homeowners and DIYers From an equity perspective, many visually impaired people in the world do not have access to opportunities to explore these technologies in their daily lives. For example, one study that we excluded met all inclusionary criteria, and described a practical and well-designed route-based application with participants who were blind or had low vision to be able to retrace their routes, but according to the researchers was conducted in a controlled setting, where there was less chance of encountering other people (Flores and Manducci, 2018a). Researchers within the corpus of studies used mixed method designs as well as quantitative approaches to evaluate the efficiency and usability of technologies during routes. Thank you for visiting nature.com. The search engine Google was used to identify online tools and Google Play and the Apple App Store were used to identify smartphone and tablet applications. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0203772, Kalia, A. doi:10.15439/2016f135, Balata, J., Mikovec, Z., and Slavik, P. (2018).