Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Would this app you? (self.Blind)
submitted by fatuglyproud
EDIT: The title should say 'would this app HELP you?' Apologies.
I am sighted and I don't know anything about being blind. However, someone I know told me a story about their friend (let's call him Dave) who lost their sight years ago.
Dave says that when he is walking somewhere he knows the feel of the ground, how many bumps he has to walk over before he gets to his destination and that sort of thing. He must focus on this as he walks. If he starts to daydream or otherwise lose focus he may forget where he is. Does this happen often?
Dave said there is no app that can help him regain his bearings after this as the closest an app will tell you is what street you're on. Dave wants an app which would tell him more precisely.
I thought an app which could tell him where the nearest shop is to him would help. For example the app would say, 'you are 5 meters away from Burger King', and if he walked up the road it could say 'you are 7 meters away from the subway station'.
How do you deal with this problem? Does an app like this already exist? If not, would this idea be helpful?
I am sighted and I don't know anything about being blind. However, someone I know told me a story about their friend (let's call him Dave) who lost their sight years ago.
Dave says that when he is walking somewhere he knows the feel of the ground, how many bumps he has to walk over before he gets to his destination and that sort of thing. He must focus on this as he walks. If he starts to daydream or otherwise lose focus he may forget where he is. Does this happen often?
Dave said there is no app that can help him regain his bearings after this as the closest an app will tell you is what street you're on. Dave wants an app which would tell him more precisely.
I thought an app which could tell him where the nearest shop is to him would help. For example the app would say, 'you are 5 meters away from Burger King', and if he walked up the road it could say 'you are 7 meters away from the subway station'.
How do you deal with this problem? Does an app like this already exist? If not, would this idea be helpful?
bondolo 2 points 7y ago
The app you are describing is very similar to BlindSquare.
fatuglyproud [OP] 1 points 7y ago
Thank you for informing me.
This would certainly be a competitor. Would the app I described make a good free alternative? What could I add to my app to make it better?
This would certainly be a competitor. Would the app I described make a good free alternative? What could I add to my app to make it better?
fastfinge 2 points 7y ago
The thing that scares me about free apps is that they don't stay maintained. In general, my experience is that a free app written by a blind developer will be kept up to date, because she is "eating her own dog food" so to speak, by using the app herself. Unfortunately, a sighted programmer who writes a free app, even with the best intentions, will usually stop development when life gets busy, if no money is coming in. Even though nobody can really make a full time living writing apps for the blind, sighted developers who charge for apps seem to stay more committed to them. Please don't take this criticism personally! You're a wonderful person for even thinking about doing this, and I know you don't intend to write an app and then abandon it. I'm just telling you the trend I've noticed, to explain why I would be reluctant to make a free app something I might come to depend on for my daily travel.
Another thing to take into account is that GPS accuracy is limited to about 5 meters or so. While I use GPS every time I travel on my own, for me it is something to give me a clue that I'm getting really close to my destination, that I'm walking in the right direction, and so on. But it can't get me there exactly, just because GPS isn't that accurate, and maps aren't nearly perfect in most areas.
I use Blindsquare for all of my travel needs myself, because it does this really, really well. I do not need or want turn by turn directions. Instead, Blindsquare lets me track my destination, and then it'll announce how far away I am, and what direction my goal is from my current location. When I already know how to get where I'm going, that's enough to make my journey feel that much safer and more secure.
Another thing to take into account is that GPS accuracy is limited to about 5 meters or so. While I use GPS every time I travel on my own, for me it is something to give me a clue that I'm getting really close to my destination, that I'm walking in the right direction, and so on. But it can't get me there exactly, just because GPS isn't that accurate, and maps aren't nearly perfect in most areas.
I use Blindsquare for all of my travel needs myself, because it does this really, really well. I do not need or want turn by turn directions. Instead, Blindsquare lets me track my destination, and then it'll announce how far away I am, and what direction my goal is from my current location. When I already know how to get where I'm going, that's enough to make my journey feel that much safer and more secure.
Unuhi 1 points 7y ago
There are a few other apps that do the same. But competition can be good.
Some of the features it needs: being able to tell the distance and direction to things, give walking directions, and you need to be able to add your map points in the go. "Bus stop for 803", "usps mailbox", "entrance to company x", "entrance to hospital" etc.
GeoGo and OpenMaps allow some of the map tagging, and here are a few apps rhat you can use to map http://geogo.capmac.org/Geotagging_Apps.html
Oh, and of course the apps need to have voiceover or talkback compatibility, high contrast/zoom aka low vision mode and ideally integrate with apple or samsung watch.
Some of the features it needs: being able to tell the distance and direction to things, give walking directions, and you need to be able to add your map points in the go. "Bus stop for 803", "usps mailbox", "entrance to company x", "entrance to hospital" etc.
GeoGo and OpenMaps allow some of the map tagging, and here are a few apps rhat you can use to map http://geogo.capmac.org/Geotagging_Apps.html
Oh, and of course the apps need to have voiceover or talkback compatibility, high contrast/zoom aka low vision mode and ideally integrate with apple or samsung watch.
Marconius 1 points 7y ago
Sendero LookAround and BlindSquare GPS already do pretty much exactly what you've described. If you do decide to make an app that challenges them, make absolutely sure you keep accessibility an important part of the design process and consult blind and Low Vision users on how the app should function.
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