Blind and Visually Impaired Community
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Vizefind: Is a recovery device for missing electronics / tech useful? (self.Blind)
submitted by EfficiencySuitable55
HELLO! I am part of a team of biomedical engineering students and we are designing Vizefind which is device that helps blind people recover missing devices (specifically missing electronics and technology). We drew inspiration from a similar thread on R/Blind. Together, we have developed the following questions in order to strengthen our understanding of the perspectives of those with visual impairments. Please answer one or preferably all of these questions. :) ✨
1. Are there any aspects of being visually impaired that you enjoy or are otherwise beneficial to your life currently? If so, how would you describe them?
2. If everybody could know one thing about blindness/visual impairment, and those who have to deal with it, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
3. How often do you misplace electronic devices (phones, primarily, but also things like laptops and tablets) and have difficulty finding them again? Does this have a noticeable impact on your daily life?
4. If we were to design a product specifically to help the visually impaired locate misplaced electronics, what would be the first thing that comes to mind that we should consider in terms of what would be the most helpful?
5. Would you personally buy and use a device meant to help the visually impaired locate misplaced electronics, given that it took the concerns you mentioned in the previous question into consideration? If not, can you think of any people or groups to which this device might be more helpful?
Thanks in advance!! On behalf of my team, your reply is greatly appreciated!
1. Are there any aspects of being visually impaired that you enjoy or are otherwise beneficial to your life currently? If so, how would you describe them?
2. If everybody could know one thing about blindness/visual impairment, and those who have to deal with it, what is the first thing that comes to mind?
3. How often do you misplace electronic devices (phones, primarily, but also things like laptops and tablets) and have difficulty finding them again? Does this have a noticeable impact on your daily life?
4. If we were to design a product specifically to help the visually impaired locate misplaced electronics, what would be the first thing that comes to mind that we should consider in terms of what would be the most helpful?
5. Would you personally buy and use a device meant to help the visually impaired locate misplaced electronics, given that it took the concerns you mentioned in the previous question into consideration? If not, can you think of any people or groups to which this device might be more helpful?
Thanks in advance!! On behalf of my team, your reply is greatly appreciated!
codeofdusk 4 points 1y ago
What differentiates you from findMy, Tyle, Android mobile device manager (find my device), or AirTag?
EfficiencySuitable55 [OP] 1 points 1y ago
Yeah I think the big thing about airtags is the fact they’re limited to a subset of Apple users and they’re pretty expensive, tile is more accessible but it has less features and still pricey if you want to use it for multiple things, these are also not built specifically for blind users and we want to make something that adresses their specific needs which is why we want to consult with visually impaired people so that we can get a sense of what features would actually useful for them or modify current features to suit them better
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
[deleted]
OldManOnFire 3 points 1y ago
1. No, not really. Going blind was emotionally traumatic. Being blind means bruised shins and loss of income and awkward conversations. If there's been an upside it's that blindness resets a person's priorities. Roth IRAs and the latest industry certifications get replaced with a broader, more humane view of one's own life and place in the world. It has gotten easier over time, and this new reality isn't any worse than the old one, it's just different. It took awhile to get used to.
2. We're human beings too. Our abilities may have diminished but our dreams haven't changed. We still want to part of the circle, one of the team, respected and appreciated, not pitied or excluded or ignored.
3. It's not an easy question. I lose my phone all the time, but it's always within arm's reach. I just grab six inches away from it and miss it. So it's not really lost. I know it's on the nightstand somewhere, just not exactly where. When a person loses their sight they start paying a little more attention to where things are. For example, my shoes. The tan soft ones are on the left, the steel toed boots are in the closet, the grey lace up sneakers are next to the soft ones, the white ones are to the right pf the grey ones, and the pair I wear dancing are in the closet to the right of the steel toed boots. I wouldn't have known that when I still had eyesight because I wouldn't have needed to know - I could have just looked at the shoes and picked out the pair I wanted. That's the mindset we develop. If you're going to make a device please try to work with our mindset and not just replace it.
4. Allow each user to record a phrase for an item (such as "Find my phone"). When that phrase is spoken the item linked to that phrase starts making noise.
5. Personally no, but that's because I live with my wife and two teenage kids. I just have to ask "Hey Sara, can you call me so I can find my phone? And when you call Daddy in your contact list it better be my phone that rings, not that lame ass boyfriend of yours!" If I lived alone then I would consider buying it, but first I'd check to see if Siri or Alexa has a feature that already does the same thing. I don't have a Siri or an Alexa but I imagine I could just say "Siri, call OldManOnFire" and my phone would start ringing.
2. We're human beings too. Our abilities may have diminished but our dreams haven't changed. We still want to part of the circle, one of the team, respected and appreciated, not pitied or excluded or ignored.
3. It's not an easy question. I lose my phone all the time, but it's always within arm's reach. I just grab six inches away from it and miss it. So it's not really lost. I know it's on the nightstand somewhere, just not exactly where. When a person loses their sight they start paying a little more attention to where things are. For example, my shoes. The tan soft ones are on the left, the steel toed boots are in the closet, the grey lace up sneakers are next to the soft ones, the white ones are to the right pf the grey ones, and the pair I wear dancing are in the closet to the right of the steel toed boots. I wouldn't have known that when I still had eyesight because I wouldn't have needed to know - I could have just looked at the shoes and picked out the pair I wanted. That's the mindset we develop. If you're going to make a device please try to work with our mindset and not just replace it.
4. Allow each user to record a phrase for an item (such as "Find my phone"). When that phrase is spoken the item linked to that phrase starts making noise.
5. Personally no, but that's because I live with my wife and two teenage kids. I just have to ask "Hey Sara, can you call me so I can find my phone? And when you call Daddy in your contact list it better be my phone that rings, not that lame ass boyfriend of yours!" If I lived alone then I would consider buying it, but first I'd check to see if Siri or Alexa has a feature that already does the same thing. I don't have a Siri or an Alexa but I imagine I could just say "Siri, call OldManOnFire" and my phone would start ringing.
[deleted] 1 points 1y ago
[removed]
Laser_Lens_4 1 points 1y ago
I use airtags
SqornshellousZ 1 points 1y ago
You know how important it is to tell children, "There are no dumb questions" so they are encouraged to built their self esteem and willingness to learn? These here are some poorly considered prompts.
What's the upside of being visually impaired? Reminds of of the few, but remarkably common, number of people who ask "how blind do you have to be to get a cane?" like it's some some power of royal edict bestowed by our governor general. "By the laying of this sword of maple upon thy brow, I say rise thy Sir Blindymcblinsface and take this magic wand to guide you."
It's not hard to answer these questions yourself. Wear a blinsfold for a month. It will be the most challanging thing you ever do and you can speak from experiance in future.
What's the upside of being visually impaired? Reminds of of the few, but remarkably common, number of people who ask "how blind do you have to be to get a cane?" like it's some some power of royal edict bestowed by our governor general. "By the laying of this sword of maple upon thy brow, I say rise thy Sir Blindymcblinsface and take this magic wand to guide you."
It's not hard to answer these questions yourself. Wear a blinsfold for a month. It will be the most challanging thing you ever do and you can speak from experiance in future.
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