Abstract
Advancements in accessibility technologies, such as low-cost swell form printers and refreshable tactile displays, offer new opportunities for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals to access data through non-visual means. However, many tactile representations of data are directly adapted from visual designs, which may not align with the perceptual strengths or needs of BLV users. In this thesis, I investigate how BLV individuals interpret data when common visual chart types are rendered in tactile form.
The study replicates the influential Cleveland and McGill graphical perception experiment using tactile charts produced on swell paper and involves eleven BLV participants. I examine participants’ accuracy and the strategies they employ to interpret bar charts, pie charts, bubble charts, and stacked bar charts. A follow-up group interview further explores the reasoning behind these strategies and surfaces additional perceptual challenges.
While some visual encoding principles effectively translate to the tactile modality, others pose difficulties due to fundamental differences between visual and tactile perception. These insights lead to a set of preliminary design guidelines for more effective tactile graphics that consider the unique strategies and affordances of touch-based data exploration.