Three-dimensional Nonvisual Directional Guidance for People with Visual Impairments

Conveying directional feedback is important for individuals who are blind or have limited visual acuity. However, most studies have focused on supporting two-dimensional guidance. In this work, we investigated the effects of different nonvisual feedback conditions for providing directional guidance in a three-dimensional space. We conducted a user study with six people who are blind or have low vision to investigate the effects of stereo sound (on vs. off) and feedback modalities (beeping vs. vibration vs. beeping+vibration). Participants were asked to point a series of virtual targets randomly appeared around them in 3D with a laser pointer as quickly as possible. Findings suggest that the presence of beeping sound have better performance in terms of task completion time and travel distance compared to when vibration feedback was provided without beeping sound, which was the least preferred condition. In addition, we found that the presence of stereo sound has no significant effect on the performance although it is preferred by most participants. This work can contribute to 3D navigation for people who are blind or have limited visual acuity.