Daily Note: Enhancing Orientation and Mobility with 3D Printed Maps and Icons

These notes are a summary of concepts presented in “3D Printed Maps and Icons for Inclusion: Testing in the Wild by People who are Blind or have Low Vision.”

Leona Holloway, Kim Marriott, Matthew Butler, and Samuel Reinders. 2019. 3D Printed Maps and Icons for Inclusion: Testing in the Wild by People who are Blind or have Low Vision. In Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS ’19). Association for Computing Machinery, New York, NY, USA, 183–195. https://doi.org/10.1145/3308561.3353790

  1. Traditional Tactile Graphics and 3D Printing
    • Importance of tactile graphics in orientation and mobility training
    • Limitations of traditional production methods
      • Braille embossing – low fidelity
      • Microcapsule swell paper – limited to elevations under 0.5mm
      • Thermoforming – Cannot produce sharp features or overhangs
    • Potential of 3D printing for creating more meaningful, inclusive maps
  2. Tactile Graphics
    • Role of tactile graphics
      • Raised line drawings for mental mapping
      • Includes braille labels and descriptions
    • Challenges:
      • Specialized format requiring user experience and familiarity
      • Limited to flat, abstract symbols
  3. 3D Printed Models
    • Advantages of 3D printed models
      • Better representation of relative height
      • Improved memorability and understanding
      • Use of representational 3D icons for easier recognition without prior experience
    • Design considerations
      • Space between icons for touch reading
      • Most recognizable features positioned at the top
  4. Benefits of 3D Maps for Orientation and Mobility
    • Support for
      • Landmark identification
      • Route planning
      • Mental map creation
    • Practical applications
      • Placement in relaxed environments (e.g., site entrances, home use)
      • Inclusive appeal for both blind and low vision and sighted communities
  5. Design and Accessibility Considerations
    • General design guidelines
      • Durability in fabrication
      • Culturally relevant icons
      • Icons to be simple, distinctive, and tactilely intuitive
      • Important features should be located on top of the icons
    • Dimensions
      • Icon width: 1.5–2.5cm; tallest indicator: 4cm
        • Pathways on large maps: Indented and >7mm wide
    • Accessibility features
      • Large print, high contrast visuals, meaningful color use
      • Textures, keys with print, braille, and audio
  6. Limitations of Tactile and 3D Maps
    • Tactile maps
      • Limited to 10–15 distinct abstract symbols for clarity
    • 3D icons
      • Cultural specificity may limit cross-context usability
      • Simple designs required for easy recognition
  7. Impact of 3D Printing on Wayfinding
    • Key components of wayfinding
      • Orientation, route decisions, mental mapping, closure
      • Improved icon discrimination and faster navigation with volumetric symbols mixed with 2D symbols