DEVELOPING SOUNDS FOR A MULTIMODAL INTERFACE: CONVEYING SPATIAL INFORMATION TO VISUALLY IMPAIRED WEB USERS

A multimodal browser plug-in, with audio and haptic feedback, has been developed to explore how basic concepts in spatial navigation can be conveyed to web users with visual impairments. In this paper, the second version of an audio interface for this plug-in is described in terms of its development and integration with haptic feedback. This version of the system was evaluated within a collaborative setting, in order to investigate whether it is possible to use this tool in a working environment between visually impaired and sighted Internet users. The auditory interface is discussed based on user feedback from this evaluation, and future sound design plans are presented in relation to the new direction for the overall system.