In classrooms, blind and low-vision (BLV) students are often left behind when instructors introduce graphs, charts, or diagrams, as existing braille displays are too costly, fragile, or slow for real-time learning.
As a UX Researcher on this project, I study BLV students’ needs and translate them into design insights that guide engineering prototypes. Through academic research and user interviews, our team is developing affordable, durable, and multimodal tactile interfaces using mechanical braille modules to make visual data more accessible in everyday classroom settings.
Create a product that enables BLV students to follow along with graphs and diagrams in classrooms.
A tactile interface for real-time learning.
Affordability: High device costs make adoption infeasible
Portability: Bulky hardware was distracting and discouraged daily use.
Single-Modality: Multi-modal feedback is most effective
After transcribing and coding the interviews for recurring themes, affinity mapping revealed four non-negotiable priorities voiced across participants:
Key Insights Callout
How might we balance affordability, speed, and portability in tactile interfaces while integrating audio feedback?
To ground the findings in experience, I developed a persona based on recurring themes:
Persona: Representing common goals, frustrations, and needs
Mapping Alex’s classroom experience highlighted the gap between current tools and an ideal inclusive future:
User Journey Map: Current vs. Ideal classroom experience
Moved from piezoelectric pin arrays —> Hackaday electromechanical braille modules for affordability
Committed to combing tactile + audio feedback
Focused on portability, repairability, and classroom viability
Comparative Diagram: Piezoelectric vs. Hackaday modules
CAD render of Hackaday electromechanical braille module
Learned to design accessible interview protocols
Strengthened skills in qualitative analysis
Recognized balance between engineering and user needs
Improved at translating user priorities into engineering constraints
Prototyping:
Transition from UX Researcher to Product Designer, focusing on translating insights into tangible interfaces
Design tablet overlay prototypes using Hackaday mechanical braille modules
Integrate audio feedback to support multimodal interaction and real-time learning
Conduct usability testing with BLV students to evaluate accessibility, usability, and classroom integration
Timeline
