Idea: Blind Users Interface

RH:
1. Many lifestyle devices nowadays seem to be digital and based on the computer, for example, mp3 players like the iPod, cellphones that are practically small computers, with Operating Systems like Symbian, Windows Mobile, etc. This idea is for devices like these, with the characteristics of being digital; small and therefore difficult for blind people to operate, since there are no big, easy-to-feel knobs to use; and producing an audio signal either from earbuds in the case of the iPod or built-in speakers like the cellphones.

2. Small sized devices cannot have big knobs that home hi-fi devices can have, so blind users find it much harder to use these small devices. Indeed, these small devices often have no knobs, just a small touch-dial or thin, shallow button/s that may be pressed, rotated, etc. They invariably have a small screen display for normal, sighted, users to see which menu is being active [open] and which menu option to select [by pressing] to operate the device.

3. It is impossible to request ALL these device manufacturers to build in easier features for the blind since blind users are a minority. Even legislation will not be able to compel device makers to make them blind-friendlier. So, taking the iconic iPod and the typical cellphone as primary devices, what are their common characteristics such that we can create a Blind Users Interface that will work for ALL of them, such that all these device makers need only add this free and open source code without cost to their devices to make them useable by the blind as well as sighted users? With minimum adaptation work.

4. Common characteristics : the usual interface for sighted people are a small display screen that displays the current 'page' of the menu that is being 'open', this menu of several options any of which can be 'selected' by pressing a button after rotating a dial. This visual interface would be in words on the screen while selection will be by pressing a button after rotating a dial through the various word options.

5. Suppose we write code for a BUI? This code should be easily incorporated into all the major OSes used by mp3 device makers and cellphone makers initially, then maybe ported to other, bigger, devices. Its basic structure will be similar although many versions would have to be adapted for various OSes.

6. This BUI can use text-to-speech tech to read out any word selected on the menu of the screen. Other than the bulk of the text-to-speech program, this should not be difficult since the program in the device will already recognise which word is being selected or which button pressed to action the chosen menu option -- since this is already the interface for sighted people. Thus, the BUI will sit on top of whatever program is used for the sighted interface. Except that while the sighted user will read the word on the menu, the blind user will hear the word spoken out loud, either through the earbuds or built-in loudspeaker/s.

7. When the blind user rotates the dial, the various menu options selected in turn will be read out until he comes to the option he wants. He will have to rotate slower than a sighted user because it takes more time to read out a word than to glance it with eyes. Once he hears the menu option he wants, he presses the centre button on the iPod to action that option, just like the sighted user.

8. If the text-to-speech program is too big and slows down the small device, then discard this. Instead, link every word option in the menu with its spoken audio-file equivalent, a one-for-one correspondence that should use less space and memory. Do this for all the languages used in the device. This should not demand too much capacity or slow down the device.

9. The above would apply for iPods and the like which have no user-created words but in cellphones, there are not only menu options to be read out loud but also user-created contacts names and numbers so a text-to-speech program is probably the only way. Alternatively, it may be smaller in size and memory requirements to have someone like the blind user or a friend to read and record these contacts names and numbers and have this input into the program, I dont know. Quite some work to link these audio files to their corresponding lines of code in the program. [It may be possible to first code in a list of numbered 'spaces' which the blind user can then read in HIS numbered order, for easier one to one correspondence of audio to corresponding lines of code].

10. Hopefully, by version 2.0 or 3.0, this open source, free BUI will be robust and powerful enough to make a difference to blind users.

--
RH: MY ACQUAINTANCE, MR DAVID DUCLOS, A FORMER POLICE INSPECTOR, AND HIS LAWYER FRIEND, EYEWITNESSED LEE KUAN YEW RIGGING THE 1997 CHENG SAN GRC ELECTION. READ MORE AT MY BLOG ENTITLED "I CAME, I SAW, I SOLVED IT" :

http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/

[ALSO AT THE ABOVE BLOG, LIE KUAN YEW's LIES, CORRUPTION, WRONGFUL JAILING, TORTURE AND BEATING TO DEATH OF INNOCENT POLITICAL PRISONERS LIKE MR CHAN HOCK HUA]

READ ALSO MARTYN SEE's INTERVIEW WITH ME AT:

http://singaporerebel.blogspot.com/

ALSO AT:

http://i-came-i-saw-i-wrote-it.blogspot.com/2007/03/filmmaker-martyn-see-interviews-robert.html

FOR QUICK, IRREVERENT REASONS WHY LIE KY DESERVES A NOBEL:

http://i-came-i-saw-i-solved-it.blogspot.com/search/label/Not%20nominated%20for%20a%20Nobel%20so%20LIE%20KY%20gives%20himself%20many%20others

MY ARCHIVE OF WORKS AT:

http://i-came-i-saw-i-wrote-it.blogspot.com/
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