Exploration
The second cycle started with an observation in context. This gave the possibility to identify a target interaction for my design intervention. Prototypes were first tested in role plays, then evaluated with a target user, and eventually tested in context.
Participatory observation
In order to immerse myself into the dine out experience of blind people, I took a blind person to a restaurant.
Diving into the field of dining out, the first activity was a participatory observation, where the current situation was explored more in depth in order to reframe the Design Goal and Interaction Vision. Further research was focused on the interaction in the moment when the waiter serves the meal.
Pain points in the current situation
During the restaurant visit, the blind person faces a series of several peaks, where orientation is difficult and the stress level shows a drastic increase.
The blind person is relatively cautious in communicating and interacting with the waiter. The waiter on the other hand is normally not used to serve visually impaired and thus might behave reserved and insecure. That leads to uncertainty for the blind, since they don‘t fully catch the situation and face the unknown.
Uncertainty
How can the blind person experience less unknown?
Communication Failure
How can the communication between both be improved?
Restraint
How can the blind person become more self-determined?
Insecurity
What causes both feel insecure during the interaction?
Design Goal
Let blind people profit from a supportive communication with the waiter in a restaurant during the serving moment of the order.
Prototyping & Testing
A range of diverse prototypes were initially tested in stand-up roleplays, iterated and evaluated by a visually impaired and eventually tried in real context. The prototypes used haptic, audible and visual cues with and without technology.
