Ploy: An Interative Game For Visually Impaired Children

Abstract

Designing for visually impaired is an awakening and humbling experience which reminds us of various subtleties of human interaction with products which might go unnoticed for people with sight. It gives a rich opportunity to design a product based on interactive design techniques. Children are naturally inquisitive and are inclined towards exploring their surroundings through interaction. Visual impairment in children marks 37% of the total 1.25 million blind population in Pakistan which is expected to double in 2040. Vision loss is an incredibly variable experience in terms of its causes, how it affects one's sight and how it alters perception. Technology plays a vital role in translating perception to reality. An example is augmented reality, which has revolutionized our perception of time and space through sight. Similarly, multisensory interaction design is an emerging technology that can be used to revolutionize the way visually impaired children interact with products and expand their consciousness to their surroundings. This project aims at developing interactive multisensory game for children with both low vision and complete blindness. The game is designed to develop their cognitive (conscious thinking, memory retention, decision making) and motor skills (performing physical movements using muscles) by integrating multi-faceted interactive product. The design objective is to combine play and user sensitive engagement with form and materiality.