Final Words

Reflection on the work done so far and future steps

When I started the project, I had no idea how to design for mixed realities, nor how to use animation programs, a set-back that became evident during the prototyping stage. The result wasn’t quite what I was hoping for, even if it was useful for testing touch gestures and audio cues (a significant component of this product). I think with some more work with animations and AR tools, they could bring the idea to life and help other people visualize how this product could benefit people without sight. And how it can make travel more fun and interesting for everyone.

I was able to do some preliminary testing, but it’s very simple and doesn’t fully transmit what I intended for the product. In future iterations, I would develop a real prototype, using AR technology that would allow the user to do the tests while interacting with either their environment or a video. I would also keep working on the interactions the user can perform with the glasses. Something that came out of making the prototype, as well as the tests, was that the gestures might be too complicated to remember. It might be interesting to develop different learning modes that the user can progress through — giving more helpful cues, or less, depending on which level they’re at.

Given the proper resources and time, I would have conducted user interviews in the beginning. I had a few documentary videos regarding travel without sight, which were invaluable for gaining insight into how people manage, but some actual feedback would’ve been incredible. It would be great to be able to use VR (or ideally, real smart glasses) and ask people with different forms of visual impairment to test out prototypes.

There are also a lot of additional features that could be included that would bring out the full potential of smart glasses. From being able to identify any object the user is holding, to merely adapting the fonts and colours to suit a person’s needs better. It would also be interesting to take this further and see how it can pair with an app, not just for the practicalities of user settings, but as an additional tool for extending mobility for users who can’t use the touch gestures on the glasses.

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