The masters thesis by Ing. Algis Skriabin, titled “Tactile Maps - Allowing Visually Impaired Independent Use of the Order System,” addresses the challenge of enabling visually impaired users to independently use the services provided by the website hapticke.mapy.cz. This site offers tactile maps for touch-based navigation, derived from standard map sources and converted into simplified black-and-white graphics.
Tactile maps are specially designed for people with visual impairments, allowing users to orient themselves in space using touch. These maps use various types of elevation, textures, and symbols to distinguish elements such as buildings, streets, sidewalks, and landmarks. By utilizing these features, blind and low-vision users can navigate cities and unfamiliar places with greater independence and safety, providing them with enhanced mobility in public spaces.
Currently, visually impaired users face difficulties when selecting the required maps on websites and rely on the help of sighted individuals due to inaccessible selection processes. To solve this problem, a web chat application with an AI assistant from OpenAI was designed by the student at FIT CTU. The AI assistant helps visually impaired users with map selection and ordering, simplifying the process of finding and ordering maps that improve spatial orientation. The application includes features such as map selection, information about streets and landmarks on chosen maps, consultation requests, and order creation.
During the writing of the thesis, an application was developed where the AI assistant met functional requirements, and user testing was conducted with visually impaired users to verify its practicality. The testing revealed that the user interface (UI) needed further improvements to better support standard assistive screen readers.
Feedback from the testing sessions led to plans for collaboration with the organization Theseus, which focuses on web accessibility and improving UI accessibility. This partnership successfully improved the UI in July 2024, making the application more user-friendly for visually impaired users and enhancing their overall experience with tactile maps.
“I’m glad we conducted user testing during the app design, which highlighted areas for improvement that we were able to address in collaboration with Theseus, making the application accessible to visually impaired users. The revised application was then tested again with positive results,” explains Algis Skriabin.
“The app is absolutely great and nearly perfect! Personally, I’m thrilled and praise Algis for the quick and thorough fix. The app is clear, efficient, simple, understandable, and accessible... I wouldn’t hesitate to present it as an example of best practice and a top-quality accessible interface on (not only) Czech websites,” says Lukáš Hosnedl, a blind digital accessibility specialist and developer of accessible games.
Algis is continuing the development of the project with the goal of fully integrating the chat application into mapy.cz.
