"I didn't know how to read a map, but now I can": TouchingSpace, an Audio-Haptic Map for Blind and Low-Vision Readers
Abstract
Accessible map systems either make a layout explorable by hand or convey information through speech; few combine both to support pre-travel spatial understanding for blind and low-vision (BLV) people. We present TouchingSpace: a system that retrieves map data for an outdoor place and renders its surroundings as bounded regions at fixed trackpad positions. During exploration, users receive audio and haptic feedback and can ask a conversational agent open-ended questions. We conducted a user study with fourteen BLV participants who explored a place using TouchingSpace and reflected on the experience. We found participants used sound and vibration to locate places and speech to identify and describe them; the bounded surface supported discovery, revision, and spatial checks by hand; they expected this awareness to support future travel. TouchingSpace demonstrates how a laptop trackpad can support self-directed spatial exploration. These findings suggest accessible AI maps should ground conversation on bounded, user-controlled spatial surfaces.
