Exhibit Design Relating to Low Vision and Blindness: What Visitors with Vision Loss Want Museums and Parks to Know about Effective Communication

Tactile graphics

Participants were interviewed while experiencing a bronze tactile graphic in the National Air and Space Museum’s “Wright Brothers” exhibition. The graphic shows the journey of the Wright Brothers from Dayton, Ohio to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Analysis of the interviews revealed patterns or categories used to create a list of design features that should be taken into account when making an exhibition tactile graphic or model: 

Context

Objects need a connection and a context to the story being told by the map. Shapes of landscape features such as mountains were easily identifiable but unexpected elements such as a sailboat were not. The fact that there was train tracks on the map helped make the train an understandable object. The tracks provided context for the train but a steamboat floating in a gap between the railroad tracks didn’t adequately convey the change in transportation modes. 

Profile

Objects were shown in profile and a number of participants had difficulty recognizing the object. Feeling two wheels made participants think they were examining a two-wheeled object. It wasn't clear this was an object that actually had four wheels. Likewise everybody could tell there was an animal depicted on the map although it wasn’t clear if it was a horse, dog or cat. 

Detail

At six feet in length, the size of the map made it possible to show detail in the objects. When graphic objects such as the horse lacked detail, it caused confusion. Some graphic objects did not stand out sufficiently from their backgrounds. The train had depth to its details, making it a successful object. This observation is notable as it contrasts with a general principle in raised line graphic production of keeping graphics simple and free of extraneous detail.

Scale

The participants recognized that most of the map objects were kept in relative scale to one another. When scale was violated by some of the objects, it was confusing.

Braille

There was significant criticism of the map Braille, primarily due to its shape. Some of the phrases people used were “dull, puffy, not sharp enough, and slippery.” The Braille lacked clarity, as it was difficult to distinguish individual dots. The fact that it was cast in bronze may have been a factor. A participant noted one way to improve the legibility is to leave space in the bronze cast for Braille inserts. An interviewer noted if a reader uses the pads of their fingers instead of their tips they needed a certain amount of space below the Braille in order to accommodate the angle of their finger. Landscape features of the map sometimes interfered with reading the Braille.

Tactile letters

The map used a mixture of both serif and sans serif fonts for tactile letters. The font choice did not appear to be coordinated with different map features. Participants noted the serif font was not as legible as the sans serif font. They also noted the quality of the raised letters was better for some words than others.

Title and label placement

Everyone expected the title to be at the top and center of the map. However, it was at the bottom of the map and most people either missed it or didn’t find it until the end of their exploration. The interviewer noted participants tended to start in the center of the map and once oriented they read it from left to right starting at the top. Place labels did not appear in a consistent position. The labels were to the left, or above, or below the place it identified.

Enlarged areas of the map

The use of raised rectangles to set off enlarged portions of the map was confusing. Participants thought the rectangles were landscape features. Their use is common with maps in a visual context but it was an unfamiliar technique for a number of participants. They did not understand why there were two Kitty Hawks on the map. Treating the enlarged area as a separate map rather than trying to connect it to the primary map would be more effective. 

Color

People with low vision wanted colors to help distinguish between different landscape features.

Audio

Participants had experience with audio in other tactile exhibits. They felt audio would be useful in relaying the story behind the map. Sound effects were also suggested to enhance the experience, especially for children.

Overall

Even though participants were critical of certain aspects of the graphic, they also had fun exploring it. They liked the topography and they thought children and adults could enjoy it equally.