Public Facilities and System Design for Visually Disabled
Inclusive Bus Pole Design Concept
@ PolyU 2019
Team project with
AN Bangning, CHEN Qixuan, CHEN Xiaoyang, Swasti SETHI, ZHAN Wen
⏱ 2.5 min
An inclusive bus pole design concept for bus stops with multiple poles in Hong Kong.
The tactile pavement will bring a visually impaired person (VIP) to a T junction, where there is a special triangular tactile. The VIP taps on this spot with the white cane to get voice notification of the bus numbers the adjacent bus pole caters to. He follows the direction of the tactile tiles leading to the bus pole. There is a refreshable information panel for the VIP to touch and other passengers to see. Also, a broadcasting system to notify all passengers of the arrival of a bus. The tactile pavement will bring a visually impaired person (VIP) an extra level of safety and convenience when navigating at bus stops.
Site visit and Interview
Our group went to several bus stations and found out all the information is visual and in minuscule size, which can be extremely hard for visually impaired people to see. And tactile paths leading to the bus station stop, end at the entrance, not leading them to the pole. We also interviewed A Mui and Ivan from the Hong Kong Society for the Blind. According to them, because the public transportation system is not inclusive for them at all, they only go to places that they know extremely well. Or they will take a taxi, but sometimes the station can be confusing as well.
Challenges
Challenges in the journey of a VIP in locating bus stops and buses.
- Is this a bus stop?
- Does it have my required bus?
- How to get to my bus pole?
- When will my bus arrive?
Brief
Problems | How to get to the required pole
at the bus stop? | How to know the required bus
has arrived? |
↓ | ↓ | |
Objectives | Lead them to their pole when there are multiple poles | Notify about bus arrival |
User Journey
Features
- Different paving to lead to pole.
- Poking to trigger sound notification.
- Will not disturb or be obstructive to others.
- Refreshable Display - A tube blowing gas for each braille chamber will make the braille pop out.
- Broadcasting - Broadcasting system to notify all passengers of the arrival of a bus.
- Info panel - A refreshable info panel for VIP to touch and other people to see.
