which is a mobile app that helps the blind and the
visually impaired better navigate their environment, using a sensor and machine learning.
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When a visual artist runs into a blind man...
I figured it would be a formidable challenge when I picked up this assignment, but I certainly did not expect the road block to be this severe. Seems like I have gotten so used to visualizing ideas that now it's much harder to rewire my brain for different approaches.
(Before you move on, know that this blog post only shows my thought process. If you are hoping to see images of WIP, please skip to the next one.)
So I read and watched a lot of text and videos about the blind, from statistics and guides on AFB (American Foundation of the Blind) to the first-hand experiences of Tommy Edison (a inborn blind film critique) or Molly Burke (a motivation speaker who went blind) plus some other articles here and there. Interesting discoveries? Here are some I find noteworthy:
- For some reason people tend to associate visual challenges with intellectual challenges ("the blind are not so smart"), which is, of course, not the case.
- Blind and visually impaired people want to be treated like any other, and this is not only in the above sense but also in the sense that they are capable of being independent despite their conditions.
- They are able to live quite well thanks to technology.
- The people of this community still use words like "see," "watch," or "look" to talk about their own experience. These are of course interchangeable and do not always have literal meanings.
- They find that sighted people generally avoid to interact with them, thinking that they are scary. Cited reasons include ignorance and lack of anticipated eye contact.
- The blind don't like transience. This was not said but implied by the fact they need predictable environment and dislike people disappearing without notice.
So I made a creative brief for this project, focusing on the insight that "blind people are no less capable or independent than sighted people, and that's also how they want to be treated." When I discussed this with my adviser last week, he made a point that I thought was very important: They aren't looking for empathy; in fact, they don't really care what sighted people think about them. What this point changes is the tonality of my to-be ad campaign. I was thinking about using a genuine and empowering tone, but that needs a little revision now. "Fun and challenging," maybe. Even a little satirical would work. I was thinking along the line of blind people wanting to explore the world on their own.
Maybe here's the direction I should go with: Lookout, the blind are coming. Now they have an extra pair of eyes, which, combined with their other already heightened senses, will help them conquer the world!
Just kidding, a more realistic scenario is the blind navigating a bustling city of a third world country (e.g. Beijing, China?). Just the idea of walking down its streets blindfolded give me chills. They'd wish they had Lookout with them.
Another possible direction is portraying how relationships benefit from this app, or how it acts like a family member. For example, a father with a blind son leaving him a Google device before the son leaves for college. The app then acts as the extra pair of eyes that the father has always lend his son.
I have a couple others, but none of them seem to be strong enough to make the cut. In serious need of inspiration, but I might as well try to expand the strongest ideas for now. If you happen to read this and think of something cool that could help, please send them my way. Much appreciated!
Well, although a little blind myself, at the very least I know I'm going somewhere.
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