Presentation at Nordic Network on Disability Research Conference 6.-8.5.2015, Bergen Norway. Mobility and orientation are very challenging for the blind and visually impaired people. The presentation will show, how these way-finding challenges occur in a shopping mall, and how blind or visually impaired people used audio, tactile and olfactory landmarks.

1. Way-finding challenges of a blind
person in a shopping mall
Merja Saarela, Häme University of Applied Sciences
merja.saarela@hamk.fi

2. ABSTRACT: Way-finding challenges of a blind person in a shopping mall
Merja Saarela
Häme University of Applied Sciencies, Hämeenlinna, Finland
Mobility and orientation are very challenging for the blind and visually impaired people.
Difficulties in way-finding may cause stress and anxiety, which may lead to situation
where blind or visually impaired people may avoid leaving their homes to visit unknown,
complex places and large-scale spatial environments, like shopping mall, unless they
have assistance. Way-finding refers to how a person orientates and navigates through an
area or a space. The way-finding instructional information is mostly presented in a visual
form, which means it is not accessible for blind or visually impaired people. It is hard for
blind people to gain a non-visual overview of the new place and its landmarks.
The presentation will show, how these way-finding challenges occur in a shopping mall,
and how blind or visually impaired people used audio, tactile and olfactory landmarks.
These challenges were studied in the M-Way -project by videotaping known and
unknown route walks and reflecting interviews afterwards. Co-created multi-sensory
way-finding solutions, like smart word maps and landmarks with iBeacons, will be
developed with blind or visually impaired people.

3. 1.BACKGROUND
VI person in a Shopping Mall
Accessibility - Design for All
M-Way –project
Way-finding
Landmarks
2. METHODS
Objects
Group of informants
Data collecting
3. RESULTS

4. 1. BACKGROUND:VI person in a Shopping Mall
Because of the stress and anxiety of way-
finding, blind or visually impaired people
usually do not leave their homes without
any assistance to visit unknown cities or
places.
Very often instructional information is
presented in visual form only and visually
impaired people are thus excluded from
accessing this information. A possible
solution to wayfinding problems is the use
of non-visual presentation modalities, like
audio and haptic feedback.
Good wayfinding design reduces stress,
anxiety and fear!
Accessibility - Design for All
• We need to ensure that spaces,
applications and content are also
accessible for people with impaired
perceptual capabilities.
• It is critical that public places and
community settings are designed to be
safe, as inclusive as possible and
accessible for all.

5.  3. Landmarks
• Are recognizable in the environment.
Landmarks stand out in environments,
and structure mental representations of
environments in cognizing agents.
• They form anchors in mental spatial
representations, markers, or reference
points.
• They are essential for any spatial
reasoning, for example, for orientation
and wayfinding, and for any spatial
communication.
• They appear in sketches, in descriptions
of meeting points or routes.
• People use landmarks quite naturally.
• May be stronger or weaker in their
distinct experience, and that stronger
ones may be used as reference points to
locate weaker ones
1. M-Way –project
Multisensory way-finding solutions for blind
people. Three phases:
I. Landmarks
II. Interactive 3D-maps
III. Simulation with verbal maps
2. Way-finding: how a person orientates
and navigates through an area or a space.
Worsfold and Chandler (2010) described four
principles that bind way-finding together and
are relied upon when making journeys:
1. Getting information and using it
2. Orientating within the environment.
3. Navigating within the environment.
4. Entrance and Exit Identification.

6.  3. Landmarks
• According to Richter & Winter (2014)**
landmarks are recognizable in the environment.
Landmarks stand out in environments, and
structure mental representations of
environments in cognizing agents.
• They form anchors in mental spatial
representations, markers, or reference points.
• They are essential for any spatial reasoning, for
example, for orientation and wayfinding, and for
any spatial communication.
• They appear in sketches, in descriptions of
meeting points or routes.
• People use landmarks quite naturally.
• May be stronger or weaker in their distinct
experience, and that stronger ones may be used
as reference points to locate weaker ones.
**Richter, K.-F. & Winter, S. 2014. Landmarks. GIScience for
Intelligent Services. Springer.
1. M-Way –project (ILSI)
Developing multisensory way-finding solutions
for blind people. Three project phases:
I. Landmarks (this presentation)
II. Interactive 3D-maps
III. Simulation with verbal maps
About main concepts
2. Way-finding: Describes how a person
orientates and navigates through an area or a
space. Worsfold and Chandler (2010)*
described four principles that bind way-finding
together and are relied upon when making
journeys:
1. Getting information and using it
2. Orientating within the environment.
3. Navigating within the environment.
4. Entrance and Exit Identification.
* Worsfold, J. & Chandler, E. 2010. Wayfinding Project: Final Report of Initial Project Work.
Royal National Institute of Blind People, RNIB Innovation Unit.

7. 2. METHODS
Objects:
1. What kind of wayfinding information VI people use? Landmarks?
1) What kind of multisensory wayfinding and guidance information should there be?
2) How the guidance information should be technically provided?
Group of informants:
Five VI informants: 2 low vision men with white cane, 3 blind woman of which two using white cane and one
using service dog. Ages 21-45 years. Everyone had previous experience of using smartphone and apps like
BlindSquare in wayfinding and navigation.
Itis Shopping Mall’s test bed as research environment in East of Helsinki
Data collecting:
1. Video documented known and unknown route walks to collect wayfinding experiences of five VI informants.
Documentation was done in two groups (2 people in first group and 3 the other). Known walks described the
used landmarks and waypoints. Unknown walks described challenges and problem solving of VI persons.
2. After each walk reflective group discussion.
3. Co-creation workshop to make decisions about the instructive Information needed: where to set iBeacons to
strengthen landmarks’ recognizablity and what kind of instructive information needed in messages.
4. Ibeacons’ test using with BlindSquare and refining iBeacons’ places and messages.

8. Known and unknown route walks

9. What kind of landmarks were found

10. iBeacons and how they were set

11. After iBeacons were set… conclusions
How does iBeacon-based solution
work in practise?
 iBeacon based landmarkers makes
possible and easier to go independently
around, your not so dependent on
assistant.
 It encourages and gives kind of certainty
to move around, even in strange,
unknown places.
 It’s also more convenient to do business,
when you know where you are, where
you need to go and how to get there.
This saves time when you’re not totally
lost all the time.
 It also creates a certain sense of security
when you know you are "on the map”.
What does it mean to a VI person?
 It’s so helpful, at least for me, I’m a low vision
person, in perceiving the environment.
Typically your concentration will go alone to
move and …for searching possible signs to
read to get the information. And when you
finally find it, you realise that you can not see
it. And now, I don’t need to see it, I can hear
instructive messages.
 And in unknown places. With these Blind-
Square landmarkers, your not always
dependent on other people. For example
setting up timetables, it’s always up to
assistant, if it suits him or her, not if it suits
me.
 And as iBeacons are used in advertaising, I
don’t mind advertising. I’d like to know and
hear about how much I’d save money if I’d do
the shopping today (laughing).