Análise e redesign da plataforma E3 no contexto do ensino de orientação e mobilidade

Abstract

Currently around 18% of the Brazilian population declares to have a visual impairment, among these, 3,4% declares themselves to have a high degree of impairment. Teaching Orientation and Mobility (OM) techniques is fundamental in a case of high degree of impairment and in the rehabilitation process. New technologies are being developed to enhance the teaching and learning of said techniques, one of them is the use of Virtual Reality simulators that can mimic a real environment and apply OM tasks to users with any degree of impairment. One of those systems is the E3 Web Application, which provide the OM instructors the tools to create custom maps so the students can practice all the concepts and techniques learned in-class through a mobile device as the simulator. The maps are completely custom allowing the instructor to modify and adapt them judging by the student’s needs and specificities. For that to happen the interface must be elaborated based on research and studies so the designer can understand the necessities of the OM instructors and how they behave inside a virtual environment. Kno wing all this, usability and heuristic tests were arranged with 48 participants, among them: 24 OM instructors and 24 MMI specialists. In possession of all the data gathered from these trials that this paper started the process of an interface redesign proposal, which focused on: solving all errors and considerations that the evaluators brought up through the analysis, and enhance the navigational flow thus improving the user experience. A total of 43 interface mockups were produced, an iconography overhaul and a new interface interaction proposal. Two specialists validated all the material produced based on the research data and the concept of the original interface purpose. All the production was inspired by the desire of porting the application to mobile devices.