Tangible Web Layout Design for Blind and Visually Impaired People: An Initial Investigation

In this poster, we explore the potential of using a tangible user interface (TUI) to enable blind and visually impaired (BVI) developers to design web layouts without assistance. We conducted a semi-structured interview and a co-design session with a blind participant to elicit insights that guided the design of a TUI prototype named Sparsha. Our initial prototype contains 3D printed tactile beads that represent HTML elements, and a 3D printed base that represents the web page layout. BVI users can add an HTML element to the layout by placing tactile beads on top of the base. The base senses the type and location of the beads and renders the HTML element in the corresponding location on the client browser. The poster concludes with a discussion and enumerates future work.