TALKING DIRECTORY DISPLAY SYSTEM
The Talking Directory Display System (TDDS) is
a multi-sensory interactive information kiosk. It employs state-of-the-art multimedia
technology, and uses a raised line map, large print and speech to present expertly
crafted way-finding information to help users with visual impairments navigate
through complex spaces. The first system of its kind, the TDDS was developed
at the Baruch College Computer Center for Visually Impaired People, (CCVIP) in
close collaboration with the American Foundation for the Blind and the Stein
Partnership. It will be installed and piloted in New York City's Penn Station
for five months, beginning in September of 1996. Although this first pilot version
of the system will focus on the Long Island Railroad, the TDDS will provide basic
location information allowing users to access any of the four transit modalities
in the station.
What is TDDS and How Does it Work?
The TDDS is a three-sided structure housing computers,
speakers, a touch tablet with a tactile map, and a touch tone type key-pad. when
not in use, the system remains in an attract mode, in which it speaks, announcing
its presence and inviting the user to come and try it out. As the user approaches
the kiosk, a proximity detector senses him and the session begins. He is invited
to place his hands on the counter in front of him where he will fmd a raised
line tactile map with large print underneath, and a key pad similar to that used
on a touch tone telephone.
How is information provided?
Information can be accessed either through a voice
mail type menu system activated through the key pad, or through a "touch and
tell" mode activated by pressing a point on the raised line map and hearing it
spoken. In the "Touch and Tell" mode, three levels of information are available:
- The user can touch a point on the map and hear its name spoken by the system.
- If she keeps her finger on that point, she will hear additional information concerning the way to find it.
- If she continues to hold her finger there, she will hear what is available at that point for her use.
The "touch and tell" mode is always
active. Thus, a user can choose to work primarily through the menu system, and
then explore the map to reinforce his mental picture of the route from the kiosk
to his destination.
All spoken messages are displayed in large print for the benefit of the many people with visual impairments who still have some useable vision. It is probable, therefore, that the TDDS will be useflil for many customers who do not have severe visual impairments, but who find it difficult to deal with the customary sources of information.
What Information is Provided?
Included is a station overview, and complete information on Long Island Railroad; LIRR destinations include specific tracks, specific boarding corridors, the ticketed customer waiting room, the lost and found and more. Location information is provided for New York City Subway service, Amtrak, New Jersey Transit, and locations of major station exits.
The system is designed in such a way that additional information such as scheduling and fares could easily be added. The kiosk has a call-in feature that allows Penn Station personnel to call and record by phone a message, so that the user gets immediate information it, for example, an exit has to be closed for a day, or an elevator is out of service.
Finally, the system will automatically collect data on each user including the length of each session, what type of information was requested, and which modes of information access were used. At the end of the session, the user will be offered the opportunity to respond to several short questions assessing satisfaction with and usefulllness of the TDDS.
The TDDS has been developed with assistance derived from the Federal Transit Act as amended through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, and Project ACTION of the National Easter Seal Society.
[CCVIP Homepage] [Penn Station Offers a Talking Kiosk]
