How QR Codes organically fit the existing infrastructure
Tactile Images’ iOS app, READER, gives access to basic auditory feedback on the graphics via AI and AR-enabled finger tracing. However, users must still manually search an online repository for additional information, should they need it.
The organization needed technology to bypass the manual effort to find data for an image from the vast online resource library.
Dan’s team created QR Codes on Uniqode for 1,700+ tactile graphics and linked them to the relevant resources online. They were then printed with relevant graphics. Now, users simply have to:
- Position the phone over the tactile graphics
- Point at the QR Code with an index finger
- The app identifies the finger position and reads the QR Code
💡 Users can place a mobile device above the graphics in a stand. They can also take the help of external support to read the accessible QR Codes and the rest of the tactile graphics, including the Braille script.
According to Dan: "Through them (QR Codes), we are revolutionizing the educational landscape for the visually-impaired and partially-sighted community, offering an experience that is independent, comprehensive, intuitive, and empowering.
Addressing the challenges
“In our journey to revolutionize tactile education, we encountered many challenges, many of which were successfully addressed by the integration of QR Codes, ” Dan tells Uniqode.
1. Instant access to information
The challenge: Tactile Images dealt with diverse subjects, including intricate ones such as math, geography, maps, history, and biology. They needed tech for instant and accurate access to supporting content. The existing method was manually matching content from the paper materials with the online library.
🔥 QR Codes turned ordinary images into wormholes of rich auditory resources. Users can now instantly access rich digital information from the same page with a simple scan.
2. Easily navigating resources
The challenge: Since the target audience of Tactile Images is people with visual imparity, sifting databases and manually matching graphics with corresponding resources is impractical. Plus, the process is prone to errors.
🔥 QR Codes work with (any mobile device camera and) the READER app that users already use. They can now access just the right resources, accurately, by pointing their finger to a QR Code—without adopting a new process or technology.
3. Making learning less codependent
The challenge: Tactile Images deals with an audience that typically needs human assistance to use the learning materials (and their associated digital support). However, Dan’s team was determined to change this norm.
🔥 Users can now comprehend images without external assistance, thanks to QR Codes. They can use the READER app to scan the QR Codes simply by pointing their fingers at it. The result is 90% better user engagement, according to Dan.
4. Seamless content expansion
The challenge:The former system of adding new graphics and updating the database was resource-intensive and rigid. Tactile Images needed a scalable solution to update the database without disrupting the simple user experience for end-users.
🔥 The integration of (dynamic) QR Codes such as RIPTA buses, bus shelters, t-shirts, and event pavilions, Electric Boat could track the number of scans and gather data on audience demographics and engagement levels in real-time.
5. Minimizing data mismatches
The challenge:"As our library of tactile graphics grew, we struggled with the challenge of helping users swiftly and accurately navigate the vast array of content (...)," Dan tells Uniqode.
Identifying relevant resources online corresponding to printed graphics is prone to inaccuracy. If one fails to link or locate the correct online data related to the graphics, the outcome will be skewed.
🔥QR Codes with distinct identifiers minimized the risk of data mismatches for both Tactile Images and their end-users. With a camera scan right from the tactile graphics, users can now draw accurate information. No need to manually parse a separate resource for detailed content.
Results and impact in numbers
With Uniqode, Tactile Images achieved some incredible results:
- 📈 User engagement levels surged by 90% regarding accessibility and interaction. Users can now easily scan and receive audio feedback from tactile graphics instantly.
- 🧠 65% reduction in time to understand a tactile graphic. Learning efficiency and memory retention improved.
- ⚡ No reprinting or redistributing tactile materials after updating. The team could update audio content linked to QR Codes instantly.
- 👑 The library of tactile graphics expanded, sparking a second educational revolution for the visually impaired.
“The promptness with which users could receive audio descriptions of tactile images simply by scanning a QR Code has been transformative,” says Dan.
"They're (QR Codes) not only versatile—being used for anything from marketing campaigns to educational tools—but they also streamline processes, reducing the need for manual data input or searching."
“Aren’t just a technical feature”
For Dan and the team, Uniqode had the technology to make Tactile Images a forerunner in their field. That’s precisely what Dan envisioned for his organization.
“The aspect I appreciate the most about QR Codes is their simplicity combined with their vast capability.
“QR Codes bridge the gap between the physical and digital worlds, enabling us to connect instantaneously to online resources from tangible objects.”
The success story of QR Code-based kinesthetic learning affirms how innovative thinking and technology can spur inclusive and empowering learning.
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