Design in new product development process for visually impaired primary school students: Example of electronic reader with refreshable braille display

We are living in an information age. People are surrounded with different types of information sources like television, computers, mobile phones, tablets, etc. Our lives are based on information and accessing information. They have become almost the most important things in our lives. It can be said that people's lives are directly linked to information and getting information in a way. Today there are tons of options to access information and also it is possible to enrich information repository easily. Literacy means that one can or cannot read and write. It is the most basic definition of literacy but today it is used in a much more widewider context. Literacy not only means that one can read and write but also shows one can use language, understand what numbers, visuals or other information sources mean. By literacy, one can interpret the data he or she takes and make sense of it. Literacy is also key to communicate effectively. Thus, it can easily be said that being literate not only shows one's educational capability but also gives important clues about social status. Accessing information and literacy is directly connected to each other. Those who are not literate are deprived of the ability to understand written sources and therefore they cannot access information. Braille alphabet is seen to be the door to the outer world for the visually impaired. It allows them to feel and learn what is out there. But unfortunately Braille literacy is declining rapidly all around the world and in Turkey in last 60 years. There are almost 285.000.000 visually impaired in the world and over 1.000.000 in Turkey. It is thought that if visually impaired do not care about Braille alphabet enough it will probably be out of use and become extinct. There are different reasons that trigger the decline of Braille literacy ratio. As a consequence of these reasons Braille literacy ratio is now under 10% among visually impaired and it seems this trend is still going on very powerfully. This study is based on the decline of Braille literacy among visually impaired. To understand what causes that current situation is examined and inspected thoroughly. Obtained results shows that there are both internal and external factors that causes Braille literacy ratio to drop rapidly. These external factors can be listed as insufficient sources like books published in Braille, unqualified educators, inadequate learning environment, products with low usability, etc. Internal factors which can be defined as the reasons directly connected to visually impaired can be listed as replacing Braille with non-equivalent technology like text-to-speech, not being aware or concerned about the advantages of Braille literacy, etc. Thus big portion of visually impaired does not care about Braille literacy anymore. But to compare external factors affect Braille literacy ratio much more than internal factors. This study first focuses on the importance of Braille alphabet and Braille literacy. To understand and show what Braille means to visually impaired some research and statistical data are analyzed deeply. These data clearly show that visually impaired who are Braille literate have higher educational degree, are more likely to have a job thus they are much more economically independent. As stated Braille literacy plays very important role in their life. Braille literacy is not only related to education but also directly affects their daily life. With respect of this knowledge it is thought that Braille literacy must be learned and used actively and widely again. In the context of this study different product ideas are generated with brainstorming and idea of developing an electronic Braille reader device is seemed modest and achievable goal. This study includes and explains the activities that are done in new product development process which start with idea generation and result in producing a working prototype. In the third chapter of this study new product development processes are explained and analysedanalyzed thoroughly. In this part of the thesis, the study focuses on product development processes. First the terms "product" and "product development" are described. Then the factors that affect the efficiency of product development processes are explained. After that generic product development processes and their phases are analyzed and described thoroughly. The chapter goes on with project groups which carry out the development activities. Organizational and communicational structures of the project groups are defined in order to show what is important for creating a good atmosphere among group members to achieve pre-specified goals. Aim of this chapter is to create a sub-structure for the conducted case study. In fourth chapter participatory design is described and compared with the terms "design for all" or "inclusive design". Also it is explained what accessible design means and how it is related with participatory design. After that new product development process is explained with two perspectives of participatory design. One perspective is that project group is composed with 3 persons with different professionals. Applied participatory design helix helps to define the position of both design and designer with other professions. Other perspective focus on the role of visually impaired people in product development process. Case study includes a product development process for visually impaired to create an assistive technology. Thus visually impaired people play very important role in the process. They are included from the start of the process which is brainstorming and affected the path of process vastly. Visually impaired people and students not only helped to understand and analyze current situation but also gave different points of view to generate solutions to the problem. Case study includes a new product development process which is carried out from concept idea to produce a prototype of the proposed product idea. In this chapter all activities which are done throughout the product development process are explained and presented chronologically. These phases includesinclude personal work of designer. Product development process is started after applying and being accepted to "Teknogirişim Sermayesi Desteği Programı". This chapter clarifies application process and creating project group with respect to the third chapter of the study. Aim of this chapter is to create a template for those who are planning to work on similar subjects. In the last chapter of the study findings are summarized and discussed with regard to the research questions. ConsequentlyConsequently, this study aims to locate where design and designer stands in participatory product development process and propose both product development and participatory design methods.