Designing a system for visually impaired users to identify objects

Abstract: This thesis describes the process of designing a system for visually impaired users to identify objects. Smartphones are empowering visually impaired people by providing independence. The two major mobile operating systems, Android and iOS, both include screen reading software. By enabling this feature, the content of the screen is read out loud and the way of interaction is changed. These screen readers have been further investigated to optimize the user experience. Furthermore, several options for identifying objects have been explored. The system has been evaluated by over a hundred blind and visually impaired users. This thesis presents how the design of the system was iteratively improved and in which way it is now being used.