Tactilelink Taktilt Grafescht Educatiounssystem vum Nuoran Chen, Yilin Niu and Siming Jin

D'Wierk Tactilelink Taktilt Grafescht Educatiounssystem vum Designer Nuoran Chen, Yilin Niu and Siming Jin ass en héich geschätzten Gewënner vum prestigiéisen 2026 A' Design Award an Bronze an der Wettbewerbskategorie Bildung, Léierhëllefsmëttel an Ausbildungsinhalt Design.

BronzeBildung· 2026

Tactilelink Taktilt Grafescht Educatiounssystem

vum Nuoran Chen, Yilin Niu and Siming Jin

Client: Nuoran Chen

A' Design Award an Bronze Gewënner an der Kategorie Bildung

7,220

Verifizéierte Präisgewënner

Präisstatus fir #177478 verifizéieren

Kuckt beim A' Design Award Pressemëtteelung Award Badge

Faarwen

Den Design

Iwwer Tactilelink Taktilt Grafescht Educatiounssystem

Tactilelink ass en taktilt grafescht Educatiounssystem fir blann a visuell beanträchtegt Schüler. Traditionell Hand-iwwer-Hand-Instruktioun limitéiert d'Onofhängegkeet vun de Schüler an hänkt vun enger klenger Zuel vu spezialiséierte Léierpersonal of. Tactilelink kombinéiert en 3D-gedréckten Tablet-Rahmen, erhieft Linnegrafike vu Schaltkreesdiagrammer a plattformiwwergräifend Software. Sonifikatioun féiert all Schüler zu enger Zilkomponent, well d'Tounhéicht an d'Intensitéit vum Toun sech mat der Distanz vum Fanger änneren. D'Instrukteure kënne verschidde Schüler gläichzäiteg suivéieren an Audio-Annotatioune fir eng onofhängeg Revisioun no der Klass virbereeden.

D'Unerkennung

Iwwer den A' Design Award an Bronze

Tactilelink Taktilt Grafescht Educatiounssystem ass e Gewënner vum A' Design Award an Bronze, enger héich prestigiéiser Unerkennung, déi un erausragend Designe vergi gëtt, déi sech duerch Kreativitéit, Erfindungsgab a Schlauheet ausgezeechnen. Bronze-Gewënner si voll Fäegkeet a opfälleg kreativ Wierker, déi déi grouss Erfahrung, d'Fantasie an d'Ressourceréichtum vun hire Designer bestätegen. Et gëtt erwaart, datt Tactilelink Taktilt Grafescht Educatiounssystem e héich geschätzt, bewonnert a beléifte Géigestand ass, bemierkenswäert professionell an innovativ. Dëst mam Bronze ausgezeechent Design integréiert déi beschte Praktike vun der Konscht, der Wëssenschaft, vum Design an der Technologie an zeechent sech duerch Opmierksamkeet fir Detailer aus. Tactilelink Taktilt Grafescht Educatiounssystem erfëllt Bedierfnesser exzellent, beréiert Wënsch, bezauberet Gefiller an erweckt Neigierecht.

Hannert dem Design

Press Kit

Credits, Teammemberen an technesch Detailer vum Designer zur Verfügung gestallt.

Eenzegaarteg Eegeschaften: Tactilelink is an affordable tactile graphic education system for blind and visually impaired students. Traditional hand-over-hand instruction limits students' independence and strains an already scarce specialist workforce. SoundPath lets a single instructor guide multiple students at once through sonification and voiceover annotations, making tactile graphic learning accessible, scalable, and independent.
Dimensiounen & Verpackung: The physical components include a 3D-printed tablet frame (290 × 226 × 7 mm) and several tactile graphics of Arduino diagrams (279.4 × 215.9 mm). The digital component is cross-platform software that works as both a tablet app and a desktop web app, creating a flexible teaching system.
Tags: Accessibility, Tactile graphic, Education system, Inclusive education, Blind Arduino
Produktiounstechnologie: Tactilelink is built with simplicity, affordability, and accessibility in mind. For student’s system, it combines 3D-printed tablet frames with software optimized for common educational tablets, ensuring easy setup and scalability. It uses sonification to guide students in exploring and learning raised-line graphics. For instructor’s system, it’s an one-step, AI empowered software help they instruct multiple students easily, reducing their workload, expanding the educational capacity to more underserved blind students.
Design Erausfuerderung: The hardest part was shifting from designer to facilitator. Co-design challenged us to suspend our assumptions, especially as sighted designers. We wrongly assumed blind users would prefer vibration cues over sound. In reality, sonification was less fatiguing and more effective. This required overcoming internal bias, embracing user knowledge, and adapting to insights often overlooked due to our own perspective.
Fuerschung: This research is user-centered design. Our goal was to create an affordable system for teaching tactile graphics to visually impaired students. We observed Blind Arduino sessions and collaborated with the East Bay Center for the Blind, then used co-design workshops, Wizard of Oz prototyping, and usability testing with teachers and students. Results showed sonification on existing hardware best supported group learning, offering insights that impact education, accessibility, and inclusive design.
Inspiratioun: The idea came from observing an Arduino class at the East Bay Center for the Blind, where one instructor had to physically guide each student's hands through circuit diagrams one by one. With nearly 5,000 specialist teachers short across the U.S., this one-on-one model is unsustainable. Inspired by sonification, we use continuous pitch changes to guide students to target components independently, enabling one teacher to instruct multiple students simultaneously, in person or remotely.
Projetdauer: This project started in August 2024 and finished in December 2024.
Operatiounsablaf: During class, the instructor taps a selected component on the tactile graphic for students to explore. Students navigate to the component following sonification guidance: the pitch and intensity of the sound shift based on how close their finger is to the target. Teacher can observes their progress on their interface to provide real-time support. After class, teachers could use the software to create detailed audio annotation and design the component-learning sequence, publishing it to student’s device. Students could review the knowledge independently without teacher’s presence by following the sonification guidance.
Teammemberen: Nuoran Chen
Yilin Niu
Siming (Susie) Jin