Ellington

OneBusAway, a smartphone application developed by students in the UW’s Department of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE), provides public transit riders with bus schedules, maps, and real-time updates as to when buses arrive at stops. But now, another team of CSE students are developing a similar app for blind transit riders.

Currently under development, the unnamed app uses the framework for OneBusAway to gather information. For delivery, the app uses controls optimized for blind users like the iPhone’s built-in text-to-speech technology. The app also provides other details about bus stops, such as their positions on streets, landmarks near the stop, or the presence of a bench and shelter, details the blind might not be able to find independently.

“Knowing what physical characteristics to look for when trying to find a particular stop has always been a challenge,” said David Egan, a blind bus rider. “The app provides essential information.”

The provision of this information is the app’s most important feature as it cannot be found anywhere else.

“Some of this information — a very limited amount — can actually be found on the metro website,” said Shiri Azenkot, a third year Ph.D. student. “But that information is limited. … It’s not necessarily reliable, and it’s not up to date. It’s also hard to get to, because it’s not very accessible [to blind people] on the go.”

To provide these details, the app will make use of crowdsourcing, which allows a community — in this case, users of this app or OneBusAway — to work toward building a reliable, up-to-date database.

In initial studies, the app was designed for Braille note-takers, which act like PDAs for those who read Braille. This first project shed light on the disadvantages of these devices.

“[Braille notetakers] have very limited functionality, and your phone, which is significantly smaller and lighter, is a lot more powerful,” Azenkot said. “We tried to find a way to connect [with the blind] in a way that doesn’t require any device-specific protocol knowledge.”

To develop a simpler, more convenient experience for users, the development team turned to the iPhone because of its built-in accessibility features and popularity with blind users.

“Up until recently, blind people would have many separate devices [for navigation],” said professor Alan Borning, a faculty adviser to the project. “They would have a watch with Braille numerals; they’d have a separate GPS; they’d have a separate recorder. They would have to carry around a lot of stuff which is heavy, hard to keep track of, and expensive. Smartphones have made a big difference for a lot of people with disabilities because … the one device can provide a lot of different [functionalities].”

Now being developed for the iPhone and other iOS devices, the application is nearly complete. One problem the team faces before release is finding a way to verify information about a bus stop after it has been submitted by a user. Another challenge will be finding a way to maintain the app in the long-term.

Despite the fact that the app has not yet been released, interest is already beginning to grow. Study participants like Egan have expressed their enthusiasm for the app. Transit programs in the San Francisco area have shown an interest in using the application for their local bus routes.

The app will be released later this year or in early 2012.

Reach contributing writer Nathan Ureta at development@dailyuw.com.