MuBiks: Tangible music player for visually challenged

Abstract

MuBiks is a novel tangible music player, designed for visually challenged to create and manipulate music playlists. Users can manipulate musical controls to play, pause and increase-decrease volume through rotating different sections of MuBiks. We followed a user-centered-design approach to understand user behavior towards existing human-machine interactions. Contextual inquiry in the form of semi-structured interviews among teachers and students were conducted across three blind schools in Assam and Madhya Pradesh in India. A series of tasks was given to users to understand patterns of existing communication through texture and size identification. Heavy dependence on memory and secondary help, easy recognition of texture, shape, size and sound and extensive use of hands were observed during the study. Identified insights were referred and accommodated to design proposed music player. © 2014 Springer International Publishing.