Exhibit Design Relating to Low Vision and Blindness Summary Report

Design parameter considerations

Research conducted by the National Center for Accessible Media for the Whitney Museum put forward the following design parameters for shopping for appropriate technologies:

• Allowance for synchronization of caption text and audio description with museum's exhibits and media
• Accessible user interface to blind and visually impaired people via "talking menus," "audible keyboard echoing" of user input and tactile controls
• Device and content management system which enables fast-turnaround content creation and adaptation, authored by museum staff or variety of vendor(s) to enable access at first public opening of exhibits regardless of deadlines
• IR emitter (or other wireless signals) with ability to adjust for narrow-zone coverage and accommodate multiple exhibits within small gallery space
• If using public bandwidth (cell, Wi-Fi, GPS), signals must be able to reach all areas of the museum
• If relying on user-owned equipment, consider battery usage, personal data plan usage, national and international cell network compatibility
• Ruggedized - able to withstand moderate abuse from adult visitors (e.g., dropping the device from a height of four feet)
• Easy to use for visitors - young or old, technophilic or technophobic
• Easy to use for museum staff (for automated or near-automated content loading and reprogramming)
• Programming of device employs contemporary programming techniques (drag-and-drop, pick lists, etc.)
• Uses non-proprietary, industry standard content formats (e.g., .mp3, .txt, .wav, .mov, etc.)
• Protects user privacy, accords with museum IT security needs
• Open architecture - device's on-board software and device management software written in commonly used computer languages to allow for third-party alterations should the vendor no longer be able to support the product
• Extensible - can be "built-out" or evolve over years to add new features and take advantage of new technologies
• Fully customizable look and feel, menus, branding, etc.
• Upgradeable for adding new software, new processors, new memory capacity
• Potential for incorporating (or demonstrating) industry-wide standards for museum access devices
• Interoperable with off-the-shelf technology so alternate hardware could be used
• Able to download content from the web on-site or in advance. (Goldberg, 2010, p. 8).