Visualization for the Blind

Talk
Niklas Elmqvist
Talk Series: 
Time: 
11.20.2020 11:00 to 12:00

Data visualization is all about the use of colored pixels (computer graphics) to represent data: all kinds of data, from stock markets and sales trends, to social networks and spatial scan statistics. However, there is a population of users totally immune to such efforts: blind people, who are entirely locked away from data visualization and unable to enjoy its benefits. In this talk, I will discuss how we can fuse vision with the other senses -- primarily hearing and touch, but even smell -- in order to convey data. In particular, I am interested in finding creative new ways for the blind to deal with even big data, which is becoming increasingly important when navigating the modern world.