Appsolutely Fabulous: Revisit 4 – Going Walk About

I'm rewriting this article, which isn’t a look back, but the new topic of blind navigation. Microsoft discontinued their specialist app Soundscape in June this year, which our own Phillip Joe was part of developing in a previous life.? As I was going to need to do a few walks on my own, without Kite, I wanted some back up. I did a bit of Googling and tried out a similar sounding app called Lazarillo. This article was going to be a review of that, but in a conversation with Kirsty McIntosh this week, I was simply thrilled to discover that the Scottish Tech Army has resurrected Soundscape!?

So, let’s delve into a comparison.????

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Firstly, I can use Apple Maps and, in an emergency, they do offer some support. Although when I got lost a couple months ago Siri was bullying me and the screen was too wet to use the touch screen (even when trying to shelter it).?

Both Soundscape and Lazarillo provide a lot more information to keep me grounded. Intersections, shops and bus stops are all called out. Soundscape do include intersections with service roads and additionally call out crossings and flights of steps. Whilst Lazarillo doesn’t have these features, it can shout out ATM locations and there’s a greater ability to tailor the types of passing buildings that are announced to the individual.?

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How announcements are made is another important but differing feature. Lazarillo allows you to choose between relative position (left/right), cardinal directions (compass) and clockface (a common descriptor used by blind people). Whichever you select, these are announced with a distance to the landmark e.g. 229ft to Ridgeway Bus Stop. There is another prompt on the approach and then as you arrive/ pass?the point.?

This sounds good, but it is more to listen to and creates a couple challenges:

1. Walking along a row of shops the app is constantly gabbling and you hear the shop names 3 times as well as any other key points like bus stops and intersections. This is a bit overwhelming.
2. It announces bus stops on both sides of the road, meaning 6 announcements! Mostly the bus stops are named the same, so this commentary can get rather confusing.

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Soundscape gives a much clearer narrative to your environment. A key feature is that announcements are made in the applicable ear i.e. left ear for left, both for ahead. Whilst I can’t see that you can tailor how instructions are given, how they are delivered in a cleaner style.

There is a warning for an intersection, and it only announces a shop or bus stop when you are at it. Given you’re walking I find this to be sufficient. Bus stops for example are still announced on both sides of the road, but will be announced in the applicable ear, helping you to keep your bearings.

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Neither app seems to have awareness of paths going through parks, or where I’m walking across a field in Blaise Castle. Lazarillo actually had a bit of an edge in the field because it was shouting out distance to a bus stop and announcing the Henbury Arms. Soundscape just kept telling me I was in Blaise Castle Estate. I know Scottish Tech Army are looking at additional features, one I’d like, either at a personal or adding to the service for everyone, is to be able to map a path or route. I regularly get confused in this field in Blaise, but there is a track. If someone could walk with me and I tell the app to track and save, it could perhaps help me not get lost next time.

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I do think that some awareness of the area is helpful and I’d not rely on either app totally and nor would their developers expect or encourage this either. For me though either helps me to remain grounded. In my environment, especially as becoming disorientated is happening more often to me than it used too.

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Soundscape is my clear winner being used in explorer mode, for sake of a better description. Both apps have additional features that maybe I will explore and report back on at a later date.

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#AppsolutelyFabulous #InclusiveDesign #Accessibility #VisualImpairment #Blind #SightLoss?

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