top of page

DINING IN DARKNESS

On interacting with a panel of people who are blind, there were two themes that the participants are struggling towards : Independence and Inclusiveness. The project focused on understanding accessible dining experiences.

PROCESS

  1. Dined out with participants at a restaurant of their choice.

  2. Recorded a verbal consent and observed the participants - starting from navigating to the restaurant to checking out followed by an in-depth interview.

  3. Transcribed the recordings and created journey maps for each participant.

  4. Drafted a research paper with concluding statements for further research possibilities in this particular area of study.

Screen Shot 2021-01-21 at 3.00.58 PM.png

FINDINGS

  1. The major findings were categorized into four themes: 

  2. Location and restaurant hours

  3. Menu and food 

  4. Interior layout and placement of objects

  5. Payment options

From the findings, the following design implications were made:

  • All restaurants should provide a current online menu and hours of operation.

  • Online menus should be written in plain text with little imagery for screen readers to easily read.

  •  Each dish should have a full description, including all ingredients and how the dish is prepared.

  • Restaurant employees should be trained on how to thoughtfully interact with customers who are blind.

  • An electronic bill should be available for customers to read the bill, enter tip amount, and electronically sign. 

bottom of page