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Fern Clarke

Industrial Design

I believe design is everywhere, affects everyone and influences everything. From beautiful products to life changing technology, I believe design should be filled will passion, creativity and sustainable practices and I aspire to reach this in each project I work on.

Final year project

Flip ǀ a portable device that dynamically displays braille translated from standard text.

The image shows a grey device, the size of a phone but thicker, with three cut out features on the left hand side , 90 8-dot braille dells on the top face and a button and touch pad control on the front face. The device is floating just above the ground with dramatic lighting. View large image

Flip.

90% of standard published texts are never made accessible to blind and visually impaired individuals. This means over two million people in the UK have no or limited access to novels, textbooks, menus and general signage. Flip is a portable device that allows blind and visually impaired users to capture, scan and translate standard text into braille and audio.

The image shows a grey device, the same size as a phone but thicker, resting flat on a black surface. The back of the device is visible, and there are two buttons on the back face, along with a charging port with a cable plugged in and a small engraved logo. the texture of the back face is bumpy and the top and side faces are glossy and smooth. The device has three ridges cut out on the right hand side. Two black hands are sat on top of the device reading along the braille with both hands. The lighting is focussed and dramatic. View large image

Usability.

The device consists of 90 braille cells, made up of 5 rows of 18. Each cell represents one character, which estimates to be approximately three words per row. The cells refresh at an automatic rate set by the user or can be manually controlled. Each scanned text is then saved to an accompanying app, so the user can revisit them whenever.

The image shows three grey devices, the size of a phone but thicker, each sitting atop a different coloured podium, one white, one teal and one black. Two of the device are the correct way up, displaying 90 8-dot braille cells each and three ridges on the left of the device. These also show the front of the device, with a large touch pad and smaller teal button. The front face is a bumpy texture and the rets of the device is glossy. The third device is atop the highest podium and is backwards, so we can see the back face. This back face is also a bumpy texture and has some ridges cut out. There are two more green buttons, one is a push button and the other a slider. There is also an input for a charger on this face. View large image

Functionality.

Flip is no bigger than the average smartphone and is rechargeable. The device's main translation function works by scanning and capturing a body of standard text. Flip then uses screen reading and text to speech technology to translate the standard text into both braille and audio.

The image shows a grey device, the same size as a phone just thicker, sat on top of a white podium at an angle. On the left of the device there are three curved ridges cut out leading to the first braille cell and back of the device. View large image

Way-finding detail.

Flip utilises tactile surface details to help the user correctly orientate the device, as well as lead them to key features and functions. This is a key element of the device and helps the users have a meaningful interaction with the product.

The image shows a close up of the back of a device. The back faces surface is a bumpy texture and there are small rides cut out along one side. There is a teal slider button which also has rides on one half, which align with the ridges on the back face. View large image

Surface texture details.

Flip has a range of different surface textures and finishes, allowing blind and visually impaired users to easily navigate around the device and locate key features. For example, the back face has small ridges cut out to halfway across the power slider, allowing users to easily locate and use this feature by lining up the ridges.

This image shows all the internal components of the device spread out in an exploded way. Each braille cell, circuit board and component is visible and is showing what the device is made up of. View large image

General assembly.

Flip is a mobile phone-sized device, and all the internal components fit snuggly inside. The device utilises a wide-angle camera and LED torch to allow for the best quality images and translation opportunities.

The image shows different layers within the packaging for the device. The device is within a teal coloured insert layer, underneath there is a quick start guide in braille, a soft neoprene travel case and a charging cable. These are all stored within a draw in a cardboard box. The box has a cardboard sleeve around it which has a tactile logo on top and the product title 'flip - braille translation technology' in standard text and braille. View large image

Packaging.

Flip's packaging and accessories provide another experience for the user. Made up of a sleeve, box, and drawer the product is packaged with a quick start guide in braille and standard text, a travel case, and a charging cable.

The image shows four app screen displays from the accompanying app. The first screen shows a home page, the second saved bookmarks, the third is uploading a saved scan to the device and the fourth is the device page, where the user can change settings of the device. View large image

Accompanying app screens

The device has an accompanying app, that allows users to save, store and load scanned texts. The app can be used to configure device settings and personalisations, such as the layout of the eight-cell braille dots and auto-scroll, as well as upload, saved scans back onto the device.

Fern Clarke

Final year project

Flip ǀ a portable device that dynamically displays braille translated from standard text.

Work Experience

As part of my placement year, I worked as a product engineer at ‘Mercia Garden Products’ designing garden products, such as sheds, log cabins, and children’s playhouses. Whilst working here I was able to work on and engage with a variety of different projects. I engaged with the design process at each stage, from initial sketches to full-scale prototyping and manufacture. The placement challenged me to develop my organizational, teamworking, and CAD skills, and I was able to take each of these to a high level. During this year, I learned a lot about large-scale design, manufacturing, and material usage.