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Transport interchanges can be confusing at the best of times. Poor signage and hordes of people moving in different directions can combine to make navigation stressful and complicated. But what if one of your senses was diminished? Around two million people in the UK are affected by sight loss, but it can be difficult to understand the challenges without experiencing them for yourself. The Transport Systems Catapult’s (TSC)Visualisation team, in collaboration with the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People), has developed the Eyeware app to boost awareness and understanding of the impact of sight loss. By combining a smartphone with a Google cardboard Virtual Reality headset and innovative digital filters, the app allows users to see the world as if they had one of six major sight-loss conditions.The TSC’s Visualisation team hopes this will increase empathy towards those with sight loss, facilitate early diagnosis and improve training for healthcare and public-facing professionals. Other applications for Eyeware include reviewing and auditing existing environments and buildings. The TSC’s Visualisation team has tested the app in diverse environments including at railway stations, shops and offices. A key finding was the impact that low contrast has on those with sight loss. The inability to see glass or its edges, or distinguish doorways from walls, can turn a simple action into a hazard. In train stations, where people rely heavily on signage, text appeared partially or completely washed out. It was difficult to see hazards such as the track edge, or perform tasks such as using ticket machines and ticket barriers.This has wide-reaching implications for the design of lighting and colour schemes in wayfinding, and the team is currently working on a Virtual Reality tool to test environment design for people with sight loss, so that signage, colours, and layouts can be trialled cost-effectively, with immediate results.Project leader and Principal Technologist at the TSC, Martin Pett, says findings could lead to improved traffic flow in transport hubs, and remove “pinch points”, making moving from one transport mode to another a seamless experience. “If you design for people with mobility challenges, you get solutions that benefit the entire population.” Top and belowThe Eyeware app, developed in partnership with the RNIB, will help to improve understanding of sight- loss conditionsA NEW APP, CREATED BY THE TRANSPORT SYSTEMS CATAPULT WITH THE RNIB, WILL BOOST ACCESSIBILITY FOR THE VISUALLY IMPAIREDA FRESH PERSPECTIVE ON NAVIGATIONYou can try the Eyeware app yourself. Just visit: ts.catapult.org.uk/eyewareCASE STUDY IMAGINE31