"Kawulu": A Voice based Social Network using Smart Mobile Devices for the Visually Impaired Community in Sri Lanka
K. H. T. I. Sumanasekera, Shifan Mihilar, Chanduni Wickramasinghe, Shiromi Arunathilake · 2018
A visual impairment is a functional limitation of the visual system, and the impairment restricts the individual from conducting many societal activities. The challenge of social isolation of the visually impaired community is not often addressed through research studies. The study aims to address the social isolation of the visually impaired community by implementing a voice-based smartphone application. The design for the initial solution was derived from a comprehensive literature review and analysis of data gathered from a survey using the local population of the study. The initial solution was tested in two phases to increase the usability of the application and to validate the solution. An action based approach was used with two iterations to identify an optimum design for the solution. The research follows a qualitative methodology, with several insights and suggestions from the study participants and subject matter experts on the successful implementation of the solution. The solution is refined to accommodate the suggestion of improvement from the study subjects, and the findings of the research are directly applicable to the visually impaired population in Sri Lanka.