[Promotion-technology] MIT Seeks Input about Braille Labeler

[Brett Boyer]

Dear Customer,

We are the senior mechanical engineering design team at MIT working
on designing and building a brand new Braille labeler. We need the
help of people like
you to design the best product possible for the blind and visually
impaired. We would be so grateful if you could reply to this email
with your own answers
to the questions listed below at your earliest convenience. The
results will be assessed anonymously; your confidentiality is
certainly our priority.

Additionally, for those of you living in the Boston area, please keep
your calendar open for this Saturday morning for a one hour focus
group during which
e will present some basic models and give you the opportunity to test
them out and give us feedback. Details of time and location will be emailed 
out
shortly. Please let your friends know about this event; we want to
have as many blind and visually impaired people there as possible to
help us design
the best product that we can.

Thank you so much! Please continue reading for our survey questions.

1. How much vision do you have? When did you lose your vision?
totally blind since birth
2. What is your age? (teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, etc.)
late 20s
3. Do you own a 3M label maker?
i used to
4. What have you used your 3M label maker to label?
cd's, videos, touchscrrens like microwaves or flat pannels, folders
5. Approximately how many letters can you type in 10 seconds on your
3M label maker?
3-5
6. If you label disposable items, such as canned foods, can you
describe how you do it? Do you adhere the label to the can and
dispose of it when you throw
away the can? Or do you have a system for reusing your labels? Can
you describe it? If you reuse your labels, is it to save money, to
save the time of
making a new label, or is there another reason?
i never have labeled cans it didn't seem practical because you throw away 
the can. Maybe magentic tape would've worked never bothered with it though.
7. When you use your 3M label maker, do you usually make multiple
labels in one sitting, or do use it each time you need just one label?
usually multiple labels in one sitting sometimes one or two when I need it.
8. Do you ever have a need to make multiple lines of label? Is it
challenging to make two labels and line one up below the next while
placing them?
I've never had to make multiple lines because it was easier to do without. 
Unless it's a very small surface I think one line should be sufficient
9. Is there any part of the labeling process for which you prefer or
require help from a sighted friend? (Identifying items to be labeled,
creating the
labels, trimming the labels, peeling the labels, sticking the labels, etc.)
The 3m labeler has a greating cutting system that leaves a tab for peeling 
that a lot of blind people didn't know or learned later like myself. This is 
very efficient. Obviously getting help to identify things to label is a must 
unless you know exactly what you're doing. Also in the case of a flat pannel 
screen you need someone to place the labels or show you how much space there 
is for a particular label.
10. Do you carry your 3M label maker with you? To work? To the
grocery store? If your 3M label maker were small and light enough,
would you carry it with
you to label things right away as you purchased them?
That is something I've never considered. I probalby would especially with 
canned items or maybe cereal.
11. Would you purchase a label maker that required batteries to operate?
Not unless it did something else other than label. Like a multipurpose tool. 
I don't know what maybe a calculator or something then it wouldn't be a big 
deal.
12. What other things do you have to do besides simply embossing the
braille in order to prepare a label? (How often do you have to buy
replacement tape?
Do you have to trim the label? Peel the backing? Anything else?)
Please elaborate on anything that is tricky or inconvenient, or that
might sometimes cause
a mistake so that you have to remake the label.
To me the most difficult was not being able to use the signs that I want to 
use. In grade 2 braille the labelar only has a few common signs like er with 
of that kind of thing. It would be better to either type it yourself or have 
a system where you can control what dots are used.
13. Do you own any technology for which you would say that the
buttons are too small?
no
14. Do you own a brailler or a Braille note? Which do you have, and
how long have you had one? Approximately how many letters per second
can you type in
10 seconds on your brailler or Braille note?
I have a braille lite and I don't know how long in 10 seconds I'm a fast 
braille writer though.
15. How much would you be willing to spend for a label maker that
used dymo tape, had a 6-button interface like a brailler or a Braille
note, and was smaller
than the 3M label maker?
$50
Thank you so much for your time! Please forward this on to any
friends who may be able to help, and have them reply to me, Karina Pikhart, 
at
<mailto:kpikhart at mit.edu>kpikhart at mit.edu
. Any questions about the nature of our project or of this survey may
also be addressed to me.

Thanks again!
Karina Pikhart
2.009 Blue Team

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----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Amy Ruell (by way of David Andrews<dandrews at visi.com>)" 
<aruell at nbp.org>
To: <david.andrews at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Wednesday, October 22, 2008 11:04 PM
Subject: [Promotion-technology] MIT Seeks Input about Braille Labeler


>I have been asked to circulate the following:
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: <mailto:karina.pikhart at gmail.com>karina.pikhart at gmail.com
> [mailto:karina.pikhart at gmail.com] On Behalf Of Karina Pikhart
> Sent: Tuesday, October 21, 2008 11:36 AM
> Subject: [2.009] Braille labeler product survey
>
> Dear Customer,
>
> We are the senior mechanical engineering design team at MIT working
> on designing and building a brand new Braille labeler. We need the
> help of people like
> you to design the best product possible for the blind and visually
> impaired. We would be so grateful if you could reply to this email
> with your own answers
> to the questions listed below at your earliest convenience. The
> results will be assessed anonymously; your confidentiality is
> certainly our priority.
>
> Additionally, for those of you living in the Boston area, please keep
> your calendar open for this Saturday morning for a one hour focus
> group during which
> e will present some basic models and give you the opportunity to test
> them out and give us feedback. Details of time and location will be 
> emailed out
> shortly. Please let your friends know about this event; we want to
> have as many blind and visually impaired people there as possible to
> help us design
> the best product that we can.
>
> Thank you so much! Please continue reading for our survey questions.
>
> 1. How much vision do you have? When did you lose your vision?
>
> 2. What is your age? (teens, 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, 60s, 70s, etc.)
>
> 3. Do you own a 3M label maker?
>
> 4. What have you used your 3M label maker to label?
>
> 5. Approximately how many letters can you type in 10 seconds on your
> 3M label maker?
>
> 6. If you label disposable items, such as canned foods, can you
> describe how you do it? Do you adhere the label to the can and
> dispose of it when you throw
> away the can? Or do you have a system for reusing your labels? Can
> you describe it? If you reuse your labels, is it to save money, to
> save the time of
> making a new label, or is there another reason?
>
> 7. When you use your 3M label maker, do you usually make multiple
> labels in one sitting, or do use it each time you need just one label?
>
> 8. Do you ever have a need to make multiple lines of label? Is it
> challenging to make two labels and line one up below the next while
> placing them?
>
> 9. Is there any part of the labeling process for which you prefer or
> require help from a sighted friend? (Identifying items to be labeled,
> creating the
> labels, trimming the labels, peeling the labels, sticking the labels, 
> etc.)
>
> 10. Do you carry your 3M label maker with you? To work? To the
> grocery store? If your 3M label maker were small and light enough,
> would you carry it with
> you to label things right away as you purchased them?
>
> 11. Would you purchase a label maker that required batteries to operate?
>
> 12. What other things do you have to do besides simply embossing the
> braille in order to prepare a label? (How often do you have to buy
> replacement tape?
> Do you have to trim the label? Peel the backing? Anything else?)
> Please elaborate on anything that is tricky or inconvenient, or that
> might sometimes cause
> a mistake so that you have to remake the label.
>
> 13. Do you own any technology for which you would say that the
> buttons are too small?
>
> 14. Do you own a brailler or a Braille note? Which do you have, and
> how long have you had one? Approximately how many letters per second
> can you type in
> 10 seconds on your brailler or Braille note?
>
> 15. How much would you be willing to spend for a label maker that
> used dymo tape, had a 6-button interface like a brailler or a Braille
> note, and was smaller
> than the 3M label maker?
>
> Thank you so much for your time! Please forward this on to any
> friends who may be able to help, and have them reply to me, Karina 
> Pikhart, at
> <mailto:kpikhart at mit.edu>kpikhart at mit.edu
> . Any questions about the nature of our project or of this survey may
> also be addressed to me.
>
> Thanks again!
> Karina Pikhart
> 2.009 Blue Team
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Promotion-technology mailing list
> Promotion-technology at nfbnet.org
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/promotion-technology_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for 
> Promotion-technology:
> http://www.nfbnet.org/mailman/options/promotion-technology_nfbnet.org/bboyer202%40gmail.com