Today, many people who are visually impaired or have low vision must cobble together different tools just to use everyday items. But this is set to change thanks to a new ISO standard for accessible design that will bring tactile information to the use of everyday products.
ISO 24508:2019, Ergonomics – Accessible design – Guidelines for designing tactile symbols and characters, will make accessible design a part of designers’ best practices by helping them incorporate tactile information at the design stage of a product or environment.
If you’ve had your eyes, or fingers, open, you may have noticed tactile information on toilet doors to denote gents or ladies, on buttons in lifts, on bottles of wine and packaging for breakfast cereals and ready meals. The use of tactile information (such as raised symbols and characters) has become an increasingly important method for supporting accessible design of products, services and environments.