1. Audio feedback - As a musician, I was delighted to hear music being utilized as an indicator of various "environmental states." In Kyoto and Tokyo, a musical melody played when pedestrians had "the right of way," alerting the blind that it was safe to cross the street. A melody also played as a subway train paused to accept passengers, signaling the length of time before the train departed. In Taiwan, the garbage trucks played music similar to U.S. ice cream trucks, to alert residents to take out their trash. Audio cues in the form of vocal instruction are also ubiquitous in Asia. It seems as though every ATM, train ticket machine, elevator, and kiosk has a multi-lingual voice, to provide instruction the user.
2. Maps - On my flight to Asia, I was able to access an interactive map that showed the current location, distance to final destination, flight speed, altitude, as well as temperature. Japan's high-speed trains and subways were also equipped with maps that lit up current locations and stops along the way.
3. Tactile cues - The streets of Japan were literally lined with strips of bumps to enable blind pedestrians to walk safely, in the correct direction.
As an information architect, it was great to experience Asian industrial and urban design. It is evident that much thought and planning goes into how products and objects will be used by all types of people.
Jonathan Lupo
VP / Information Architecture - Empathy Lab
