Over fifty years after the first Perkins Brailler was introduced, Perkins and American Printing House for the Blind made strides to re-imagine a classic with goals of creating a brailler that is smaller, weighs less, makes less noise, has a lighter keystroke and overall increases the possibilities for learning world-wide. Perkins came to PDT with the challenge.
The project began with ethnographic research to gain a comprehensive understanding of the experience of Braille writer use and to better understand the cognitive, cultural and emotional factors surrounding the use and perceptions of Braille writers by a variety of users. The research was conducted in five locations: Boston, Massachusetts, Indianapolis, Indiana, Mexico City, Mexico, Chennai, India and Johannesburg, South Africa.
Using the information gathered from the research and engineering analysis, the team conducted a number of internal brainstorm sessions to improve upon the design and user experience of the Braille writer exploring various features, forms and sizes through initial ideation sketches. Building upon the learnings from the ethnographic research, mechanical analysis and concept generation, a single concept was selected to move forward. The team created a mock-up of the selected design in order to put it in front of users as one on one interviews to ensure that the users’ needs are being met and new features are clear. An alpha prototype was then created to ensure modifications such as the overall size reduction, key height reduction, weight reduction, part reduction, etc. would work together. With around 600 parts, accomplishing all of these requirements was an engineering feat in itself.
Next Generation with its Easy-Grip handle is lighter, smaller, easier to carry and quieter than the Classic. Its Gentle Touch keys require a lighter stroke, making brailling more accessible for young children and people with physical limitations. The tactile-friendly, virtually indestructible polycarbonate shell, in high-contrast, contemporary colors, houses a metal frame and the same durable metal inner workings of the time-tested Perkins Brailler.
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Click here to see the full Perkins Next Generation Braille Writer case study.
