Data Fidget: Designing a Tactile Companion for and with Blind and Low Vision Data Readers

Blind and low vision (BLV) people face challenges in accessing charts, often relying on assistive technologies with limited interactivity. This paper presents the design process of a tangible companion supporting data literacy for BLV people. Building on semi-structured interviews with five blind and six low vision participants and a review of current tools, we conducted a Story/Test/Story protocol with a low vision participant experienced in data representation. We compared a screen-magnified bar chart with two tactile probes: (1) a unit-based cardboard bar chart and (2) a static 3D bar sculpture, using a univariate public dataset. Insights from these activities informed the ideation of the Data Fidget, a prototype that communicates data through movement, expanding when values increase and contracting when they decrease, complementing existing assistive technologies. Future work will refine and test the Data Fidget with more BLV participants, contributing to an ecosystem of tactile and intuitive data engagement tools.