I’m working alongside a research team from Portland State University and Seattle Sound Transit on 3D-printed tactile maps of train stations. The university and transit teams have been researching symbology for tactile maps of Seattle-area train stations and are now exploring how to get maps into riders’ hands. My role is to address tactile map reading challenges faced by people with coexisting disabilities, for example neuropathy, which can make traditional tactile maps made with swell paper or thermoforming materials hard to read.

Two innovations

Hybrid construction. Printing a large number of tactile maps runs into material cost and print time limits fast. To solve both, I print a thin-layer PLA (polylactic acid) map face and glue it to a corrugated plastic sheet. The plastic sheet provides rigidity for a fraction of the filament and print time of a solid printed map.

Detachable symbol key. Instead of one fixed, cluttered key, the symbol key is a set of individual cards, each with a tactile symbol, braille, and large print, that attach with Velcro. Users build the key for the specific map they are using, which simplifies learning and reduces clutter.

Sharing the method

Alongside the maps, I’ve been writing a tactile map-making quick reference guide with precise dimension sizing based on current research. The goal is to share it with other Assistive Technology Act programs across the United States, promoting research-based tactile map standardization shaped by feedback from the people who actually use tactile maps. You can read the draft guide now, or download it as a PDF.

An inspiration for this work is Maptimizer, a research project on generating tactile maps tailored to individual user needs and a great example of inclusive design in wayfinding.