Mang : loss of eye : thesis presented in partial fulfillment of the requirement of the degree of Master of Design, Massey University, Wellington, New Zealand

Abstract

According to World Health Organization 2013 statistics, there are approximately 285 million visually impaired people in the world, 39 million of whom are blind. In China, the country that I come from, it is estimated that there are around 12 million children are visually impaired. This design research project focuses on the reading needs of this audience by exploring book design for children and blind people’s ability to perceive despite their ‘loss of eye’. In it I apply haptic theory, cultural criticism, and secondary research into blind people’s sensory experience to re-purposing the visual language, format and construction of the book. Through this rethinking, and return to my cultural motifs, legends and forms, I aim to probe how tactile design can assist unsighted people read and understand text.