Dot Canvas
Design of Tactile Graphic Authoring Tool for Dot Pad
ORGANIZATION
Dot Inc.
YEAR
2023 (1y)
ROLE
UX 디자이너
기여
50%
RESPONSIBILITIES
Wireframe, GUI Design, UX Research
WITH
김승환 (서비스 기획자), 주백준 (GUI 디자이너)
KEYWORDS
accessibility, tactile graphic, design tool, GUI design
PROBLEM
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Students with visual impairments cannot perceive graphic information visually and instead rely on tactile graphics in braille textbooks or separate tactile learning aids for their education. However, the current educational environment faces a severe shortage of such tactile resources.
Tactile graphics in braille textbooks are difficult to produce and manage, and often only a limited selection is provided, failing to cover all the graphics found in the original textbooks. As for tactile learning aids, most must be handmade by teachers themselves, which demands significant time and cost. Moreover, durability issues make ongoing maintenance challenging.
These constraints severely limit learning opportunities for students with visual impairments and place a substantial burden on educators. Consequently, there is an urgent need for more efficient and accessible methods for the production and utilization of tactile graphics.
APPROACH
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To address these challenges, Dot Inc. developed Dot Canvas, an authoring tool designed to integrate with its tactile display device, the Dot Pad. Dot Canvas is a web- and mobile-based platform that enables even non-experts to easily create and share tactile graphics.
Through the web platform, users can intuitively generate tactile graphics and store or share them via the cloud. The mobile app enhances the creation experience by allowing intuitive touch interactions and Apple Pencil use on the iPad. Additionally, it supports VoiceOver and live drawing features, providing accessibility for visually impaired users to independently create tactile graphics.
Through these capabilities, Dot Canvas aims to lower the barriers to tactile content production and build a more sustainable and inclusive tactile education environment.
DOT CANVAS WEB
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A Simple Yet Powerful Web-Based Tactile Graphics Tool: Dot Canvas Web is an optimized web tool that allows non-experts to easily create tactile graphics. It offers a wide range of editing features and advanced production options, such as inserting PDFs and images, enabling the creation of more sophisticated content.
Cloud-Based Storage and Sharing of Tactile Graphics: Through Dot Cloud, users can store tactile graphics and access them anytime, anywhere. The shared drive feature allows users to exchange content with others and sustainably manage tactile graphic resources.
Real-Time Tactile Communication Across Multiple Dot Pads: Dot Canvas Web can connect with up to 10 Dot Pads simultaneously, enabling the same content to be displayed in real time on multiple devices. This allows multiple users to experience and communicate through pre-produced tactile graphics simultaneously.
DOT CANVAS APP
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Intuitive Tactile Graphics Creation with Touch and Apple Pencil: Dot Canvas App is a touch-optimized tool for the iPad, allowing users to create tactile graphics intuitively using touch gestures and the Apple Pencil.
Content Management and Sharing with Cloud Integration: Users can store tactile graphics via Dot Cloud and access them anytime. Through the shared drive, multiple users can collaborate and accumulate tactile graphic content together.
Accessibility Features for Visually Impaired Users: The app supports Apple’s VoiceOver and live drawing features, enabling visually impaired users to create tactile graphics independently. It offers a new experience of drawing, feeling, and developing tactile senses simultaneously.
IMPLEMENTATION
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UI/UX Design with Figma : Based on user research insights, we used Figma to design the user interface and visual elements for Dot Canvas Web and App. We restructured the UI to enhance intuitive navigation and clearly organized each function, creating an interface that is easy for both teachers and visually impaired students to use.
User Research Through Multiple UX Methodologies: We conducted field studies with special education teachers and visually impaired students in Korea, and carried out surveys and diary studies with international users. These activities allowed us to deeply explore real-world usage contexts and pain points. The collected data served as a crucial foundation for identifying issues in the initial version of Dot Canvas and setting directions for improvement.
Strengthening Developer Collaboration and Documentation Processes: We systematically documented screen designs and functional specifications and used JIRA to manage project issues. This process ensured close communication with the development team, enabled rapid reflection of technical changes, and helped us successfully meet improvement goals and release deadlines.
IMPACT
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The Dot Canvas Project generated meaningful achievements across three areas: educational impact, business growth, and global expansion.
Improving Educational Environments for Students with Visual Impairments: The introduction of Dot Canvas had a positive impact on educational environments for students with visual impairments. By leveraging this technology, students gained improved access to learning materials, while teachers benefited from more efficient resource management and enhanced support tools. As a result, Dot Canvas contributed significantly to providing better educational opportunities and improving the overall quality of education for visually impaired students.
Revenue Growth and Investment Attraction: Dot Canvas also played a critical role in driving revenue growth and attracting new investments. Following its launch, demand in the visually impaired education market increased, leading the company to achieve annual revenues exceeding KRW 10 billion in both 2023 and 2024. Building on this growth, the company successfully secured additional investments totaling approximately KRW 15 billion.
Global Market Expansion and Collaboration Opportunities: Dot Canvas showcased its potential for educational applications and the versatility of the Dot Pad at various global exhibitions. In particular, it gained recognition by winning an award at CES 2024 and received collaboration proposals from international education organizations at events such as CSUN 2024. These activities not only positively impacted revenue growth but also laid the foundation for expanding into the global market.
REFLECTION
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Balancing Rapid Execution and Long-Term Quality
The Dot Canvas project posed a challenging goal: launching demo versions of both the web and app platforms within a short timeframe. At that time, the team lacked extensive experience in similar projects, and we had to produce a usable outcome within just three months. To meet this challenge, I collaborated closely with teammates, rapidly developed prototypes, and adopted an execution-focused approach. Throughout this process, I not only honed my UX design skills but also gained practical experience in cross-functional collaboration and project schedule management.
However, I also experienced firsthand the limitations that come with prioritizing speed. While we succeeded in achieving short-term goals, the design lacked sufficient scalability, leading to numerous revisions during later maintenance stages. Additionally, incomplete product refinement impacted the overall user experience. Through this, I realized how critical it is in UX design to balance speed with completeness and long-term viability.
Nevertheless, it was meaningful to see real users finding value in Dot Canvas. By conducting user studies, gathering direct feedback, and identifying areas for improvement, I learned the importance of continuous iteration in UX design. Based on this experience, I am committed to approaching future projects with a greater focus not only on rapid execution but also on ensuring scalability and maintainability from the outset.