Design, production and presentation of vacuum formed tactile maps
These guidelines are specific to vacuum formed maps, although some points will also apply to other techniques.
They are offered as an aid to producing useful tactile maps, rather than as a set of mandatory instructions.
At all times, people who are going to use the maps should be involved in their preparation
as the "design and production of effective maps … requires blind user advice,
feedback and testing"
[33].
A tactile map package should comprise:
- Map.
- Key.
- ‘How to read’ information in sound format; plus a printed version for sighted assistants.
- Visual map information in the form of a printed version of the map; presented as an underlay or printed directly on the map.
The whole package should be easy to manipulate and should be aesthetically acceptable to the users.
The following range of topics should be considered when drawing up a scheme of action:
- Purpose of map.
- Reproduction technology.
- Source map.
- Site survey (not relevant for small scale maps of large areas).
- Selection of map content.
- Page layout.
- Map size.
- Simplification of source map to create base map.
- Symbolisation.
- Spacing.
- Key.
- Underlay/overlay.
- Binding.
- Interpretation guide (‘how to read’ information).