Business Information Technology

Abstract

In this proposal, I would like to investigate is the shopping system work for the visually impaired person. For the methodology part, my research is separate in two main parts. In the first part, I will interview with the supermarket customers to gain a basic understanding of the opinion to build a shopping system work for the visually impaired person. In the second part is about the product, the process is the supermarket got the RFID system in the future, then visually impaired person have the watch to receive the RFID that let them to know where they are and also the information of the product they want. My system will also want to understand the specific difficulties and troubles that the visually impaired person may happen and their needs with the super market shopping system.

I begin by evaluating the impact of supermarket and the visually impaired person. I will show the system which for the super market to use, then examine the results of a survey of super market customer with their opinion about install a system for the visually impaired person to use in the supermarket. Moreover, there will include the budget of this system.

Problem

Hong Kong already positively developed the science and technology from the mid-90s, but in 1999, the financial secretary Donald Tsang Yam-Kuen, proposed that Hong Kong must develop high-tech massively, innovates positively the science and technology, except for is facing the bubble economy effect Hong Kong economy, develops an outlet, hoped that uses Hong Kong's superiority, makes Hong Kong to develop Asia's scientific research key position.

The intrinsic condition first is talented person: Hong Kong would like to create the value, the development science and technology, what most essential is the talented person, Hong Kong as a result of the place and the history cultural context superiority, can attraction large quantities of people with professional skills,

Carried out the popularization education positively after for many years, Hong Kong person's educational level is promoting unceasingly. The local each institutions of higher education launch's curriculum, like the mechanical engineering, the electronic engineering, biotechnology and the information science and technology, can train thousands of technical people with professional skills every year for Hong Kong. In office person Shi the aspect, the government encourages the industry to pay great attention to cultivate the talented person, provides the large taxes and levies width to reduce for this reason, and through new technology training plan, to recommend for admission to school the repairing study new science and technology the company to provide the financial support.
Special zone government for raise local working population innovation ability, in 99 years report on government administration proposed that in the elementary education stage carrying out comprehensive education, cultivate the student the innovative idea and creation ability. The student besides the study basic academic knowledge and the technological means that can also grasp the thought that the analysis and the communication skill, as well as has the essential skill, will enable can derive the new knowledge in the future and adapt the new thing, drove that the student will enrich himself unceasingly, will make every effort to progress. Infrastructure: As early as in the early 90s, Hong Kong invested a hundred million seven thousands of US dollar establishment Pan-Asian fiber optics system, connected North America, European, Australian and Asian each region, but Hong Kong was also the global first development interaction television and the high speed transmission network area. These infrastructure overcomes the good foundation for Hong Kong development information science and technology. Fund: Develops the new science and technology to need the huge fund, but Hong Kong takes the international financial center, can buy from all over the world the capital in the port investment. Except for this, the local enterprise recent years also started to invest the high tech industry, if positively developed the telecommunication business with the yellow group, but Hong Kong telecommunication also invested hundred hundred million development Internet service. Government policy: The government recent years started to take the high tech service, developed the high tech for Hong Kong to make the good environment. But in the promotion industrial technology horizontal aspect, the government has established the industry science and technology center and the industry and the technological progress bureau in the 90s, also through industry bureau and productive forces promotion bureau assistance manufacturing industry lift technique level. Scientific research: Hong Kong each universities, colleges and institutes for many years in the scientific research have made many progresses, successively in the Internet technology, biotechnology, environmental protection and the electronic currency and so on researches and develops the leading whole world variously the technology, but these achievements in scientific research develop the tech industry strongest backing.

Intrinsic demand employment question: The technical education also simultaneously brings the people with professional skills surplus question. Because Hong Kong development science's and technology's step is too slow, the labor market simply cannot buy in the people with professional skills completely, causes question which the unemployment and the capable person flow out. Therefore, develops the high tech to Hong Kong is urgent. Industry reforming: Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea as early as started in the 70s by crowded to transfer gradually the industry by the work the capital, the technology are crowded, and achieved the arrogant person achievement. Reviewed Hong Kong to fall behind many in this aspect, until now still outside moved reduces the cost the way survival. Must seize Asia industrial center again the status, we must develop the high tech, assists industry reforming. Multiplication: Now Hong Kong's economic structure too emphatically trade and financial service industry, both Canada occupies local total output value over 40%, but not the balanced development brings the enormous concealed worry like this for Hong Kong. Develops the high tech to be possible to strengthen the manufacturing industry the proportion, realizes the economical multiplication. External factor

Twenty one century by Yu Wei will be knowledge and the technical century, technological progress successful or not plays to a national or the local competitive power the decisive role, now many countries already forestall to start. The history tells us, Hong Kong each time peak is leads by the external factor, therefore, if we cannot seize tighten this opportunity, catches up with develops the high tech last bus, we will certainly to degenerate into twenty one century loser. Feasible pattern.

The high techs itself can the independence by an industry form development. Hong Kong has the splendid infrastructure, a knowledge and the foresight capable person, the huge fund and craves in the new thing quality is to develops the high tech industry ideal place. Taiwan's Hsinchu science park and US's Silicon Valley, is the high tech industry independent survival, but can lead the economic development the successful example on the other hand, the high tech may also assist Hong Kong each profession lift technique and strengthen the productive forces, and raises the working efficiency, reaches to decreases the cost the benefit. The shipping industry may introduce the computerization management, raises the cargo handling efficiency; The clothing industry may use the computer establishment ready-made clothing design model and raw material database, manages the production and the warehouse; The electronic manufacturing industry may buy the new machine, by formerly made the OEM low-order electronic part evolution to independently to design and the production higher order electronic products; The revertex and the toy business may also introduce the computer aided design and produce (CAD/CAM), improvement product innate nature.

In summary, Hong Kong's high tech development road to should be the opening independent high tech industry, in addition by vanguard technology transformation existing profession, to technology-intensive direction adjustment. This kind "two legs walk" the development model, will bring the biggest benefit for Hong Kong. In summary, Hong Kong has develops high tech all essential conditions, but the high tech can also lead the whole economic development, therefore, developed the high tech absolutely is the most suitable road to approach to Hong Kong.

We can see that Hong Kong is becoming a high level technology city, all things around us are become digital and high quality. We will think that every single people in Hong Kong can enjoy the benefit of it. How what we cannot see is there still have some group of people in the society that still have life uncomfortable. The visually impaired people in Hong Kong are difficult to shopping in the super market which I think high technology can help them to improve their daily life. Our government have say before that we need to developed the science and technology, so why we don't do it today?

The World Health Organization announces, the world approximately has 45,000,000 visually impaired people, the including 90% visually impaired person, are in the developing country. The world regards the barrier patient to reach 1.35 hundred million people, visually impaired person's world, has analogized has been the dark world. In the dark world, how should fit to the fact world? How to survive? This is the discerning person is unable to realize. since 1960, European and American various countries have started to impel to let of physical disabilities the positively and other motion barrier can like the common normal person use each kind of building, the facility, the activity venue as well as the transportation vehicle and so on. This kind the movement which causes the disabled persons to pass unimpeded, is called the non-barrier movement Importance of the Barrier-free design. Enhances regards bonds the public figure to live the innate nature an important condition is penetrates the improvement public place the channel facility, enables them to walk independently, has a greater degree-of-freedom to participate in the community moving, integrates the society easily and establishes the society which together with the disabled people more harmonious altogether melts. Need of for the coordination social development, promotes the Barrier-free design facility unceasingly, the promotion regards bonds opportunity of the public figure equality participation social activity, lets them share in the information, transportation, path, building and other aspects similarly with the average person the public utility, realizes the government to propose that "the society altogether melts without the barrier" idea.

Most of the visually impaired person may have problem for their daily life, such as choose the product and go to pay the money. We can see there are lots of different facilities to help them solve the daily life problem. For example, the tactile map the tactile guide path and the audio description, which I think is useful tools. But we cannot find those useful facilities in the supermarket. What I can do is create a supermarket system for the visually impaired person to use, to make them feel more convenient during shopping in the supermarket. A system for guiding the visually impaired person including the watch with receive RFID system function and the earphones is a sound generator, to guide the visually impaired person what goods they are watching for and how much is the prices. In 22nd century, people will use the entire high technique product to let their life become convenient, so as the visually impaired person. We can expect shopping system will become very useful for them in the future.

Aim

My aim is to provide a high technique system to let the visually impaired person use in the supermarket. They can simply wear a watch which with receive RFID system function and the earphones to explore the bar code and they just listen to the voice, then they will know what kinds of food that they are searching for. Visually impaired person's as society in special groups, needs the society to give them more concerns and the attendance, enables them a better independent life. How to walk safely with the purchase life needs is the visually impaired person the most major problem of their lives, According to the past visually impaired product advantages and disadvantages and the visually impaired person personal request and need, I has designed a set of more perfect supermarket visually impaired person guidance system. On the super market, I can sees the visually impaired is hard to decide where should they go and about the product information. They always need to ask for help and that I thing will waste their time very much; I fell so uncomfortable with their situation. If there has set of functions perfectly to lead the visually impaired system to have well. Therefore, I start to collect the material, bustles about for my system. After the material collection, I found that Hong Kong has 120,000 visually impaired people, includes the hemianopia. The visually impaired person always does the things for independence in their life, they made the basic independence depending on their strength, but there still have the things that they cannot do and aspect. After understanding partial visually impaired people, I understanding to the visually impaired person in the journey and the life difficulty, I has obtained them certain subject matters which faces in the daily life: They live in a dark world, walked cannot find the concrete position and they are hard to find out the things that they want. That's why I want to provide the super market system for them to use.

To achieve the aims, I will focus on the relationship between shopping system and the coding system which supermarket provide .The following are some hypotheses that I would like to investigate in this research.

H1 Most of visually impaired person are not easy to shopping in the supermarket.

H2 Most of the visually impaired person need the shopping system.

H3 shopping system for the visually impaired person is work and gain profit.

H4 Provide the high quality and good user interface shopping system instrument.

H1, H2 and H3 investigate the socio-economic (marco) aspects of shopping system.

In order to research H1, I will research the visually impaired person in Hong Kong and other country such as US, China.etc .

H2 Reveals most of the visually impaired person need a tools to help them to shopping themselves.

H3 I need to sure that this system can get the profit because that the main objective that a business plan come from.

H4 Provide the high quality and f good user interface shopping system instrument to make sure that visually impaired person people can enjoy their shopping, they can get a joyful lifestyle.

Background

PARKnSHOP

As my target is install the system for visually impaired person to use in PARKnSHOP. I will give a short descript for PARKnSHOP first, they are the local supermarket store, they are one of the largest supermarket in Hong Kong. They aim to give customers the highest quality product and outstanding value for money, they also provide many fresh foods for customers to choose, and they will give the most reasonable price of the product to the customers. PARKnSHOP was start at 1973 by Hutchison Whampoa, they have more than 200 stores already over Hong Kong and Macau these two places, which is a big chain with 9000 employees and achieve themselves to their commitment with innovation and provide good quality of service to the customers. They are a member of Watsons from Hutchison Whampoa Limited.
The famous service of PARKnSHOP is the 'Fresh Check' and 'Price Watch' two programmes. 'Fresh Check' promise that their will give the most good levels of food safety to their customers and it is at the best value in town. 'Price Watch' will set the price near standard of Hong Kong retailing and similar shop's setting price. If the customers find that their 'Price Watch' products price is higher than others store that they will give back the gift to customers which make the customers feel more confident. To show their responsibility of the product price setting.
PARKnSHOP's have more than 50 Superstores in Hong Kong. They start the first Superstore in Hong Kong in 1996. Superstore concept has transformed the mind of Hong Kong people think about the supermarket shopping store. They give a new concept of supermarket for the customer that they are not like the traditional supermarket store. Giving their customers the most lots of selection with their store items in Hong Kong, provide lots of food such as fish, vegetables, sushi, snack and the rice. They also provide all the life necessary product, for example blanket, dish and the bowl. The larger PARKnSHOP's superstores will provide clothes, bed, imported cosmetics, and bath accessories, a DIY section, lots of general household products to the customers.They also have the first PARKnSHOP Megastore start in 2002, it with a floor space of 6 700 metre square which is a very big area in Hong Kong.

Visually impaired person

According to the Social data collected via the General Household Survey in 2008. There are currently 122, 600 legally visually impaired person in Hong Kong. Visually impaired person is a persons who's with eyes seeing difficulty and those who had been appraise as being visually impaired person, sometimes visually impaired person may just have the low vision under the professional checks or define they will have a long-term seeing difficulty with one eye or both eyes whether they are with or without wearing any correcting glasses lenses.

They living in the Hong Kong who face daily obstacles with routine tasks, especially in regards to their experiences within supermarkets and stores. Developing assistive technologies and handheld devices allows for the possibility of increasing independence for those who have low vision. Currently, many grocery stores treat those that are visually impaired person as "high cost" customers, and dramatically undersell to this market, ignore to take their needs into consideration. The use of computational vision can be advantageous in helping these visually impaired person customers, as restrictions such as the limited ability of guide dogs, frequently changing store layouts, and existing resources do not allow for a completely independent shopping experience. Using technologies such as object recognition, sign reading, and text-to-speech notification could allow for a greater autonomous solution to the growing problem.

Total visually impaired is visual light sense and complete lack of form; it is clinically recorded as no light sense. Visually impaired is frequently used to describe severe visual impaired with surplus mision. Those kind of described is show that the visually impaired person having only light sense or have no more sight than the ability than they can do to tell light from dark area or the general direction that they are of a light source.

To decide which people need the special assistance is because of their visual disabilities, governmental guide handbook for define the visually impaired person. In most of country, legal visually impaired person is defined as they can see 20/200 or less far with the better eye and the best correction possible. That means that a legally visually impaired individual would have to stand 20 feet from an object to see it with best correction possible and also the same degree of clear as a normally sighted person could from 200 feet. In many areas, people with average acuity of less than 20 degrees are also classified as being legally visually impaired. About ten percent of those deemed legally visually impaired, by any measure, have no vision. The rest have some vision, from light sense to relatively good acuity. The ten revision of the World Health Organization International Statistical Classification of Diseases,have say that low visionis defined as visual sense of less than 6/18, but equal to or better than 3/60, or corresponding visual field loss to less than 20 degrees, in the better eye with best possible correction. Visually impairednessis defined as visual acuity of less than 3/60, or corresponding visual field loss to less than 10 degrees, in the better eye with best possible correction.

Tactile graphicsare the images use to raise outward to let the visually impaired person can feel them and know about the infoemations. They always use to provide the non-textual information such as maps, graphs, paintings and also the diagrams. The graphics can give the verbal description, sounds for the visually impaired person to read it in their mind and remember it.

RFID

RFID already the dispersion quietly on our life, very common to saw or heard this noun, Strange did not know that behind it the operation principle and the technology. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID), Chinese may be called "the wireless radio frequency recognition system". Usually is the system which is composed of sensor (Reader) and RFID label (Tag), its operation's principle uses the sensor launch radio wave, touches in the induction scope the RFID label, and produces the electric current because of the electromagnetic induction, supplies on the RFID label's chip to operate and to send out the electromagnetic wave response sensor. Actuates the energy origin difference, the RFID label to be possible to divide into the driving type and the passive form two kinds: The passive form label itself does not have battery's installment, needs the electric current to depend entirely on the sensor the radio wave electromagnetic induction production, therefore only will then be receiving the signal which the sensor will send out only then the passive response sensor; But the driving-type label built-in has the battery, may transmit the signal to supply the sensor read on own initiative, the signal transmission scope relative to be also broader than the passive form.

Actually RFID already has in our daily life environment, will drive on the highway not to need to stop the vehicle to give 'ETC' which the coupon ticket will use the prepaid card, will go 7-11 to buy a drink to use" VISA WAVE" the credit card, on the beloved pet body will implant 'the pet chip', in the store or the library security chip, will get in the home to open" MiFare which" the front door entrance guard will use the chip card, these will be the RFID practical applications. The RFID characteristic especially qualify uses for to take the person or goods on circuit control tracing and the recognition. Therefore RFID widespread application in entrance guard control, flow control as well as aspects and so on electronic ticket. In addition RFID has formulated the global unified ISO standard, simultaneously favors the opportunity which RFID brings, had many manufacturer investment related industry research and development, in recent years in domestic and foreign promotes many and the RFID related application for example: The global biggest chain-like circuit discusses Wal-Mart to request its first 100 big upstream supplier installs the RFID label on the goods packing or the stack board, with the aim of tracing the goods on supply chain immediate information, may reduce the cost and enhance the product information the transparency; The domestic Yulong automobile the RFID technology application in the car care service flow control, the vehicle owner may grasp clearly in the restroom loves the vehicle immediate processing situation and the progress; Three always use in RFID patient's recognition, avoids giving the medicine to be wrong, the large enhancement prepares the medicine with to give the medicine the accuracy.

In electronic ticket application aspect, because the RFID label built-in memory may deposit the related recognition material, in addition encrypts the mechanism then records the ticket ticket's content security in the electronic chip, therefore may widely apply in the jot expends, in order to avoid eliminates pays in cash gives change or the credit card signature and so on is troublesome. Like "2006 FIFA World Cup Soccer" the Organizing unit and Phillips Corporation cooperates, discards the traditional admission ticket, changes picks the RFID chip card, this act, besides enables the fan to confirm the admission fast, this RFID electron admission ticket may also use for to pay in the field expenses and so on other like parking, dining; The MiFare chip but in domestic, in the majority of Taibei manpower has the long travel card which uses is also one kind of RFID card. Besides may use for to build DORTS, the public vehicle, the cat cable and pays the parking fee, in the technology should be possible to use in other lives the jot expense. Limited to the domestic financial law, the long travel card can only use in the transportation enterprise, has not been able to carry on the service which the jot expends; But last year the domestic four banks and the Taibei Wisdom Card Ticket Company signed a treaty the release long travel jointly card, and unified VISA which 'the VISA International organization' promoted the WAVE function, enabled the cardholder besides to be possible to travel by the populace transportation system, might also use in facilitating the ultra business to expend, brings more conveniences the services. Does obeisance bestowing of the technical, RFID lets the life be more convenient, be safer, as soon as the imagination gets down the supermarket to buy a vehicle's commodity, as soon as so long as the shopping cart passes through the sensor shopping detailed list, the bill produces immediately, does not need to line up and so on sales clerks 11 to inspect and verify paying up now likely; Also one gets in the home, all around the temperature, the light and the electrical appliances turn the hypothesis which immediately you like, west does not need to look looks for the remote control and the switch; When family's refrigerator food drink not enough, the automatic under order form dwelling will match the government office, will not need to turn on the refrigerator to discover that most liked being possible not to have happily, this will really be the convenient future, moreover this already was not in the future far.

RFID Receiver

The receiver of RFID is provide by Maxell's, their new RFID system is comprised of an advanced RFID reader and RFID chip that is customized for individual applications. It allows information to be wirelessly transferred from a tag to a reader to enhance the ability of companies to track individual items.

Manufacturer	Welcat
Product Outlook
Corresponding specification	ISO/IEC15693
frequency band	13.56MHz
Maximum communication distance	50 Kilometer
Available RFID	1-CODE, my-d, Infineon technologies, Tag-it
Outputs/into the interface	RS232C
Slaving voltage	+3.3V~ +5V
Consumption electric power	750 mW (when connect)

Critical review of relevant literature

Description of the system

In the system, there include four main products - Tactile Supermarket Layout Map, server, RFID system and also the watch for the visually impaired person to use. The first one Tactile Supermarket Layout Map is installed at the supermarket main entrance. That can make the user easy to find it out as they come to the supermarket and use the map without position problem. Tactile map is important tool to finding help for people with visual impaired. To use a map more effectively, it is essential to know one's own position on the map. For a person with visual impaired this usually means identifying a location of distinctive landmarks in the environment, if this location is located on the map it will provide the basis information for making a decision about their own position. Moreover, the map will provide the date for the visual impaired person such as the supermarket instantaneously best prices& choose and also the new arrival product. They can search the product basic on the type or the brand name of the product, which will provide all the Chinese or English two languages for user choose to make it more use effectively. Maybe they will not know about how to use the map, so the map will also provide a HELP function which the staff will come immediately and solve he/she's problem. The system will also provide the audible device allow the speech function which just likes a mobile phone.

Every supermarket will have their own system to provide the cost and information of the product. Nowadays, they will use the traditional method to show the cost to the customers, they show the price and the name of the product on the paper then press it in front of the product. I can see a few times that the customers complain with the system price is not match with the show price. That happen will make the customer feel angry and inconvenient. Some time they will choose another product to buy, but in the worse case, they will get complain with the supermarket fraud with their trust. In the future, we should use the LCD monitor to display the price and the product information which will make the process of change the price make more convenient and reduce the use of paper.

In the future, supermarket will use the RFID which is the use of an object applied to or incorporated into a product for the purpose of identification and tracking using radio waves. Some tags can be read from several meters away and beyond the line of sight of the reader.

There will have a server to save all of the date for price and information of the product, no need the super storage device, just simplify a computer can make it happen. The date will send to the Tactile Supermarket Layout Map to provide the date of the product.

Visually impaired person use the watch, inside the watch their have the receive RFID receiver to receives the date of RFID and they can listen to the price and the information such as expire day, nutrition information and the brand name of the product with their earphone.

The RFID plan may body making to order He said that the RFID product divides into the initiative radio frequency and the passive radio frequency two broad heading ? initiative radio frequencies is the label built-in battery, sends out the electric wave to arrive at the microreader on own initiative, lets the sensor read material. The passive radio frequency is in the label does not have the battery, instead sends out the electric wave by the microreader, shoots on the label to bounce the reclamation information. Because the passive radio frequency's label compares "the thin body", therefore applies generally at the retail trade, for example this company's label uses in the jewelry profession. As soon as so long as the customer takes up the jewelry, the staff member then available microreader read pastes on jewelry's label, immediately tells the product material and the selling price the customer. He pointed out that the passive radio frequency label price may be very cheap, for example a time has bought 5000, each selling price may lower to 0.5 Yuan. Besides jewelry industry, passive radio frequency label also widespread application in retail sales professions and so on fashionable clothing and clock and watch. Tracing material time-saving accurate As for the initiative radio frequency label, mainly uses on the precious goods. For example the retail shop and the goods warehouse storage valuable goods, the initiative radio frequency label sends out the electric wave, may induce the microreader to the cargo existence. If the cargo moves not suitably by the human, the microreader may sound the warning, informs the staff member related event, thus avoids the company being the victim.

The second benefit is the company who's install the system for visually impaired person to use can increase their brand name for people to know that they are a responsible company for the society in Hong Kong. If they do this kind of charity and improve the super market facilities to let every customer feel shopping in their market is a very good thing. The customers will say they will come regularly as they feel they will increase their constancy with the super market. The newspaper and also TV maybe description this incident. That is free for the company t get the advertisement use for more people hear about this news and let more people will come to your super market.

Research Methods

Interviews will enable me to do most of the qualitative part of my research, and the information gained here is usually more realistic. I will use the face-to-face interview method which I think is the most direct way to get the data. I will use English and Cantonese to become my languages. I will use secondary analysis for my research because it is more reliable and the resource implications is usually easier to gather than primary data. I would like to get the secondary analysis from the Internet, newspaper, and references book. I will also set up a questionnaire. I plan to interview the visually impaired person for their opinion about the shopping system, no matter adult or teenagers, all can become interviewer, I will also go to the Hong Kong Society for the Visually impaired person if possible, they was open in 1956 and they are become the principal, government subsidised, voluntary organisation in Hong Kong to provides lots of different services for over 75,000 visually impaired person and visually impaired population. I will interview the supermarket shopkeeper for ask them the data about the code system. I will also interview the customers who have come out from the supermarket to know about what they think on the system. After I collect all the data that I want, I will analyze my data with a very useful program SPSS which Is SPSS Corporation promotes a series of uses in statistics analysis operation, data mining, predictive parsing and the policy-making support duty software product and the related service.

I have chosen to interview the above people that I have mentioned because of the following reasons:

• The visually impaired person can let me know what they need with the system and is the system work with them.


• The supermarket shopkeeper enables me to understand is code system work with my shopping system.


• The Hong Kong Society for the Visually impaired person can give me the in formations about the visually impaired person and they will know what needs to the visually impaired person.


• I can know the customers of the super market will accept this system or not and will they help the visually impaired person in the daily life or not.

Research Questions

In my questionnaire, I have set seven questions to ask the customer who come out from the super market. I have provided both of the Chinese and English versions for the customers can easier to read and know about the content.

1. Do you think the facility for the visually impaired person are enough or not?

Yes No No idea

2. Do you think the facility for the visually impaired person in the super market are enough or not?

Yes No No idea

1. Have you ever see the visually impaired person shopping in the supermarket?

Yes No No idea

2. Will you help the visually impaired person in the supermarket?

Yes No No idea

3. If the supermarket builds some facility for the visually impaired person to use, do you think it will obstruct you?

Yes No No idea

4. Will you support to provide the system use to guide the visually impaired person shopping in the supermarket?

Yes No No idea

5. Do you mind that the facility prime cost will transfers to the consumer?

Yes No No idea

6. If the system will sound out the "Daily cut price" product and let you print out. Do you think it is useful for you?

Yes No No idea

Data Analysis

I have interview 80 people for my questionnaire outing the PARKnSHOP supermarket in the Hung Hom to get their opinion about setting the system for the visually impaired person to use. Are they agreeing to install this system? Are they support? This is very important for the supermarket to know people will support the system or not then make decide to install or not. After collecting the data, I find that most of the questions have a positive response.

For the question 1, my question is do they think the facility for the visually impaired person are enough or not. The result is 63 of the interviewee (79%) think that the facilities for the visually impaired person in Hong Kong are enough because they think nowadays they can see many useful facility for the visually impaired person to use such as the tactile map in the large shopping mall, the tactile guide path at the road and also the audio description at the MTR stations. They can see those useful facilities everywhere so most of them will think the positive way. 17 of the interviewee (21%) say they still think there are not enough facilities for the visually impaired person in Hong Kong to use. They think they cannot see the tactile guide path at the road and they have give me a example that in Hong Kong park, there is not any tactile map provide to the visually impaired person to use. That's why they think the facilities for the visually impaired person to use is still no popularize.

According to question 2 result, I find that all the interviewee (100%) think the facilities for the visually impaired person in the super market are not enough which my question is ask them do they think the facility for the visually impaired person in the super market are enough or not. The result show that all of them doesn't agree supermarket have enough facilities. Some of them just tell me they can not see any visually impaired person helper installations. One of the interviews want me to show him the facilities which I just can tell him there are no any installations for guides the visually impaired person right now. The result can show us the tools or the guide path for the visually impaired person to use or to touch is really not enough which we really need to concern about it.

For the question 3, I ask them have they ever seen the visually impaired person shopping in the supermarket or not. The result is only 8 people (10%) having seen the visually impaired person shopping in the supermarket, when I ask them why you feel with them. They say visually impaired person are hard to find out where the product is and they need to ask people for help them to find out the place. Some of the visually impaired person may need to ask people for help for 3-4 times. Cause not only the product in where, also the price of the product and maybe they need to buy lots of products in one time, visually impaired person may not feel comfortable of it. Most of the interviewee, over 72 people (90%) hasn't seen the visually impaired person shopping in the supermarket. This result shows us because of the environment and technology limited. Visually impaired person maybe not like shopping in the super market because they are facing so much problems such as how to walk over the super market and how to know the price of the products. In my mind, if I were a visually impaired person, I will feel very tired to ask other people help for much and much time.

In this questionnaire, I would like to ask if they shopping in the super market and they see a visually impaired person walk across them, will they help the visually impaired person to lead the guide path for them to find out their necessary product. Most of them, over 97% (78 of interviewee) agree they will guide the visually impaired person to help them to walk across the super market. Only 3% (2 of interviewee) will ask me what kind of help that I need to provide first, when I tell them in a whole that you can think about, then they said they need to depends on what the helper thing first, but in integral most of situation they will help them. For example, if the visually impaired person needs them to tell the right way to walk next to the product area, they will help he/she immediately. In others example, if the visually impaired person say they didn't have the money to pay for the product, then the interviewee express they will not help those kind of situation.

In the question 5, I ask them if the supermarket builds some facility for the visually impaired person to use, do they think it will obstruct them. I have give some example for them, such as do you think you will be uncomfortable during see the floor have the tactile guide path and think that is disturb them to walk, If the supermarket provide some sound description facilities for the visually impaired person to listen about the words of the map, will they feel confuse with the sounds which just like the MTR sound that install at the escalator? The result show most of the interviewee will not take offense with those situation because they can accept those facilities is use to help the visually impaired person for solve their daily life problems. Half of them (50 interviewee) may not mind and support to built those helping facilities. 29% (23 interviewee) of them feels that the sound description of the facilities will obstruct them because they don't like the super market have those sounds all the time and they will think that visually impaired person can ask other people or the staff of the super market to help them find out where they want to go and use the escalator. 7 of the interviewee (9%) have no idea about the question.

Will they support to provide the system use to guide the visually impaired person shopping in the supermarket is the sixth question in my questionnaire. The result show over half, about 57 of the interviewee (71%) agrees they will support to install the system for the visually impaired person to use. Because they think the system can let those person shopping more convenience and facility to use. People who can't see anything is very pity and why we cannot just let them live more happy and with less trouble in their daily life, so they are totally support. 23 of the interviewee (29%) no idea because they will concern about the system will include what the functions and is it really help for the visually impaired person to use? After I explain my system ideas for them to know the basic concept. Most of them think that they will support the visually impaired person for provide good service in the super market for them to use. In the questionnaire, no one think they are not support the system.

The question is do the customers mind that the facility prime cost will transfers to them. Over one third of the interviewee (43%) are not mind because they think that they can help the visually impaired person within their accept price. They know the system is need for them and they want to see the visually impaired person can use this facility as fast as they can. 22 of the interviewee (28%) think they don't want to increase the product price during they think that is the company social responsibility to take care every single customer during the company are marking big profits. They think the price should not be change but the super market still need to build this facility for the visually impaired person to built up a positive image for the super market brand name. If they do this kind of charity and improve the market facilities to let every customer feel shopping in their market is very joyful. All of them say they will come regularly as they feel they will increase their constancy with the super market. 22 of the interviewee (23%) express they need to depend on how much the super market increase on each of the product. For average, most of them say they can accept not more than $0.5 which just like levy on each plastic shopping bag. I have ask them in case the super market increase the price form the product more that 1 dollars of each product will they agree, the result is they also can accept because the reasons that I mention before.

For the last question, I have ask them If the system will sound out the "Daily cut price" product and let you print out. Do you think it is useful for you? Because the tactile map system is not only for the visually impaired person to use, all the customers come into the super market can use the system to check about the product type area and also the "Daily cut price" product. The system is user friendly and convenient to use, 71 of the interviewee (89%) express they think this system may help them to know about the lower price product and let them have more choice for the super market products. The main advantage is the system can let the visually impaired person to use. 7 of the interviewee (9%) say they will not use the system because when they come into the super market, they would like to enjoy the shooing time and they will find out the products themselves. When I ask them if there have time limit, for example need to buy the material to go back home cooks a meal immediately, but they cannot find the material, will they use the system, and the result is they will use it as fast as they can. 2 of the interviewee (2%) give me response that they cannot give me a idea about yes or not.

Budget

For one set of the system

Software

Hardware

Expenses

100,000 $0.5

Description	Qty.	Unit price	Expended price
RFID for each product	100,000	$50,000
Computer+ server	1	$10,000	$10,000
Tactile map system	1	$10,000	$10,000
Tactile guide path	1	$300	$300
Escalator sound description	1	$2,000	$2,000
Others (cable...)	1	$200	$200
Subtotal			$72,500

Potential Limitations

Summary

Since these observations are qualitative, I must be careful in generalizing them. Nonetheless, they are informative and will be used to help guide the visually impaired person with the shopping system. In particular, I think observations on the supermarket environment are important for design my system.

References

'Social data collected via the General Household Survey'(2008), General Household Survey Section ( 1 ) Census and Statistics Department

https://www.cs.usu.edu/~vkulyukin/vkweb/pubs/CSUN09_ShopTalkObervations.pdf

"SEVERAL QUALITATIVE OBSERVATIONS ON INDEPENDENT VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSON SHOPPING"(2008),

John Nicholson Computer Science Assistive Technology Laboratory Department of Computer Science Utah State University& Vladimir Kulyukin Computer Science Assistive Technology Laboratory Department of Computer Science Utah State University

Kulyukin, V., Nicholson, J., and Coster, D. 2008. ShopTalk:

Toward Independent, Shopping by People with Visual Impairments.

To appear in Proceedings of the 8th ACM, Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2008). Halifax, Canada.

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https://www-robotics.usc.edu/~tapus/IROS2007/IROS2007Slides/ iros07-Workshop-Ghapure.pdf

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"A Guide to Public Transport for People with Disabilities" Transport Department 2009

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https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4509403.stm

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https://www.afb.org/message_board_subjects2.asp?FolderID=3

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https://weekendamerica.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/12/09/shopping_visually impaired person/

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