Rethinking the Grocery Store
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Rethinking the Grocery Store: Inclusive Wayfinding System for Visually Impaired Shoppers in Grocery Stores by Doaa Khattab Submitted to OCAD University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design In Inclusive Design Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 2015 © Doaa Khattab, 2015 ii Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this MRP. This is a true copy of the MRP, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize OCAD University to lend this MRP to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my MRP may be made electronically available to the public. I further authorize OCAD University to reproduce this MRP by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. iii Abstract Many people with disabilities face considerable barriers while shopping in grocery stores. One such barrier is that they cannot find their way around easily, especially when they visit the grocery store for the first time and have not yet built a cognitive map in their memory. They may also experience delays in finding the right product or waiting for assistance from store employees, thus leading them to rely on family, friends, relatives, or volunteers to help them with their shopping. Problems start when these people are not available, in which case the individual is forced to cancel their visit to the grocery store and reschedule the trip. Grocery stores include many different zones and services, the aisles area being one of the main barriers to access for people with different disabilities. This area features many different sections such as canned goods, dry packaged goods, spices, drinks and snacks, baking supplies, baby items, cereals, cleaning products, pet supplies, and health and beauty items. For visually impaired individuals, however, it can be hard to reach these various sections and find the relevant products. The objective of this research is to design an inclusive and innovative wayfinding system in grocery stores for visually impaired shoppers in order to help them find the center zone, orient between different aisles, decide where to go, move easily between different sections, and select products with ease. The research approach will be based on the literature review and the application of the Delphi method. Keywords: Grocery store, Wayfinding, visually impaired shoppers, vision impairment, accessibility, inclusive design, sensory environment iv Acknowledgements I would never have been able to finish my master research paper without the guidance of my principal advisor, help from professors and colleagues, and support from my family and husband. I would like to express my warmest gratitude to my principal advisor, Professor Gayle Nicoll, the dean of the Faculty of Design at OCAD University, for her guidance, understanding, generous contribution of knowledge and experience, valuable comments, and encouragement from the start until the end of my study. My deepest gratitude to my professor Peter Coppin, who introduced me to my principal advisor and supported my research paper. Also, I wish to thank my professor Sambhavi Chandrashekar for the numerous hours she spent discussing the different phases of this project and providing me with different materials to support the study. Special thanks to my colleague Donna Saccutelli, who brought the idea of grocery store and visual impaired shoppers. Also, I would like to thank my colleague Tom Pokinko, who provided me with the AODA document, John Willis who supported my research, and my friend Julie Buelow, who was always willing to help and give her best suggestions. I deeply appreciate the support of both groups of experts who participated in my research. David Yehuda, Dan Phillips, Lawrence Polyner, and Michael Farquhar (grocery store experts) for their expert advice and brilliant ideas. Gordon Legge, Melanie Taddeo, Sambhavi Chandrashekar, Sumreen Siddiqui, Leanne Cornell, and Jennifer Shull (low-vision experts) for their valuable knowledge and suggestions. I wish to thank my parents for their endless love, support, and encouragement. Lastly, I am extremely fortunate to have my husband, Adel Abou Marasa, who gave me nothing but unconditional love and support through the past two years. v This research paper is dedicated to your quality of life. vi Table of Contents List of Tables and List of Figures ........................................................ x Abbreviation ...................................................................................... xiii 1 Chapter 1: Introduction ........................................................... 1 1.1 Background ........................................................................................... 1 1.1.1 Vision Loss ......................................................................................... 3 1.1.2 Stages of Shopping ............................................................................. 4 1.2 Objectives .............................................................................................. 7 1.3 Research Questions and Methodology ................................................ 8 1.3.1 Stage 1: Data Collection (literature review and Delphi survey) ......... 9 1.3.2 Stage 2: Data Analysis ...................................................................... 10 1.3.3 Stage 3: Creating the Design Model ................................................. 10 1.3.4 Stage 4: Testing the Model ............................................................... 10 1.4 Social-Ecological Model ..................................................................... 11 2 Chapter 2: Research Methods ............................................... 13 2.1 Literature Review ............................................................................... 14 2.2 Delphi Survey ...................................................................................... 15 2.2.1 Round 1 ............................................................................................ 16 2.2.2 Round 2 ............................................................................................ 16 2.2.3 Participants ....................................................................................... 17 3 Chapter 3: Literature Review and Delphi Survey ................ 20 3.1 Introduction ........................................................................................ 20 3.2 Visual Impairment .............................................................................. 20 3.2.1 What Is Visual Impairment? ............................................................. 20 3.3 Coping with Vision Loss .................................................................... 23 3.3.1 Vision Impairment and Sensory Compensation ............................... 23 3.3.2 Assistive Tools for Low-Vision People ........................................... 26 vii 3.3.3 Tools That VI Shoppers Make Sure They Have When They Go Shopping . …………………………………………………………………… ….29 3.4 Shopping in Grocery Stores ............................................................... 30 3.4.1 Shopping Behaviour ......................................................................... 30 3.4.2 How Do Shoppers Decide Where to Shop? ..................................... 33 3.4.3 Planned, Unplanned, and Impulsive Purchases ................................ 34 3.4.4 Factors That Affect Shoppers’ Purchase Decisions ......................... 35 3.4.5 Things That May Influence VI Shoppers to do Impulse Purchases . 37 3.4.6 Layout of Grocery Stores ................................................................. 37 3.4.7 Grocery Store Environment .............................................................. 40 3.4.8 Effects of Sensory Factors on Shoppers’ Behaviour ........................ 40 3.5 Wayfinding .......................................................................................... 44 3.5.1 Definition .......................................................................................... 44 3.5.2 Wayfinding Design Principle (AODA regulations) ......................... 46 3.5.3 Acoustic Wayfinding ........................................................................ 47 3.5.4 Haptic Wayfinding ........................................................................... 47 3.5.5 Wayfinding and Technology: The GroZi Project ............................. 49 3.6 Conceptual Framework ..................................................................... 50 4 Chapter 4: Delphi Survey Round 1 Analysis and Results .... 53 4.1 Results for the Relationship between the Senses and Perceptions of the Built Environment ................................................................................... 54 4.1.1 Smell ................................................................................................. 54 4.1.2 Touch ................................................................................................ 55 4.1.3 Hearing ............................................................................................. 55 4.2 Results for the Importance of Wayfinding Cues in the Built Environment for VI Shoppers ...................................................................... 58 4.2.1 Light ................................................................................................. 58 4.2.2 Colour ..............................................................................................