Introduction

Seeing Assistant Home is an application developed by Transition Technologies S.A. in order to support blind and visually impaired people in everyday life. Seeing Assistant Home can serve as electronic loupe and allows the users to recognize colors, detect the light source. Application allows you to scan and generate both QR codes and ordinary barcodes. Generated barcodes can be printed and then placed on selected items; you can also assign custom label for particular barcode. In addition the barcodes with labels can be exchanged and shared with other users of the application. The ability to perform voice commands, allowing for visually impaired users to use application in much faster and easier manner, is the biggest advantage of Seeing Assistant Home.

Using the application

You can turn the torch on and off by shaking the device. You can use the torch if there is not enough light in the room you are using application, for example when recognizing colors or when using magnifying glass. Seeing Assistant Home does not use built-in voice synthesizer. You should have either VoiceOver or Zoom enabled on your iOS device. If you use Zoom, you can use the application the same way as any other application or iOS element. You can use „Repeat” button (placed at the bottom of the window) to play again any message you had troubles understanding. Seeing Assistant Home requires an Internet connection to use. The application has a limit on the number of speech recognition requests per day. Application will show new window so you can provide name of the label which will be displayed after recognizing of the code in the future. You can dictate the name instead of using on-screen keyboard - just use “Voice” option placed under edit field.

Scanning barcodes

Seeing Assistant Home allows for scanning both traditional barcodes, present at almost all sold goods, and QR codes which increase popularity due to their ability to store more information. To scan any code just select “Scan code” in the application's main window. Application will start scanning process using the device main camera; this is confirmed by the sound coming from the speaker. If you do not know the exact location of the code move phone about 10cm to the surface on which code should be and slowly move phone over the surface. Application will inform you with the sound when it finds the code. If you know the location of the code, just place the phone over that place and slowly move it away. Application will inform you when the code is recognized. If you suspect that there is not enough light to detect the code just shake the phone to turn on the torch. After recognizing the barcode Seeing Assistant Home displays the name of the code and result of the Google search for the code. If the code has been in private database application displays the label user gave to this code. For QR codes application displays information encoded in the code.

Describing barcodes

You can assign custom name (label) to the recognized barcode. This label will be added to the private database of codes managed by Seeing Assistant Home and will be displayed every time application recognizes the labeled barcode. Select “Add Code to Database” after code recognition if you want to add newly scanned code to the private database. Application will show new window for you to provide the name of the label which will be displayed after recognizing of the code in the future. You can dictate the name instead of using on-screen keyboard – just use “Voice” option placed under edit field.

Generating QR codes

Seeing Assistant Home allows for generating custom QR codes. Such codes can be used for example as virtual cards attached to email, printed on business cards, embedded on web pages – in any place where it is important to quickly transfer data, for example contact data. Choose “Code sets” in main window and then “My QR codes” and “Add” to generate custom QR code. Application will show new window for you to provide the text, which you want to embed in QR code. You can dictate the name instead of using on-screen keyboard – just use “Voice” option placed under edit field. You can filter list of displayed codes. To display only new codes choose “Action” and then “Show new only”. Codes are not treated as new ones when they were printed or sent by email.

Editing and removing codes

You can edit QR codes and barcode labels created in Seeing Assistant Home. You can also delete codes which you do not need anymore. Choose „Barcode Sets” in main window and then „My Barcodes” to edit barcode labels. Seeing Assistant Home will display all available labels. Select label you want to change and choose „Action” at the bottom of the screen. Then choose „Edit” and you will be able to write or dictate new name for edited label. You can also choose “Delete” action to delete selected label. Choose „Barcode Sets” in main window and then „My QR codes” to edit QR codes. Seeing Assistant Home will display all available QR codes. Select code you want to change and choose „Action” at the bottom of the screen. Then choose „Edit” action and you will be able to write or dictate new content for edited QR code. You can also choose “Delete” action to delete selected QR code.

Printing codes

Seeing Assistant Home allows for printing generated and labeled barcodes and created QR codes. You can print codes on sheet of adhesive paper of A4 size and then you can cut the codes and place them on chosen items. Thanks to such labeling you will be able to identify items with ease. In most of the options described in this sections there are two buttons: “Print” and “Send email”. If you have wireless printer and you have configured connection of phone and the printer you can chose “Print” and start printing using wireless connection. If you only have ordinary printer choose “Send email”; this option will send generated codes to you email account. Receive email with generated codes on your computer, open attached PDF file with codes and print it. We recommend using laser printer to ensure good quality of printout of codes. To print generated codes choose “Code sets” in the main window, and then choose “Generate private codes”. This will generate set of private codes and display two options “Print” and “Send email”. You can use generated code again. For example if you have generated code, then attached it to the item, labeled the code, and then the code was destroyed, you can print the code again to attach to the same item instead of generating new code. To print labeled barcodes choose “Code sets” in the main window, and then choose “My codes” which will display all labeled and generated codes. Then select codes which you want to print from the list of all the codes. After selecting one or more codes use button “Generate PDF” and they you will see two options “Print” and “Send email”. Printing QR codes is similar to printing labeled barcodes. To print QR code choose „Code Sets” in the main window, then „My QR codes” and select codes you want to print from the list of all available codes. After selecting one or more codes use button “Generate PDF”; after that you will see two options “Print” and “Send email”.

Recognizing and detecting color

Seeing Assistant Home can detect colors. It allows for sight-challenged people to choose matching clothes, find particular pair of trousers, or correctly set washing, all by themselves. Application uses basic color palette without any color shades. If area analyzed by Seeing Assistant Home contains many colors, application will return color: “Mix”. Choose “Color recognition” in the main window if you want to recognize color. Application will then start color recognition using the main camera. Point rear camera at the item whose color you want to know. Seeing Assistant Home says recognized colors in real time during recognition. Shake the phone to turn on the torch if you suspect that there is not enough light in the room for application to correctly recognize color.

Light source detection

Seeing Assistant Home can detect light sources. You can not only check whether light in the room is turned on, but also whether some electronic device with display is turned on, or even whether LED of some electrical device (e.g. kettle) is turned on or off. Choose “Light detection” in the main window to start detecting light sources. Seeing Assistant Home will start generating continuous sound. The tone of that sound depends on light intensity – the more intense light, the higher the tone. You can locate the light source by turning camera when the sound has the highest pitch – camera then points to the brightest point.

Magnifying glass

Seeing Assistant Home allows for the phone to be used as magnifying glass. This allows for people with sight problems to easily read small text or watch small items. Seeing Assistant Home, beside magnifying image, also allows for changing contrast, brightness, and color space of displayed image. Choose „Magnifying glass” in the main window to enable magnifying glass. After that application will start showing image gathered by the rear camera. To change camera chose „Change Camera” button placed in the top of the screen. This will cause application to use front camera to gather image. There are four buttons at the bottom of the screen, allowing for user to change settings of magnifying glass: Zoom, Brightness, Contrast, and Color. First three options (Zoom, Brightness, and Contrast) show slider allowing for changing image parameters, respectively magnification, brightness, and contrast. When VoiceOver is enabled you should use swipe up and swipe down gestures to change value of the slider. If VoiceOver is disabled just use ordinary way of changing value of slider, by dragging the ball right and left to achieve desired magnification, brightness, or contrast. The „Color” button allows for changing color of displayed image. After choosing this button there are two new buttons shown: „Black and White” and „Inverse”. Just tap appropriate button to use one of those options. Tapping the button again will cause appropriate option to be disabled. To hide additional controls (slider or buttons) just choose the button again, and it will hide controls used to control active option. If you place device in landscape magnifying glass will change to full-screen mode; it will hide all controls on the screen. Shake the device to turn on the torch if there is not enough light to comfortably see displayed image.

Settings

Option “Settings” present on main screen allows for changing options to ease work with Seeing Assistant Home. “Email” allows for setting email address to which all generated barcodes and QR codes are sent. “Dropbox” option allows for connecting Seeing Assistant Home to Dropbox account to create backup copies of generated label and codes and import Dropbox directories into application. Other options allow for choosing number of repeats of voice messages and locking autorotation and screen saver.

Backup in the cloud

Seeing Assistant Home allows for storing created and recognized codes and labels in virtual cloud. It means that losing your phone or needing to restore factory settings does not mean having lost all of the codes. You need to have Dropbox account to use cloud backup in Seeing Assistant Home. Choose „Settings” in the main window, and then „Dropbox” to enable cloud backup. In the first step you need to connect Seeing Assistant Home to the Dropbox by choosing „Connect to Dropbox”. If you have already configured Dropbox account at this iPhone you will need to click „Allow” in the next window. You will have two options, „Send” and „Retrieve” after connecting Seeing Assistant Home to the Dropbox. Choose „Send” to back up your data. Seeing Assistant Home will send all stored barcodes and labels when you choose this option for the first time. Subsequent sends will only send codes and labels which were changed since the last backup. You can retrieve data by using option „Retrieve” from dropbox menu. You can use this option if you loose some data. When you choose „Retrieve” Seeing Assistant Home downloads entire database with all the codes and labels from the cloud. Seeing Assistant Home enables user to back up his or her points and databases in Dropbox, so that change or loss of a device does not mean loss of user’s data. In order to utilize this functionality user must have a Dropbox account. Backup operations are available from the Dropbox menu available in the Settings. First step to back up the data to cloud is to link the application to the Dropbox, which is achieved by tapping the „Link to Dropbox” button. If the user has a Dropbox account he or she has to select Allow to unlock the backup functionality. After linking to Dropbox both „Upload” and „Download” buttons became active. First synchronization uploads all user’s data, and can take several minutes to complete. Each consequent synchronization uploads only changed data. If user for some reasons loses his data he or she can retrieve it by selecting „Download” from the „Dropbox” menu.

Voice commands

Voice commands make Seeing Assistant Home a unique navigation application. Most of the tasks can be launched by issuing short voice command. You can enable the magnifying glass, start barcode scanner, or start color recognition. All voice commands are based on buttons or options names in the application. For example, in order to enable magnifying glass you should tap „Voice commands” button and after short sound say „Loupe”. In the result Seeing Assistant Home will display magnified image from rear camera. When you say “Scan” you will be able to scan barcode and QR codes. To return to the main window from any place in application just say “Main Screen”. Voice Command requires internet connection to work.

List of voice commands

In order to get familiar with the voice commands list user should tap on the „Instructions” on the main application screen. Alternatively, user can tap „Voice commands” buttons, and say „Voice commands list” request. All command on the list are split into functional groups, to east the navigation, using the headers structure.

Sharing barcodes

Seeing Assistant Home allows for sharing barcodes by using email. Choose „Code Sets” in main window and then „My barcodes” or „My QR codes” to share codes with other user. After selecting one or more codes select button „Action” and then choose action „Generate PDF”. You will get window with two options „Print” and „Send email”. To share codes with other user use option „Send email”. Seeing Assistant Home by default sends email to address put in application settings (option „Settings” in main window). If you want to send codes to other user just put email address of this person into address field.

User support

User support is strong point of Seeing Assistant Home. Choose “Help” from the Home screen and then use option “Feedback” to visit user-support site. You can use the user-support site to provide your suggestions and remarks to Seeing Assistant Home developers; those suggestions can increase application functionality. User-provided suggestions are stored in our knowledge base. All users can comment and vote on suggestions and proposals of other users. This way Seeing Assistant Home developers can know which bugs and features and important to users and use this information to prioritize work on Seeing Assistant Home.

Limitations of LITE version

LITE version of Seeing Assistant Home has several limitations, such as:

• Lack of Dropbox support,
• Only 5 codes can be created,
• Only 10 characters can be embedded in QR code,
• Lack of voice commands,
• Magnifying glass and Light Detector can be used only 1 minute every day.

Warnings and disclaimer

Seeing Assistant Home uses internet connection to work. If you are not connected to WiFi network or do not have internet plan data transfer might result in additional costs. Transition Technologies is not responsible for any loss or additional costs resulting when using Seeing Assistant Home.