If you live near Tokyo, you’ve probably noticed the mysterious QR codes on the tactile paving inside train stations. Did you know these are part of a new initiative to support the mobility of visually impaired individuals? “shikAI” is being introduced in various stations. We spoke with Yuichi Konishi of LiNKX Inc., the company behind its development, to learn more about its inception and implementation.

Yuichi Konishi | Director and Advisor at LiNKX Inc.

Yuichi is a founding director of LiNKX Inc. After graduating from university, he worked at a foreign IT company and an incubator before starting his own business. He has founded three companies, one of which went public, and another was sold to a listed company. He is currently establishing his third company, LiNKX Inc.

The QR codes on tactile paving

── Walking through Tokyo’s subway stations, I’ve noticed more QR codes on tactile paving. After some research, I found out it’s a service called “shikAI.” What are these QR codes?

Yuichi: Scanning these QR codes with an iPhone camera provides audio guidance for visually impaired individuals. This app service, “shikAI,” guides them from their current location to their destination within the station. A trial started in March 2017, and it is now being implemented in 13 stations, including Otemachi and Meiji Jingu-mae stations.

── How did the shikAI service come about?

Yuichi: About eight years ago, our company, originally developing hardware products, started considering how we could help the visually impaired. With advancements in autonomous driving and AI, we also saw many news reports of visually impaired individuals getting involved in accidents, which inspired us to contribute to society using our technical skills.

We focused on mobility and proposed a system in Tokyo Metro’s Accelerator Program, which was successfully adopted, starting this project.

── Why focus on mobility?

Yuichi: Mobility is a fundamental human right. Unless someone is incarcerated, everyone should have the freedom to travel from one place to another. 

In urban areas, public transportation, especially trains, is crucial for preserving the freedom of mobility for the visually impaired. While they might navigate to their local station using cues like the white cane, sounds, and smells; transferring between train lines is the challenge. We focused on transfer stations as key locations.

The idea for shikAI: Observations led to the solution

── shikAI is a combined product of QR codes and tactile paving. Was combining these two your primary thoughts?

Yuichi: Actually, in the beginning, we were testing with BLE beacons, which use Bluetooth (wireless radio waves). We thought that if there was something good available, we wouldn’t have to develop it from scratch. But no matter how much we tried, it didn’t work out.

The bottleneck was information about direction. You can’t determine direction with wireless signals.

For visually impaired people, information about direction is crucial. Even if they can recognize where they are, they won’t know which way to go if they can’t determine their direction. For sighted people, they can see it if it’s nearby so inaccurate directional information isn’t a problem. But visually impaired individuals need guidance right up until they can physically touch their destination, no matter how close it is.

We also tested Ultra Wide Band (UWB), but while the accuracy improved, it still didn’t provide directional information, so it wasn’t a fundamental solution. We even involved universities researching beacons, but that didn’t work out either. I was so worried back then that I couldn’t sleep at night.

── There was a period when you were stuck. How did you come up with the current idea of using QR codes?

Konishi: Even when using wireless signals, you still need to hold the smartphone while walking. There’s no need to look at the screen, just holding it while walking. After observing this behavior daily for over a year for testing, one day, I suddenly realized, “The smartphone camera is facing down…?”

When navigating inside the station, you generally follow the tactile paving. If you’re walking on the tactile paving and the smartphone camera is facing down, why not combine the two? QR codes were the most appropriate way to utilize this combination.

── So, it wasn’t technology-driven but an insight gained through observation?

Konishi: That’s right. However, it took countless tests and iterations to reach this realization. We conducted tests not only at Tokyo Metro’s training center, which has facilities like real station platforms and ticket gates for new employee training but also in our office, where we laid tactile paving on the floor to create a mock station platform. We repeated tests there daily.

Once we thought of using QR codes, everything progressed smoothly, and we were able to test it at Tatsumi Station on the Yurakucho Line.

── How does the system guide users to their destination?

Yuichi: The QR codes contain numeric data linked to a database defining their locations. When scanned, the system identifies the user’s location and which direction the person scanned from, providing navigation instructions like straight, turn right, or turn left. 

Additionally, we’ve taken measures to ensure the QR codes don’t wear out. The size is 9cm x 9cm, with a hole in the center, fitting the specifications of the paving. This way, the QR codes fit perfectly on the bottom surface without covering the textured surface. Although the FujiFilm sheet is highly durable, the high foot traffic in urban areas would eventually wear it out. By placing the QR codes on the bottom surface, they are less likely to be stepped on directly, making them last longer.

The impact of a declining birthrate and aging population

── Can you tell us about the real-life conditions of visually impaired people? How much do they use digital devices?

Yuichi: These days, iPhones have VoiceOver (a screen reader feature), and many visually impaired people do use various apps. But there are still some issues.

One problem is the digital divide. Many visually impaired people today started losing their vision in their 40s and 50s and became completely blind in their 60s. They’re from the feature phone generation and used phones with physical keys until recently because they were easier to use. They’re not used to smartphones, which creates a gap.

Another issue is information accessibility. Online information is increasingly made up of videos and images that screen readers can’t read aloud. Many websites don’t have descriptions for these, so visually impaired users can’t understand the content.

── How often do they use guide helpers (people who assist visually impaired individuals with mobility)?

Yuichi: They almost always use guide helpers when going to new places. But with the declining birthrate and aging population, guide helpers are also getting older, and there aren’t enough of them. It’s expected to become even harder to secure them in the future. Currently, reservations can be booked several weeks in advance.

Having a guide helper provides reassurance, but visually impaired people often want personal time too. No matter how close they get, guides aren’t family, so the need for personal space comes up.

Also, hiring guide helpers costs money. Besides travel expenses, for example, when attending a music concert, they have to buy two tickets because they can’t leave the helper outside. Everything costs double.

As a result, many people who become visually impaired later in life often don’t leave their homes for several years. That’s why we want to use technology to support them and create a situation where they can move independently if they wish. We hope that shikAI can give them the courage to take that first step outside.

Designing audio information with safety in mind

── Can you tell us about how you designed the service? It seems tough to create something while understanding the perspective of users who can’t see.

Yuichi: We try to imagine from the user’s point of view by closing our eyes, but once you’ve seen something, you can’t really forget it, so you end up just pretending you can’t see.

To avoid this, observation is key. You might think users will act a certain way, but when you watch them actually use the service, their reactions can be completely different. Observing these reactions closely is the most important thing.

── What’s particularly important for making the service better?

Yuichi: It’s about refining the information we convey through the audio guide. Since the system is simple, deciding what to say in the audio guide is crucial. We constantly think about what to include and what to leave out.

The first thing is not to overload users with too much information. Some users ask for more details, but too much information can be overwhelming and cause users to freeze up. We aim to keep the guidance within 10 seconds.

Some users ask to know their overall direction, but giving too broad information can actually confuse them. So, we provide straightforward instructions like, “Go straight for 3 meters, then turn right.”

Transfer stations are crowded and fast-paced, so users might end up going against the crowd, bumping into people. It’s safer if users move carefully while listening to the guide. All we can do is provide information. We’re always figuring out how to offer it in a way that ensures safe and smooth movement.

── There must be different challenges for users who are used to moving around versus those who aren’t.

Yuichi: Yes, that’s right. Not all users are experienced, so providing information at high-difficulty spots is tricky.

You can tell a visually impaired person’s mobility skills by how they handle a turn in the tactile paving. Skilled users will swing their white cane to find the next block, but less experienced users might panic and lose their way. So, shikAI gives instructions like, “Swing your cane in the direction of 2 o’clock to find the next block.”

This approach comes from observing users during testing and incorporating those observations into the audio guide. We often say, “shikAI is a love letter to visually impaired people.” We put our hearts into thinking about how to keep them safe and write the guide’s instructions with care.

The value of commitment in creating a socially meaningful service

── You’re expanding to more stations. How do you see the value of your service?

Yuichi: Ensuring users can reliably reach their destination is crucial. Many navigation apps for visually impaired people don’t fully achieve this. I think it’s because they lack the same level of commitment.

We’ve tested our service countless times to the point of being called crazy. If we couldn’t achieve this simple goal, we were ready to give up on the service. With shikAI, we’re committed to ensuring users reach their destination.

── What kind of feedback have you received from users?

Yuichi: We’ve received a lot of warm messages. The one that made me happiest was, “I feel like I’ve found a place where I belong.” Knowing that our service has changed their mental state and behavior makes me want to create more places like that.

Although I believe shikAI is definitely helpful for visually impaired people, I sometimes struggle with whether it’s right to ask for funding for such a small-scale service, given the tight government budgets. With limited resources, we have to consider how much to invest in something that doesn’t benefit a large number of people.

Even so, hearing such positive feedback makes me want to keep working hard.

── How do you feel about your achievements and challenges so far?

Yuichi: Introducing shikAI at a major transfer station like Otemachi is a milestone, and I’m grateful to Tokyo Metro for its support.

Without the pandemic, we probably would have expanded to many more stations before the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. So, I feel there’s still a long way to go. For wider adoption beyond Tokyo Metro, getting listed in the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport, and Tourism’s Barrier-Free Guidelines is crucial. But this requires a lot of implementation records, creating a “chicken or the egg” situation, which is tough.

Still, since we’re using QR codes on tactile paving, we have a responsibility to ensure they remain usable. We chose widely used technology and specifications so that if we can’t continue shikAI, others can take over by using the QR codes. Unique codes can become unreadable if their provider goes under, but our approach ensures continuity.

── That’s very considerate. Many designers are inspired by meaningful projects like shikAI. What’s your advice for them?

Yuichi: It’s easy to create something with technology, but solving the actual problem is different. Focus on truly solving the problem and be persistent.

When needed, pivot. Spend all your time thinking about the problem, thoroughly test ideas, and if they don’t work, pivot to a new approach. Through this process, you’ll discover new combinations and create truly useful solutions.

Related Links
LiNKX Inc.
shikAI