Means, Mechanisms & Processes

The "theory of the program" is that exposure and training will foster visual thinking. Exposure and training are accomplished through puzzles, interviews, audio commentary, motion video, construction exercises, virtual on-site visits to relevant environments, games, and two-player challenges.

The different types of media exploited by VizAbility are text, audio, and video. While video is the dominant type of media used in this software, audio and text are used to provide descriptions that encourage users to formulate their own visual thoughts. Users are encouraged to create their own visual representations by listening to and reading non-visual descriptions of objects via audio and text.

Various types of exercises are used in VizAbility to help users strengthen their visual thinking skills. A vast majority of the exercises manifest themselves in the form of single user puzzles. A small percent of the exercises involve two player collaborative games that encourage users to think about how each individual may visually represent things differently.