Collaborative ideation tools like digital whiteboards are widely used by designers, academics, and creative practitioners; yet most ideation tools are inaccessible to blind or low vision (BLV) users. Informed by prior work on whiteboarding challenges encountered by BLV users and our formative study with eight sighted whiteboard users, we built Idea11y, a whiteboard plug-in that provides a hierarchical, editable text outline of board content, augmented with audio cues and voice coding. Findings from evaluation with thirteen BLV screen reader users revealed how Idea11y supported BLV users’ understanding of clustering structure and streamlined their process to author, synthesize, and prioritize ideas on the board. Collaborative ideation sessions with six BLV-sighted dyads demonstrated how BLV users used Idea11y to develop collaboration awareness and coordinate actions with sighted collaborators. Drawing on this, we discuss ways to move beyond implicit visual norms in established ideation frameworks and practical considerations for future accessible ideation systems.

In this paper, we introduce an ultra-low power strain sensing system with high sensitivity and scalability for next generation intelligent wearable applications. Firstly, we demonstrate a simple infiltration method to transfer laser induced graphene (LIG) strain sensor onto a PDMS flexible substrate to prepare µm level thin film, and its three-dimensional strain characteristics were studied for the first time which is closer to the actual human movements sensing situation. Secondly, to enhance its integration into wearable devices, we have developed an ultra-low-power readout circuit tailored to the sensor’s resistance range. A novel direct-digital time-domain readout technique with a pulse width locked loop and a time-to-digital converter is proposed. Leveraging the LIG/PDMS platform, our strain sensor showcases exceptional sensitivity (GF≈225.1) within a 0-22% strain range and impressive linearity (R2=0.99062). Implemented in 65nm CMOS technology, the readout circuit achieves a 10-bit resolution as well as a rapid conversion time of 0.3ms. Remarkably, the overall sensing system features a low power consumption of merely 5µW including both the sensor and circuits. The exceptional features of the LIG sensor and its associated readout circuit make them highly promising candidates for integration into wearable smart electronic devices designed for healthcare applications and human movement tracking.