Tactile Interface

An input/output interface that conveys information through the sense of touch — using vibration, pressure, skin stretch, temperature, or physical shape change. In navigation for blind people, tactile interfaces are often preferred to audio because they do not block the ambient sounds (footsteps, echoes, traffic) that blind travellers rely on for spatial awareness and safety. Trade-offs include lower information density per signal than speech, and susceptibility to masking when the user walks on vibrating surfaces such as rough tile or metal grating. Tactile interfaces are widely used for urgency alerts, turning instructions, and braille displays.