Putting the tactile feedback to Quranic verses and tajweed rules

Technology has enabled many physical books including Al-Quran to be presented in a software form. The digitized holy book comes with a complete colour-coded to assist readers read correctly without having to memorize each letter that forms the tajweed rules. Unfortunately, those with visual impairment are not able to enjoy fully such a feature because there are not many systems that could support the readers' different reading capabilities. Accessibility with regards to information visualization representing the colour-coded tajweed codes using sensory modalities other than vision is the issue in question. This paper investigates whether by providing tactile feedback to the Quranic verses together with the tajweed rules could add value to these readers. An interview and, observation on visually impaired readers learning Al- Quran were conducted to understand and capture the design requirements. The initial study findings revealed that those with low vision and very new to reading Al-Quran Braille are in favour of the prototype while the more experienced readers did not find the tactile tajweed rules necessary. These findings led to the development of a prototype using Brailleline 20. The prototype incorporates tactile feedback into the Al-Quranic Braille and the associated tajweed rules. A user testing was conducted with a group of visually impaired people to elicit their opinions on the prototype. The study findings signal for the prototype having potential as a promising learning tool.