# Three Modalities, Two Design Probes, One Prototype, and No Vision: Experience-Based Co-Design of a Multi-modal 3D Data Visualization Tool

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.09426 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2604.09426/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 18 of its 109 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 10 Apr 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 18 of 18)

- [Accessible Visualization via Natural Language Descriptions: A Four-Level Model of Semantic Content](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2110.04406/) (2021)
- [What Do We Mean by "Accessibility Research"? A Literature Survey of Accessibility Papers in CHI and ASSETS from 1994 to 2019](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2101.04271/) (2021)
- [Rich Screen Reader Experiences for Accessible Data Visualization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2205.04917/) (2022)
- [Sociotechnical Considerations for Accessible Visualization Design](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1909.05118/) (2019)
- [Umwelt: Accessible Structured Editing of Multimodal Data Representations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.00106/) (2024)
- [MAIDR: Making Statistical Visualizations Accessible with Multimodal Data Representation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.00717/) (2024)
- [Technology Developments in Touch-Based Accessible Graphics: A Systematic Review of Research 2010-2020](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.01273/) (2021)
- [A11yShape: AI-Assisted 3-D Modeling for Blind and Low-Vision Programmers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.03852/) (2025)
- [Shared Surfaces and Spaces: Collaborative Data Visualisation in a Co-located Immersive Environment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2009.00050/) (2020)
- [When Refreshable Tactile Displays Meet Conversational Agents: Investigating Accessible Data Presentation and Analysis with Touch and Speech](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.04806/) (2024)
- [TactileNet: Bridging the Accessibility Gap with AI-Generated Tactile Graphics for Individuals with Vision Impairment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2504.04722/) (2025)
- [FluxMarker: Enhancing Tactile Graphics with Dynamic Tactile Markers](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1708.03783/) (2017)
- [Erie: A Declarative Grammar for Data Sonification](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.00156/) (2024)
- [ChartA11y: Designing Accessible Touch Experiences of Visualizations with Blind Smartphone Users](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2410.20545/) (2024)
- [Using Tactile Charts to Support Comprehension and Learning of Complex Visualizations for Blind and Low-Vision Individuals](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.21462/) (2025)
- [Open Your Ears and Take a Look: A State-of-the-Art Report on the Integration of Sonification and Visualization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2402.16558/) (2024)
- [Intents, Techniques, and Components: a Unified Analysis of Interaction Authoring Tasks in Data Visualization](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2409.01399/) (2024)
- [Explore, Listen, Inspect: Supporting Multimodal Interaction with 3D Surface and Point Data Visualizations](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2508.08554/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Bespoke Visual Assistance: What and How do Blind and Low-Vision People Create with Agentic Programming?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2607.21760/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Three-dimensional (3D) data visualizations, such as surface plots, are vital in STEM fields from biomedical imaging to spectroscopy, yet remain largely inaccessible to blind and low-vision (BLV) people. To address this gap, we conducted an Experience-Based Co-Design with BLV co-designers with expertise in non-visual data representations to create an accessible, multi-modal, web-native visualization tool. Using a multi-phase methodology, our team of five BLV and one non-BLV researcher(s) participated in two iterative sessions, comparing a low-fidelity tactile probe with a high-fidelity digital prototype. This process produced a prototype with empirically grounded features, including reference sonification, stereo and volumetric audio, and configurable buffer aggregation, which our co-designers validated as improving analytic accuracy and learnability. In this study, we target core analytic tasks essential for non-visual 3D data exploration: orientation, landmark and peak finding, comparing local maxima versus global trends, gradient tracing, and identifying occluded or partially hidden features. Our work offers accessibility researchers and developers a co-design protocol for translating tactile knowledge to digital interfaces, concrete design guidance for future systems, and opportunities to extend accessible 3D visualization into embodied data environments.