Interface layer and operating system facilitating use, including by blind and visually-impaired users, of touch-screen-controlled consumer electronic devices

A method for facilitating eye-free use of an electronic device, including by blind users, the method comprising:

• providing a computerized interface layer including a hierarchy of operating modes for presenting at least a portion of a respective hierarchy of possible choices to a user, each portion comprising a sequence of possible users' choices within said hierarchy;
• and
• using an operating system for accepting, via a touch screen, a sequence of selected options generated by the user responsive to the sequence of possible choices respectively, and for activating functionalities of the electronic device accordingly,
• wherein the hierarchy of possible choices includes at least some sequences of n possible choices which are presented within respective sequences of n operating modes having n respective predetermined archetypical formats each having at least one fixed characteristic,
• and wherein the interface layer includes an orientation signal generator operative for generating a plurality of orientation signals, sensible by the user, which are uniquely associated with the n archetypical formats respectively, wherein generation of each orientation signal coincides with presentation of its associated archetypical format, thereby to orient the user, even if blind, within said hierarchy.

A computer program product, comprising a non-transitory tangible computer readable medium having computer readable program code embodied therein, said computer readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method for facilitating eye-free use of an electronic device, including by blind users, the method comprising:

• providing a computerized interface layer including a hierarchy of operating modes for presenting at least a portion of a respective hierarchy of possible choices to a user, each portion comprising a sequence of possible users' choices within said hierarchy;
• and
• using an operating system for accepting, via a touch screen, a sequence of selected options generated by the user responsive to the sequence of possible choices respectively, and for activating functionalities of the electronic device accordingly,
• wherein the hierarchy of possible choices includes at least some sequences of n possible choices which are presented within respective sequences of n operating modes having n respective predetermined archetypical formats each having at least one fixed characteristic,
• and wherein the interface layer includes an orientation signal generator operative for generating a plurality of orientation signals, sensible by the user, which are uniquely associated with the n archetypical formats respectively, wherein generation of each orientation signal coincides with presentation of its associated archetypical format, thereby to orient the user, even if blind, within said hierarchy.