本研究以錄放音操作功能的觸覺符號為例，探討應用觸覺符號輔助視障者辨認產 品操作功能的問題。本文首先蒐集視障者及觸覺符號的相關研究成果，並調查市面上的手提 收錄音機使用觸覺符號的情形，共蒐集到 23 臺己使用觸覺符號輔助辨認操作功能的機型。 調查發現，現有觸覺符號的觸覺的表現型式絕大多數為圖形面凹陷的面凹型符號，其次依序 為以圖形線框凹陷的線凹型待號及圖形面凸出的面凸型符號，以圖形線框凸出的線凸型符號 則未有發現。在尺寸方面以面凹型符號最小。為探討現有觸覺符號的尺寸及觸覺表現型式是 否真正達到輔助操作功能辨認的目的，本研究接著進行了觸覺符號的辨認實驗。實驗結果如 下：1) 符號的 4 種觸覺表現型式中，可辨認尺寸最小的為面凸型，其次依序為線凸型、面 凹型及線凹型；各表現型式間的可辨認尺寸有顯著的差異。 2) 凸型符號的最小可辨認尺寸 小於凹型符號，且兩者間有顯著的差異。 3) 面型符號的最小可辨認尺寸小於線型符號，且 兩者間也有顯著的差異。由實驗結果可知，現有手提收錄放音機所使用的觸覺符號，其表現 型式及尺寸仍可加以改善。

　　　　　Tactile information is of much help to the visually impaired people in product operation. This study investigates the use of tactile symbols to help the visually impaired people to discriminate the operation functions of radio cassette recorders, which are most commonly used by the visually impaired as a recreational device. The research starts with a market survey of those radio cassette recorders which have had implemented tactile symbols on the controls. Features of the tactile symbols used in these recorders are measured and analyzed. Then, an experiment is conducted with visually impaired subjects as well as normal subjects with their vision barricaded to test the relative easiness of recognition of 4 types of tactile patterns. The major conelusions of this research include:1) th most widely used tactile pattern in controls of radio cassette recorders is of the solid-furrow type, with a smallest average size as compared to all other patterns of tactile symbols. 2) The tactile pattern that is easiest to discriminate as observed in the tactile symbol discrimination experiment is of the solid-track type.