Flip-Over FACES App for iOS® and Android™ devices, © 2019 American Printing House for the Blind (APH)
Flip-Over FACES App allows a child to casually explore facial expressions within a fun and versatile context. Hundreds of facial expressions can be generated by changing the eyebrow position, eye direction, and mouth type. Multiple hairstyle and eyewear options are available to add interest or visual complexity.
This interactive app is specially designed for students with low vision and a cognitive level of 5 years of age or older. Students with additional disabilities, such as autism and language delays, may also benefit from this app. Sighted students and adults are invited to enjoy the app as well.
• High contrast colors of various facial features and accessories
• Sections of the displayed face can be swiped with one, two, or three fingers to change eyebrow position (top section), eye direction (middle section), and mouth shape (bottom section)
• Various hairstyle and eye accessory options are available
• An audio description of the displayed face can be activated
• The background color toggles between black and white depending on ideal visual contrast for the student and personal preference
• Favorite faces (limit of 20 at a time) can be saved in a personal folder for later retrieval and sharing with friends
• Easy-to-access how-to instructions with or without VoiceOver/TalkBack are available
The Home Page of the app features four icon buttons: PLAY, ABOUT, APH Tech, and HOW TO.
The HOW TO button displays a list of all buttons and gestures used in the app and gives a description of what they do. Instructions for VoiceOver/TalkBack commands are available on this page as well.
To begin playing, tap on the PLAY icon on the main screen; it is the yellow, square icon with a big smile. An image of a face will appear in the center of the screen (as shown below).
The face is divided into three sections—the eyebrow positon (top section), eye direction (middle section), and mouth shape (bottom section). To change expressions, swipe any of these sections left or right with one, two, or three fingers.
You can add eyeglasses and hairstyles to the face if you want to personalize it or add an extra level of visual complexity. To change glasses, tap the OPTIONS icon in the lower left corner of the screen. Unlock Eye Accessories and tap “Apply.” Then swipe the eye section left or right with one, two, or three fingers to change eyewear. Remember that “No glasses” is considered an eyewear option. Be sure to LOCK the preferred eyewear style in the OPTIONS menu so that eye direction can be changed when in PLAY mode.
To change the hairstyle, tap the OPTIONS icon in the lower left corner. Unlock Hair and tap “Apply.” Then swipe the eyebrow section left or right with one, two, or three fingers to change the hairstyle. Remember that “No hair” or “bald” is considered a hairstyle option. Be sure to LOCK the preferred hairstyle in the OPTIONS menu so that eyebrow direction can be changed when in PLAY mode.
To hear a full audio description of the entire face, tap the speaker icon in the bottom right corner of the screen. There is also an option in the OPTIONS menu to “Play audio description of each swiped layer.”
To save a face and retrieve it later, tap on the heart icon at the bottom of the screen. The heart will turn solid red to show that this face is now one of your favorites. It will be stored in your FAVORITE FACES folder. A maximum of 20 favorite faces can be saved in this folder.
Open the FAVORITE FACES folder by tapping the folder icon in the top right corner of the screen. A gallery of faces will appear with each favorite face positioned to the left of its full text description. If VoiceOver/TalkBack is turned off, tap the speaker icon for a full audio description of the saved favorite face. The most recently saved face will appear at the top of the list.
If you would like to delete a face from the FAVORITE FACES gallery, tap on it and swipe left to access a DELETE option. Then confirm or cancel deletion by selecting Yes or No. Next to the DELETE button is a SHARE button, that, when tapped, will present various options for sharing a favorite face with others or saving it to another location.
If you would like to quickly delete more than one saved face from your FAVORITE FACES folder, tap on the EDIT button in the upper right corner of the screen. Check the circle to the left of each face you would like to delete and then tap DELETE at the top left corner of the screen. You must confirm or cancel deletion by selecting Yes or No. To delete all faces from the gallery, tap DELETE ALL at the top of the screen; you will be asked to confirm deletion. Tap DONE in the upper right corner of the screen to return to the gallery.
Tap the HOME button in the top left corner of the screen to return to the PLAY page. Tap the HOME button again to return to the HOME page.
The ABOUT button provides an overview of the app’s purpose, as well as project staff credits. Look on this page for additional suggestions for using the Flip-Over FACES App with your child or student. There is a small Envelope icon at the bottom of the ABOUT page. Tap this icon to send an email directly to APH’s tech support if you have any questions or would like to give feedback regarding the Flip-Over FACES App.
The APH Tech icon leads you to this website and all the details about the app in one page!
Project Leader/App Concept: Karen J. Poppe
Primary Programmers: Lawrence Lovelace (iOS® version) and Rezylle Milallos (Android™ version)
Visual Graphic Designer: Matthew Poppe
Project Advisors: Anthony Jones (Graphic), Heather Kennedy-MacKenzie (Technical), and Joe Hodge (Accessibility)
Research Assistants: Leasha Twyman and Rosemary Sims
American Printing House for the Blind, Copyright © 2019
Flip-Over FACES App (for iOS® devices), Catalog Number: D-30050-AP
Flip-Over FACES App (for Android™ devices), Catalog Number: D-30050-AN
iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license. Apple, iPhone, iPad, iPad mini, iPod touch, TestFlight, and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Android is a trademark of Google LLC.