THE CYR.U.S. SYSTEM WAS BORN Victoria Watts introduced the CyR.U.S. System in 2020 and implemented it in the packaging of four VictoriaLand Beauty products. It worked, serving as a proof of concept. Victorialand Beauty went on to win the 2021 Beacon Beauty Award, appreciating its inclusivity efforts. A question that may come up in this conversation is, “Why create a whole new system when the braille language exists?” Statistically speaking, only about 10% of the visually impaired population knows how to read and write in braille. In fact, with advancements in assistive technology, screen readers are readily available, so braille is becoming less relevant with time, As a language, it takes a long time to master and takes up a lot of space when written or printed. So practically, it would be costly and difficult to incorporate on the packaging. Victoria describes the CyR.U.S. System as a “Tactegraphic.” The symbols are like emojis, making them intuitive and easy to find and learn. Simplicity is key here—everyone can understand it, improving efficiency and speed of communication. Victoria says, “Although CyR.U.S. was designed for the low vision and blind user, it has benefits for most of us—i.e., people with any degree of vision loss, the aging population, foreign language speakers, and people with learning disorders who struggle to read product packaging.”
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