How might we provide accessible indoor navigation for people who are blind and visually impaired?
My Role
Junior Product Designer
Project Skills/Tools
Wireframes, user flows, user stories, manual quality assurance, UX writing, user research,
WCAG accessibility guidelines
Sketch, Zeplin, Confluence, Jira
Project Overview
GoodMaps Explore is an indoor and outdoor navigation app built for people who are blind and visually impaired, but can be used by anyone. It utilizes VoiceOver for accessibility and LiDAR mapping technology to map indoor spaces, as well as public POI databases for outdoor spaces.
Mapping the Routing Process
The process involved creating diagrams for indoor routing, testing the outcome with users, and iterating on it. The purpose was to determine the optimal timing and manner in which to direct users, with the ultimate goal of providing the most precise and clear indoor navigation instructions.
Routing Maps were translated to indoor routing designs
My Process
Usually begins with sketching designs and user flows, then digitizing them
Design iterations 1-3
Users were focusing too much on the directions preview, not realizing that they still needed to start the directions
Iterations after more user testing
Inaccuracies with LiDAR gave overconfidence while using directions
Giving users less specific directions creates a sense of responsibility to the user to take in account their own mobility and awareness
Onboarding
Tutorials are a walkthrough of each feature. While a sighted user might be able to decipher these features more quickly, a user with a screen reader (like VoiceOver) will benefit from information on how to navigate through the app. Some things we made sure to include:
A skip button that gives the user a clear exit route, and indicates what page the user is on if they have VoiceOver turned on
Pagination dots instead of a simple "Next" button, visually indicating the user how long the tutorial is
Consistent language: every time points of interests are mentioned, it is followed by (POI)
Next Steps
GoodMaps Explore was released in September 2020. A new app at a new company means lots of changes and growth-- quickly. Right now, most of our product decisions come from stakeholders. As we get more users, we will continue to test and iterate in order to provide users with the best GoodMaps Explore experience.
