Rahbin

Helping Visually-impaired People for a Safe Navigation

Content

Discovery & Define

ideate & Design

Test & Iterate

Going forward

Project overview

The Product


The aim of this project is to develop a mobile application tailored to the needs of visually impaired individuals. This program serves as a comprehensive tool and provides an integrated mapping feature to aid navigation. Prioritising accessibility, the application employs a large and user-friendly UI design, featuring large text and headings, as well as an optimized color scheme for visually impaired users.

Timeline

10/2023 - 02/2024

My role

Sole Designer

Contribution

Research . Accessible Design . Unmoderated Usability Test

The Problem


How might we make it safer for people to navigate through distances?


There is a need for a practical mobile application for navigation that meets the specific needs of visually impaired individuals and provides the necessary tools and services to enhance their independence and overall quality of life.

The Goal


Design a user-centric navigation application tailored specifically for visually impaired individuals, providing seamless and intuitive interaction to enhance their independence and confidence in navigating various environments.

User research

Summary


The user research aimed to gather insights from visually impaired individuals to shape the development of a navigation app suited to their needs. Utilising qualitative methods like in-depth interviews and usability testing, participants from varied backgrounds and visual impairments were engaged. The research yielded valuable insights into users's experience, preferences, and challenges with navigation apps. By integrating these findings, the app can be customised to enhance user mobility, independence, and overall quality of life.

Target Audience


The target user is a visually impaired smartphone user of all ages, ranging from those with vague conditions to age-related vision loss.

Pain Points

Limited Accessibility

Dependency on others

Real-time feedback and alerts

Personas//

Problem statement

Meet Sarah


Problem statement: Afshin, a full-time employee with long working hours, who needs order healthy food 3 times a week because he cares for his body and lifestyle.

Age:

Education: 

Hometown: 

Family: 

Occupation:

34

Bachelor

Tehran,Iran

Single

Social worker

Goals

 

  • Independent Mobility

  • Accessible Information

  • Color schemes Customization Options

  • Community Support

Frustrations

 

  • Navigating Busy Streets

  • Reliable Public Transportation

  • Accessing Indoor Facilities

Sara is a 34 years old visually impaired individual living in Tehran, the bustling capital city of Iran. She holds a bachelor's degree in social work and works as a counselor at a local community center. Sara was diagnosed with a progressive vision impairment during her teenage years, which has gradually affected her ability to navigate both indoor and outdoor environments. Despite her visual challenges, Sara is determined to lead an independent and active lifestyle.

User journey map

Persona: Sarah

Action

Task list

Feeling Adjective

Improvment opportunities

Going to office

Finding location

Starting the route

Arriving at the destination

A. Opening the map

B. Selecting navigation
action

A. Finding the search
button
B. Entering location

C. Selecting start
navigation from
current location

A. Choosing from
suggested routes

B. Following the route

A. Disabling navigation

B. Saving location and
route

  • Confidence in selecting navigation via map

  • Confusion about not finding the desired action

  • Confusion about finding buttons

  • Concern about choosing a more difficult route

  • Confusion about unclear signs in navigation

  • Happiness about reaching the destination

  • Upset about forgetting to save the route initially

  • Designing navigation app tailored for visually impaired individuals

  • Large buttons

  • Ability to select keyboard or voice buttons

  • Suitable color contrast

  • Designing route suggestions based on various criteria

  • Designing live route display

  • Placing save route suggestion command

Market Research

Competitive audit:


All applications have been updated within the last year. The average score among the 7 programs with valid scores was 4.3. Out of the 7 applications, 5 support a multilingual interface, while 2 support 9 or more languages. While one application was specifically designed for internal routing, 5 were designed for external routing, and 2 were developed to support both internal and external routing.

Navigation & Wayfinding factors:


  • Zoom feature on the map

  • User's current location information and navigation 

  • Search any location using inputs 

  • Search categories 

  • Search nearby locations

  • Detailed information for each location 

  • Reverse route search feature 

  • Live navigation commands 

  • Display time and estimated distance

Accessibility factors:


  • Audible commands, alerts, and notifications

  • Tactile/haptic/vibration feedback for guidance 

  • Voice command 

  • Low-vision-friendly icons 

  • Low-vision-friendly buttons 

  • Low-vision-friendly fonts 

  • High color contrast

Customisation & Preference settings factors:


  • Favorites list 

  • customizable language preferences

  • Distance unit preferences 

  • Navigation preferences such as avoiding stairs 

  • Orientation preference such as clockwise, cardinal 

  • Interface theme & color 

  • Customizable text size 

  • Customizable pitch, thinness, volume, and volume

Help & support// other features:


  • Immediate help and remote help

  • "Contact Us" option

  • Tutorials


  • Share your current location, destination

  • Continuous commands while the app is in the background

  • Emergency or danger alerts

Apps

Navigation & Wayfinding

(9 factor)

Accessibility features

Customisation & Preference settting

Help & Support

Other feature

Lazarillo

5

5

4

2

2

RightHear

7

4

5

2

2

Seeing assistant move

5

5

4

1

2

Auggie personal safety

5

6

1

3

1

Microsoft soundscape

5

4

3

1

1

Goodmaps explore

3

4

4

2

1

Navcog

6

5

3

1

0

Information Architecture

As Sarah opens the app, she is greeted by a customizable accessibility settings, allowing her to adjust font sizes and color schemes for optimal readability. With a few simple voice commands, Sara inputs her destination and receives clear and precise audio instructions. She choose her desire destination and the app guide her through voice or with map and route viewing on screen.

Low-fidelity

prototype

Using the completed set of digital wireframes, I created a low-fidelity prototype. The primary user flow I connected was ordering a meal via fast delivery feature, so the prototype could be used in a usability study.

Usability studies

Study Details


The research focuses on evaluating the usability of a navigation app for visually impaired users. It investigates how effectively users can interact with the app's navigation button, input destination addresses, and search for and select routes. The study also examines user preferences for following navigation instructions using various features like map navigation, street view, or screen readers. Participants, aged 18 to 65 from Tehran, Iran, have different levels of visual impairment. The methodology involves a 5 to 10-minute remote, unmoderated usability study where participants complete tasks alone or with a guide. Success metrics include task completion rate, user satisfaction, error analysis, and task preference.

Findings

People want Accessibility features


such as customisable font sizes, high contrast colour schemes, and tactile feedback options are well-received by users, enhancing usability and accommodating a wide range of vision impairments.

People find the user interface features usable

Test participants praised the app's user interface for it's simplicity and ease of use. They found it intuitive to navigate through different sections and access key features without confusion.

People want point-of-interest feature



Users encountered lack of point-of-interest (POI) feature. This included information about landmarks and amenities, which hindered their ability to locate Other destinations around their location.

Mockups

Home & Sign Up Page


For visually impaired users, gathering essential information for navigation, such as addresses, phone numbers, routes, and transportation options, is often challenging due to incompatible apps and websites. This makes the search process time-consuming and exhausting. Key features needed for effective navigation include finding routes, saving addresses and preferred routes, accessing emergency contacts, and adjusting accessibility settings. These features are crucial for exploring unfamiliar locations and ensuring a smooth outing experience.

Setting


The settings section allows users to customize language, speed, volume, and pitch of sounds, as well as color, brightness, font size, and spacing. These options enhance the user interface and visual language, highlighting the app's accessibility.

Application Layout


Tabular Display Design


The app uses a tabular display structure, resembling a flat, easily navigable list or table, to aid low-vision individuals who rely on simplicity and familiar routines. This design allows users to swipe or drag through the entire page efficiently.

Page Layout


Buttons are sized for easy touch, with ample spacing to avoid accidental selections and no overlapping elements. To assist VoiceOver or TalkBack users who navigate by gesture, buttons are placed along the screen edge as tangible reference points.

Reading Flow with Screen Reader


For low-vision users reliant on VoiceOver or TalkBack, the app presents information in a straightforward, sequential manner, aligning with the reading flow of these screen readers, ensuring an accessible navigation experience.

Less Typing


Problems include:

  • Simplifying the alphabet selection on the keyboard.
  • Addressing errors in speech input.
  • Practicality concerns with copy-paste functionality.
  • Reduce complexity and enhance compatibility with various screen sizes.
  • Utilization of finger touch movements with customizable settings.
  • Enable easy access to the "current location" function by allowing users to shake the mobile phone to access the map screen from any part of the app.

Micro-location Information


The app provides visually impaired users with specific directional instructions, avoiding abstract terms like "east" or "west" commonly used in traditional navigation

Voice Command


A voice keyboard option is available on all pages, enabling users to operate the app with one hand or voice commands while moving. In navigation mode, users can follow directions and determine their location and actions through voice commands without focusing on the screen.

Details Preview


After searching or selecting information, users have ample time to explore their options. The app features a well-designed schedule, presenting an overview of the travel plan and detailed, step-by-step route instructions.

Maps & Routing Page


This section enhances navigation accessibility with three options: map view from above showing streets and routing, textual information, and additional details like zooming and estimated time and distance to the destination.

Route Registration


The Rahbin app allows visually impaired users to save and share routes, providing a personalized way to memorize and recall route information, aiding in navigation and facilitating assistance for others.

Immediate Contact Option


On the map and routing pages, there is the possibility for the user to establish a telephone connection with contacts saved or placed in the emergency contact list in case of getting lost or any other problem related.

HI-fidelity

prototype

The final high-fidelity prototype presented user flows for ordering a meal from fast delivery option and simple checkout. It also met user needs for a more customization.

view high-fidelity prototype here

Going forward

Takeaways

What I Learned?


"This experience offered important insights into the challenges and needs of visually impaired users. Through detailed user research and testing, I learned the critical importance of prioritizing accessibility features, such as customizable settings. This process emphasized the necessity of empathetic and inclusive design, demonstrating how technology can significantly enhance the lives of visually impaired individuals."

Next steps

If I have one more time …

1

2

3

4

Conduct more user research and usability studies

Provide Community-based navigation updates and a feature for sharing experiences and connecting

Create accessible public transportation information feature

Offline mod with pre-downloaded maps &

Comprehensive Points of Interest

You've reached the end, thank you!

Take a look at my other project?

TasteTime Application

Interested in teaming up?

Let's connect
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