An Easier Way
A mobile app for students with disabilities at the University of Mary Washington.
background
An important aspect to service and product design is looking for and recognizing imbalances or injustices in our society and ideating on solutions that address those issues.
The mobile app I am designing that I’m showcasing here stems from my own discovery of such an imbalance at my alma mater: the challenges that many students with physical disabilities face when trying to navigate and access buildings and services that are widely accessible to able-bodied students.
my roles
Product Strategy
User Research
User Experience
Usability Testing
tools used
Figma
Adobe Illustrator
the problem
According to the National Center for College Students with Disabilities, students with disabilities that impact their mobility make up approximately 7 percent of the undergraduate student population of most colleges and universities. These student face numerous challenges when trying to safely navigate and access buildings and services on campus that are widely accessible to able-bodied students.
The mobile app I am designing that I’m showcasing here stems from my own discovery of such an imbalance on my college campus: the challenges that many students with physical disabilities face when trying to navigate and access buildings and services that are widely accessible to able-bodied students.
value proposition
The goal of my mobile app is to ease the burden faced by University of Mary Washington students with physical disabilities by helping them more easily and efficiently plan for and safely navigate their on-campus and near off-campus journeys.
Eventually, I hope other campuses can adopt this same technology to help their own students with physical disabilities more easily and efficiently navigate their own college campuses.
design process
initial research
My own research of online resources provided by the university revealed little information to assist students with physical disabilities, other than to contact the Office of Disability Resources.
The only resource I did find was a PDF version of an on-campus map. This map offers:
- Locations of handicapped parking lots
- Wheelchair-accessible entrances
- Accessible or inaccessible pathways
This map has these shortcomings:
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- The map is so small and the wheelchair icons so small, it’s difficult to decipher where exactly the wheelchair-accessible entrances are located
- The map doesn’t offer any details about the accessibility within the campus buildings, such as elevators and wheelchair accessible bathrooms and water fountains
- The map also doesn’t show distances between parking lots, buildings, and other landmarks
- There’s no way to interact with the map
- The map fails to indicate obstacles or challenges that those with disabilities should be aware of
user personas
ideation
Design a mobile app with the following features:
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- Enter current location and destination and get the distance between the two
- Be able to select or audibly enter how I’m traveling between locations (on crutches/braces, scooter, wheelchair, car) and learn how many minutes that trip would take me
- Interactive map that lets me zoom in on the route before I take it or while I’m in route
- Learn what sort of obstacles I might face on my journey between destinations: walls, inclines, rough terrain, congestion, traffic, street crossing, and so on
- Option for audible directions that help me navigate my journey and warn me of obstacles along the way
- Learn where the ramps, curb cut-outs, and accessible entrances are at my destination
- Learn about all of the accessible resources within my destination: automatic door openers, fully-accessible bathrooms, accessible water fountains, elevators, emergency evacuation chairs, and so on
- Tap to request buddy assistance
- Tap to connect with campus police in an emergency
- Get tips about the destination or the journey to that destination
- Ability to enter feedback or tips about different locations, trips, and so on
- Noted locations of disability-friendly transport options for when I need to go off campus
- Ability to connect with other accessibility apps
user personas
user testing: phase one
My plan is to conduct user testing of my wireframes before moving any further in order to both gauge interest in this service and gather feedback on its functionality. I’ll work with the Office of Disability Resources to gather a set of users who might benefit from my app to give me feedback.
prototype
Coming soon!
user testing: phase two
My plan is to conduct user testing of my wireframes before moving any further, assuming my wireframes resinated with users I will incorporate as many phases of user testing as possible to insure the best outcome.
future state
My plan is to take my polished prototype to the University of Mary Washington Office of Disability Resources and ask if they are willing to fund the development and marketing of the app.
If for whatever reason they are unwilling to fund it, I would reach out to some developers I have met in my classes to see if they would be willing to help me. This cause and this app is something I am extremely passionate about so I am intent on finding a way to make this app happen.
Like what you see?
Hey there! You’ve made it to the bottom of the page. Want to learn more about me or what I’m working on? Click the links on the right.
Alternatively, here’s my resume.
I’m open to new opportunities and would love to hear from you.