DubsMap
Type
UX Design
Role
Designer
Date
Sep – Dec 2022
Tools
Figma
Designing Accessible Navigation at the University of Washington
Overview
As the final project for my Intellectual Foundations of Informatics course at the University of Washington, I had the opportunity to collaborate with a team of students to design a mobile app that seeks to improve the experience of UW students with mobility access needs by creating ease for their navigation across campus.
The Problem
The University of Washington’s current access guide is used to map campus buildings and provide information regarding accessible routes, entrances, and elevators. Currently, the website’s user experience is limited on mobile platforms, making it difficult for students to use while moving on campus and lacks timely information.
Research Process
Interviews
We conducted a total of three interviews to gain insight on the pain points faced by students with accessibility needs who rely on the current accessibility map to navigate around UW’s campus, and design a solution that best addresses these challenges.
From our interviews, we discovered the key pain points of our users and stakeholders were:
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A lack of information regarding elevator closures, building obstructions, ramp steepness
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Due to its format as a map, information is not regularly updated
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Difficult to understand on a mobile device
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Analysis of Existing Solutions
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Though solutions that provide mapping designed for accessible needs currently exist, there are no solutions that provide step-by-step navigation specific to the University of Washington. Current solutions include the Project Sidewalk and AccessMap, as well as the UW Accessibility Guide. While each of these solutions had features that could potentially be helpful for individuals with access needs, none of them had both mobile usability and specificity to the University of Washington.
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Key Research Findings
1
Individuals with accessibility needs heavily rely on resources like accessible maps to navigate around campus. A navigation system can serve as a more a suitable platform, as it allows for step-by-step directions and real-time information.
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Stakeholders also seek clear information that allows them to identify the locations of elevators, accessible entrances, and ramps. Associating visual guides (such as images) with buildings can provide clarity and specificity.
3
Because different individuals have different accessibility needs, providing the option to customize routes based on the user's mobility allows more personalization in their navigation experience and addresses the different backgrounds users have.
The Solution
A mobile navigation app designed for the University of Washington that provides route planning, mapping, and real-time directions customizable to the user's individual’s mobility needs, showcasing timely notifications to users regarding closures and hazards and clear identification of accessible routes and entryways.
Wireframes
To outline our app interface, we created sketches of the app's home screen, pull-up tab, and address page, which were then translated into a digital low-fidelity wireframe using Figma. These screens were submitted for feedback and user testing.
Sketches
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
L to R: Low-fidelity wireframes of home screen, pull up tab, and address page
User Interface Design
For our user interface design, we decided to select colors that adhere to University of Washington branding guidelines to highlight uniformity and association with UW. Our typography was designed for clear legibility within the app system.
Final High-Fidelity Prototype
After receiving feedback upon our low-fidelity wireframes, I collaborated with a team member in designing our final high-fidelity prototype for the app. Areas of improvement that we added included an option for users to revisit locations marked as "favorites" and recent locations, which provided additional ease in identifying different buildings to navigate to.
Prototype Demonstration
Project Takeaways
Overall, this project allowed me to empathize and understand the experience of students with mobility access needs, and is one that has more opportunity for continued research and expansion over time. An additional step that we were interested in taking was improving awareness regarding accessibility needs by partnering with organizations at UW, as well as conducting firsthand interviews with those involved with these groups. I hope that this project encourages both UW and fellow students to take action in improving mobility access on campus.
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