Skills
UX Research, UX Design, Logo Design
Challenge
How might we help people navigate the sidewalks that have handicap accessible ramps instead of curbs to cross the street?
When crossing the street, have you ever noticed that some sidewalks have a ramp and some have a curb? If you are elderly, use a cane or wheelchair, chances are you know this.
Wide Range Of People Would Find a Ramp Useful
After I conducted the interviews, I found the lack of sidewalk ramps leads to people exercising less, a decline in social interactions, and feelings of isolation.
First off, I knew it would be an app because people would use it often and on-the-go. And now that I had an idea of who the user is, I focused on what they wanted to accomplish by using the platform.
- To go on a leisurely walk (alone or with friends)
- To get to a particular destination
When designing the wireframes, I considered how an older population would be using the app. I made the font bigger than normal the buttons are spaced far apart to allow for easy-touch interaction.
Solution
Use Case One: Exercise and Socialize. Here, the user drives to a new location (like a friend or family’s house) and is able to successfully navigate around the sidewalks.
Use Case Two: The user has a destination. They can enter the location in the search and the map pops up directing them through the route that uses sidewalk ramps.
Outcome
The app can help a lot of people, however a group who could benefit from it the most is the elderly. Many times, they aren’t very tech savvy as far as downloading apps. As the “boomer” generation gets older, the number of advanced-tech using elderly is growing and one of those people is my mom.