Ease App
This app was created to improve the day-to-day lives of people with disabilities. In addition to being an introduction to the UX/UI design process, this project allowed me to gather and apply primary research as an exercise in empathy to create a more informed product.
Category: user experience, user interface, service design
Client: Design for America x Open Doors Organization
“Accessible design is good design. It benefits people who don’t have disabilities as well as people who do. Accessibility is all about removing barriers and providing the benefits of technology for everyone.” - Steve Ballmer
The Challenge
One of the biggest barriers to people with disabilities is a lack of accurate, updated information about a local business they would like to visit. (Design for America Challenge Library © Sept 2019)
Currently, a potential guest can call a site to ask about access, but often times the staff are not aware of the specific accommodations. The challenge with allowing facilities to complete a self-assessment is the person completing the checklist likely lacks the time, knowledge, incentives, or attention to detail required to complete it accurately. These constraints lead to people with disabilities coming to businesses that have not been properly assessed for accessibility.
How might a mobile app equip those with disabilities with information needed to help navigate throughout day-to-day life?
Primary & Secondary Research
To understand the process of planning an excursion while disabled, interviews were conducted with three persons with disabilities. This helped to develop a better understanding of the pain points and highlighted the opportunities for a more intuitive and seamless experience going forward.
Renee
“If I try and just book a hotel myself online, I put in the notes “accessible room”, but every single time I’ve done that, the room is not accessible. Usually, the only thing they mean by accessible is there’s a bar by the toilet.”
Hawken
“Traveling with a disability is not easy, but it should be enjoyed by everyone…Planning ahead can reduce the unforeseen problems you may face. Ask for pictures, be clear about what you need and triple-check accommodations.”
Carole
“It’s been 30 years since the Americans with Disabilities Act passed, but it has not been enforced, so you come across many inaccessible establishments…I’m somebody who always gets a picture of my room because I don't want surprises.”
Key takeaway: There is a gap between reported information and actual conditions.
Information Architecture
Prototyping
Creating wireframes helped form an understand of where visual elements would be placed on each screen.
Aesthetic Direction
Next, three potential aesthetic directions were explored, each with their own color palettes, visual elements, branded details, and overall feeling.
Concept 01
clean + modern + yellow overlays
Concept 02
trendy + minimal + pink/blue gradients
Concept 03
friendly + playful + flat brights
After reviewing with stakeholders, this direction was chosen. Reviewers gravitated to this concept, citing it as “approachable” and “inviting”.
How It Works
Onboarding
Users are welcomed to the app with inclusive graphics as they configure standard settings like location, push notifications, and account login.
Customization
After signing up, users can set what accommodations they need and interests they have, in order to customize their explore page and search results.
Exploration
On the explore page, users can discover local events, filtered by the initial settings, as well as custom suggestions based on interests and popularity with similar users. The search allows for specific search.
Information
Business profiles created by company representatives offer accessibility details through an onboarding questionnaire. Reviews from users and resulting “Ease Level” help users feel secure about the quality of accessible service promised.
See Ease at Work:
Note: Ease is still in development! The next step would be to create the business owner side of the application. Issues to address include:
How can we develop the onboarding of a business profile? How can we verify a business’ self-reported accessibility? How can we include those with disabilities in the conversation throughout every step of development?
