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Dubsmap
During my course, INFO 200- Intellectual Foundations of Informatics, we were presented with an opportunity to create or fix a pre-existing solution. With a team of five, our mission was to improve accessibility and inclusivity for individuals with mobility needs at the University of Washington.
Role: UX Designer
Term: Nov - Dec 2022
Tools: Figma
Project Type: Group
After understanding limitations and user needs, we then moved on to determining what success looks like for the redesign. Success for this project would be measured through survey data! We came to a conclusion that...
What would success look like?
The app should provide real time updates regarding buildings and streets
The ability to provide a custom route from options selected
User satisfaction survey rating for the app should be above or equal to 3 out of 5 stars
Why Dubsmap?
These are interesting facts, but what’s the connection?
How did you know that UW resources needed improvement?
Problem Statement:
9.3% of UW students have reported a mobile disability.
Seattle is considered the 23rd most elevated city.
When UW was already ranked top 10 for wheelchair friendly college campuses it raised of questions of how? When Seattle is known to be elevated and 9.3% of its students report a mobile disability, not including those with short terms injuries and visitors, how did UW gain this recognition. My team and I began to research resources that the University provided. Access map, access guide, and project sidewalk, these were all very helpful, but to a certain extent.
To follow up with the background research we conducted user interviews, surveys, and competitors analysis to collect data. These interviews and surveys were limited to mobility-challenged communities and ages 18-20. First we analyzed each website and determined what features were missing and what we could add to improve.
The University of Washington campus provides three methods for people with mobile disabilities to use to navigate the campus (Access Guide, Access map and Project Sidewalk). However there were many limitations to these solutions.
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Many of the buildings did not have information regarding elevators, ramps, and handicapped stalls. Because of this students would have to make an extra trip to the place to understand the surroundings
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Many times there would be construction whether it be on campus or inside the buildings. Since there was no way the user could inquire about this information, it would affect the users route often leading to confusion and frustration.
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The access guide provides the information needed, however project sidewalk collects data of incline, but does not provide a 3-D rendered version of the route. Users often needed to use two websites for one task.
After competitors analysis we began to take interviews and send out surveys.
Lets meet our target audience
Personality
ANDERSON
AGE
19
EDUCATION
Undergraduate
STATUS
Single
OCCUPATION
Student
LOCATION
Seattle, WA
Being able to use one app to get to school would be game-changer.
Brief story
Russell is a second-year student here at the University of Washington studying Political Science. He lives on West Campus and attends class everyday. He primarily goes to Kane Hall, Mary Gates Hall, and Savery Hall. Before the start of a new quarter Russell always uses the access guide provided by UW to look up entry ways.
Goals
Accurate Navigation: Use an app for real-time, precise directions to classes.
Timely Arrival: Reach destinations promptly without delays.
Easy Access: Quickly find and use accessible building entry points.
Frustrations
Inaccurate Maps: Often gets lost following the campus access guide.
Time Delays: Struggles to reach classes on time due to navigation issues.
Unclear Entrances: Difficulty finding the correct entryways to buildings.
After many iterations... the final product
Design Details
Heading:
Body:
Inter Semibold
Inknut Antiqua Regular
Color Palette:
After presenting our work to stakeholders, there were many things that I learnt from this process
Empathy
2
User Testing
Learning how to create an extensive research plan using multiple methods, including interviews, surveys, and background research, was essential to understanding user needs. This experience has equipped me with skills to apply comprehensive research strategies to future projects, ensuring user-centered and accessible designs.
I discovered the importance of empathizing with users and conducting thorough background research to gain a deeper understanding of both the problem and the solution. This experience has taught me to prioritize empathy-driven research in future projects, resulting in more user-centered and accessible designs.
1
Want to MAP everything together? Here is the link to the prototype! Dubsmap
UW is ranked 10 top wheelchair-friendly college campus
Time to meet at the whiteboard!
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The final decision was to keep the layout as it matched the aesthetic and content needs
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At the home screen we would add two icons (recent and favorite) for faster access.
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The design accounted for all of the solutions provided.
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It merged the two resources UW provided seamlessly
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There was no setting/area for locations that want to accessed fast. There was no tab that acted similar to a speed dial.
Pros
Cons
Solution
After initial sketching we evaluated our design
As a team we came together to draw out low-fidelity wireframes and decide important features and user flow. Through multiple discussions, drawing and erasing we came to a final conclusion on a basic template of how the app should look and function.