TL;DR
TL;DR
Challenge: Mobility aid users lacked a reliable, usable way to rate and find accessible locations, and existing apps caused physical strain.
Solution: Led three rounds of co-design sessions, developed a mobile prototype with oversized buttons, auto-scroll navigation, and WCAG-compliant color contrast, and validated it with a wheelchair co-designer.
Impact: Participant completed all tasks without errors, reported high satisfaction, and requested to share the prototype with peers—demonstrating early adoption potential.
Role: Owned co-design session facilitation, wireframing, interactive prototyping, and synthesis of insights into actionable design solutions.
OVERVIEW
Role
UX Designer
Team
3 Designers
1 Co-designer
Timeline
Oct - Nov 2022
Tools
Figma
FigJam
Paper Sketches
Context
Public spaces are often labeled “accessible” without meeting real needs, and mobility aid users face frustration and wasted effort due to inaccurate data. Existing accessibility apps compound these problems with small tap targets, repeated gestures, and low-contrast interfaces, making it physically taxing to interact with them.
Over two months, I led a participatory design process with a wheelchair user to co-create a mobile app that addressed these pain points. Through iterative co-design sessions, wireframing, prototyping, and testing, we produced an intuitive solution that prioritized accessibility, ease of use, and trustworthiness.
CHALLENGE
Challenge
Mobility aid users needed a way to reliably check and share accessibility information. Existing tools, such as Google Maps, often provided inaccurate data and required repetitive swipes and small tap targets, which caused physical discomfort.
My challenge was to design an app that could reduce interaction pain, increase trust in accessibility data, and empower users to share and discover information easily.
PROCESS
Discovery
I conducted interviews with a wheelchair user with a connective tissue disorder to understand the specific challenges they faced. Key insights included:
Repetitive swipes caused physical pain.
Small buttons were difficult to interact with reliably.
Existing accessibility data from Google Maps lacked accuracy and trust.
Co-Design & Iteration
I facilitated three participatory design sessions where our co-designer re-arranged UI elements and proposed improvements. The participant suggested large, grouped buttons for faster category ratings, auto-scroll navigation to reduce excessive swiping, and high-contrast text for readability.
To synthesize insights, I used affinity mapping and conducted dot voting, prioritizing directions based on both team discussion and the participant’s lived experience.
Low-Fidelity Wireframes
Storyboards
Prototyping
I translated the co-design insights into low-fidelity wireframes and an interactive Figma prototype. Accessibility standards were incorporated, including minimum 44px tap targets, auto-scroll navigation, WCAG AAA color contrast, and planned screen reader compatibility.
Interactable Low-Fidelity Prototype 1: Map View of Nearby Locations
Interactable Low-Fidelity Prototype 2: List view of Nearby Locations
Testing & Validation
During usability testing, the participant completed all rating tasks without errors and reported that the app was intuitive and empowering. They requested the prototype link to share with friends, indicating early adoption potential.
An unexpected insight emerged: excessive scrolling caused pain. We implemented auto-scroll, significantly improving navigation comfort.
CONCLUSION
Impact
The co-designed solution demonstrated tangible benefits:
Usability validated: Participant completed all tasks with 0 errors and expressed high satisfaction.
Direct pain points solved: Reduced swiping motions, improved readability, and increased tap target size.
Participant endorsement: “I’d want to share this with friends,” signaling early community traction.
While this was validated with a single co-designer, the process and design framework are scalable for a broader community of accessibility tool users.
Next Steps & Reflections
This project reinforced the importance of designing with, not for, users. Co-design uncovered real interaction pain points that would have been missed in traditional research.
I also learned to adapt sessions to participants’ accessibility needs and recognized how unexpected insights—like scrolling-induced pain—can drive key design decisions.