• Accessing important information that better prepares them to navigate various public transit routes with ease - This includes access to schedules for more accessible transit methods, accessible seating, safety measures available for them, and assistance available to them should they change route.
• There is no centralized/unified and trusted source that provides them with the information they need, and enables them to perform certain tasks (e.g., ticketing).
• They feel pitied/judged when riding public transit.
• Some users are not the most tech savvy and cannot rely on complex digital products only.
• Some users are newly experiencing their disability, and public transit makes adjusting to their new way of life even more challenging.

Since we were targeting ttc riders, we wanted to learn more about how the ttc is currently accommodating those with disabilities. Some of the things we found were that:

These findings really helped us understand our target audience better, the kinds of struggles they were going through, and highlight potential areas of improvement.

While doing research, we also identified the relevant stakeholders who would be involved in the process, directly or indirectly on the basis of interest and impact. We felt that physically impaired people and their caregivers were the direct stakeholders with high interest and impact. As indirect stakeholders, the TTC and the City of Toronto would be more involved as well, as they would have a lot of say in the changes that would happen. Indirect and lower impact stakeholders would be daily commuters and tourists, since accessibility is not a huge concern to them.

His family has recently moved to Toronto, and he is excited to start his first year at UofT. He is paraplegic, and his family relies on TTC for transportation purposes. He is concerned about commuting by himself, and his needs would involve guidance and information on how to navigate the stations. He has trouble finding his way through the stations as his hands are often preoccupied with maneuvering the wheelchair. So how do we assist his commute independently?

Also, meet Jacky. Unlike Tim, she is visually impaired and usually uses TTC to commute. She is concerned about traveling in unfamiliar routes and areas, as she needs assistance in travelling and finds herself to be nervous throughout the journey. How might we help her feel reassured about her commute?

• Based on the primary users and their journey maps, we observed that their anxieties lay mainly during the part of the journey which involved navigating the transit stop, getting into the train, and arriving at the right destination. 
• This allowed us to narrow our focus on existing transit applications for commuters.

The existing apps we found were used by commuters in the USA and Toronto. Apps like Magnuscards & Blindways were used by visually impaired commuters in the USA. We identified the elements that made them successful in their user experiences and compared it with our users' journeys and pain points. This allowed us to create user flows that addressed problems like requiring active assistance or figuring out the nearest accessible route. We also looked at existing transit apps such as Rocketman and Google maps, to identify patterns in how users search up a destination and get directions.

From these apps, some features that we found helpful and wanted to investigate further included:

• Step by step how-to guide (with images/illustrations) on how to navigate through transit stations
• Make it a very personal experience with copy and instructions
• Map - how to look up travel times, delays, directions

• Icons & Images: we wanted to make sure that these were used for easy access and comparison with the real world as users use these to navigate their journey.
• Gif: we created a gif of a moving subway train to mimic what it would look like when accessing the camera feature.
• Arrows & pagination: important so that the user knows what step they are on when following instructions.

We chose red as our primary colour as it is often associated with transit. Keeping accessibility in mind, we didn't want to use too many colours as indicators as it may be difficult for colour blind users to differentiate them. We made sure to check that the red that we used passed contrast guidelines, and is above a 4.5:1 ratio.

• Complete the onboarding
• Look up a destination and avoid non-peak travel times
• Access the extra resources and navigate through the step-by-step instructions
• Use the virtual assistant/AR feature as a "caregiver" to understand what's in front of them and get guidance

After completing our initial hi-fi, we asked a couple of our peers to test the product. We were able to analyze their movements and they were able to provide us great feedback on things we could improve on. Our biggest takeaway was to increase the size of the navigation bar at the bottom of the screen since currently, it did not provide enough room for them to select and tap the options with ease. This is especially helpful for those who may not have the best motor skills, or for those with poor eyesight.

If you're interested, you can view the final prototype below: 

While we were coming up with solutions, we came across a bunch of redesign opportunities for TTC stations that we would want to share. Although these are not all digital implications, we thought they were good considerations that would pair well with our app. For example:

• Accessibility booths on every platform and scattered around the subway for TTC workers to help guide people (a future feature to be able to call for help through the app, and a TTC worker will come find you)
• Designated waiting area and train compartment for people with disabilities (these are located close to elevator/escalators. While doing research, people with disabilities said that they didn’t like commuting when it was busy)
• Future affiliation with Presto to be able to pay and tap your card through our app
• For convenience, we would want to have some smartwatch integration. A lot of people with disabilities may have their hands preoccupied with other assistive devices, and won’t have the capacity to take out their phone.

• It took us a long time to decide on the direction our project should take, and especially trying to figure out the role that the caregiver had with the primary user, which was a rider with a disability. In the end, we felt that to make the most of the experience the user has with our app, it was for them to think if it as their caregiver. This allowed us to brainstorm features that would help provide that experience.
• How to come up with a solution that utilized a digital product - for instance, we had a lot of ideas on how to better improve subway stations, but at first we weren’t sure how to integrate this solution into a digital product. However, it was helpful to think of how our app would integrate into the real world.
• Appealing to various disabilities, but we did a lot of research and explored apps that targeted different kinds of disabilities.

If you're interested in watching the judges announcement  (9:38-10:35) 😊 
click here