BARRIER-AWARE WAYFINDING
Accessible routing that adapts to real-world barriers—confidence teams can demo and ship
End-to-end UX for barrier-aware navigation: clear tradeoffs, explainable constraints, and fast reroutes—built to earn trust in seconds and scale through reusable patterns.
Built for constraints: elevator outages • steep ramps • missing data • curb cuts • edge states • rapid reroutes
Metrics: 8 screens • 10 components • iterations • usability checks
ROLE
UX Designer
EXPERTISE
Journey • Interaction Design • Systems • Content clarity
YEAR
2025
AccessMap is an accessibility-first navigation experience that helps people choose routes that match real mobility constraints—not just the shortest path. It reduces uncertainty by surfacing step-free options, slope/grade, curb cuts, surface quality, and temporary barriers (elevator outages, construction) so users can commit to a route with confidence.
The system is built for trust + fast iteration: clear flows, reusable components, and resilient edge states (missing data, conflicts, reroutes) that keep routing understandable—even when the map isn’t perfect. Packaged as a customer-ready story that teams can demo and scale.
Timeline
4–6 weeks — discovery → requirements + constraint mapping → IA + route logic → flows → hi-fi UI → interactive prototype → usability checks + iteration
Why this matters
Most maps assume a “default body.” For wheelchair users, people with injuries, seniors, and caregivers, stairs and steep slopes aren’t a minor inconvenience—they’re a hard stop.
AccessMap reframes routing as a customer trust problem: if constraints aren’t visible and explainable, users can’t plan safely. By making accessibility signals explicit and designing robust fallback states, AccessMap enables inclusive navigation that can scale across cities—while keeping users in control.
I treated this as a high-stakes UX problem where reliability, clarity, and accessibility are non-negotiable—because the cost of a wrong route is real.
1) Cross-functional + constraints
Partnered with PM + Engineering to translate accessibility + routing constraints into a clear system: decision moments, edge states, and handoff-ready behavior—designed for real technical limits and real-world variability.
2) Templates/flows/diagrams
Used repeatable templates to quickly produce process flows, conceptual diagrams, and IA—aligning stakeholders early and reducing downstream rework.
3) Fast iteration
Iterated rapidly from flows → wireframes → hi-fi → interactive prototype.
Used feedback + usability signals + feasibility checks to refine routing clarity, confidence signals, and recovery behavior.
Research & Insights
Identified primary user groups: wheelchair users, cane users, stroller users, travelers with luggage, and people with temporary injuries.
Mapped core jobs-to-be-done:
Reach destination without barriers (no stairs, manageable slopes, reliable elevators)
Know what to expect before committing (surface, incline, curb cuts, outage risk)
Recover fast when conditions change (closures, outages, missing data)
Foundational pain points:
Low trust in “step-free” claims (hidden stairs, unreliable elevator status)
Uncertainty mid-trip (surprise slopes/surfaces)
Lack of clear fallback routes when data is incomplete
Confusing tradeoffs (shortest vs safest vs smoothest)
Problem framming
How might we make accessibility constraints visible, explainable, and controllable—so users trust a route before they start and can recover instantly when reality changes?
Information Architecture & Flows
Designed around decision moments (not screens):
Browse: compare accessible options with clear badges (step-free, slope range, surface quality)
Route selection: “Why this route?” breakdown (tradeoffs + risk signals + confidence)
Navigation: live guidance + proactive alerts (upcoming barrier segment, elevator outage, missing curb cut)
Recovery: one-tap reroute + report barrier + switch to safer mode (minimum-risk route)
Validation & Iteration
Prototype testing focused on:
Time to choose a safe route (decision speed without confusion)
Comprehension of slope/steps/surface cues (can users predict effort + risk?)
Confidence before starting (trust signal clarity)
Filter clarity, route badges, and “Explain this route” affordances—reducing ambiguity and improving decision confidence
AccessMap turns messy, real-world accessibility constraints into a calm, trustworthy navigation experience—so users can choose confidently, know what to expect, and recover fast when conditions change.
1) Design system contribution
Built reusable components + variants (tokens, layout rules, states) and contributed repeatable patterns to a scalable system—keeping accessibility UI consistent across features and routes.
2) Prototyping + spec handoff
Delivered clickable hi-fi prototypes + clean specs (redlines, variants, empty/loading/error/recovery) and supported implementation with dev collaboration + QA—so what we demo matches what ships.
Step-free and Low-stress routing
Users choose routes using clear, controllable constraints:
Step-free mode (avoid stairs entirely)
Slope tolerance (gentle / moderate / strict)
Surface quality filter (smooth / uneven / unknown)
Elevator reliability preference (avoid outage risk when possible)
Curb-cut presence (prefer confirmed curb cuts)
Impact → fewer surprises mid-trip • higher confidence before starting • safer choices under uncertainty
Confidence-based route cards
Every route surfaces decision-first clarity:
Accessibility badges (steps, slope, surface, curb cuts, elevators)
Confidence signal (data coverage + recency + verification source)
“Why this route?” explanation (tradeoffs + expected issues)
Fallback options (safer alternative + minimum-risk route)
Impact → trust through transparency • faster route selection • clearer tradeoffs without guesswork
Community-powered reporting
Reliability improves through lightweight, high-signal reporting:
Report barriers in 2 taps (stairs, blocked ramp, broken elevator, construction)
Upvote / verify reports to strengthen trust signals
“Last verified” timestamps + source labels (community/official/sensor)
Warnings update quickly to prevent surprises mid-route
Impact → fresher accessibility data • stronger confidence signals • more resilient routing over time
Outcomes from AccessMap’s end-to-end UX—focused on reducing route uncertainty, speeding up decisions, and building trust for accessibility-critical navigation.
Faster route decisions
Route cards + accessibility badges helped users compare options quickly instead of scanning maps blindly.
Impact → faster “safe route” selection • fewer back-and-forth checks • lower decision fatigue
Higher confidence before starting navigation
“Why this route?” explanations + visible constraints (steps/slope/surface/elevator reliability) made tradeoffs predictable upfront.
Impact → fewer surprises mid-trip • reduced anxiety • stronger trust in recommendations
Better recovery when the real world changes
One-tap reroute + barrier alerts supported quick recovery during elevator outages, construction, or missing data.
Impact → fewer failed trips • smoother continuation even on imperfect routes • faster time-to-recover
More reliable experience through feedback loops
Community reporting + verification signals improved data quality and kept routes current.
Impact → increasing confidence over time • clearer “last verified” cues • stronger long-term usability