Blind Runners
Kesher Ayen
Redefining and redesigning how visually impaired runners and sighted guides engage with and participate in their running group trainings and functions.
Project Context
Project: Kesher Ayen via Designlab
Role: Sole designer
Timeline: 2 weeks
Tools: Sketch, Figma, Miro
Background
About: mobile app for blind running group
This end-to-end mobile app was designed for a non-profit running group operating in three cities in Israel. The running group is comprised of visually impaired/blind runners and sighted guides.
The challenge: considering accessibility
Currently, all of the groups engagement takes place across multiple WhatsApp chats. Gaining an understanding of the strengths, limitations, and pain points experienced by the multiple user groups will ensure the creation of a strong solution. Creating an app for the group will enable me to directly explore the topic of accessibility in design.
Terminology: guides and runners
Throughout the case study, visually impaired/blind runners will simply be referred to as 'runners' and sighted guides will be referred to as 'guides'.
Empathize
Conducting Research
stakeholder interview | subject matter expert interview | user interviews
Research questions
How does the group function?
How does one join the group? What does on-boarding look like?
What are the needs of the group?
What is the group culture?
How is technology used with relation to group function for both runners and guides?
Stakeholder interview
The running groups’ varied activities, services, and functions operate across multiple WhatsApp chats.
This Whatsapp thread provides a glimpse into current training registration practices. It illustrates the volume of attendance messages received by all members of the group.
There’s a group chat for that!
Register for training?
What: The #1 priority is group registration for bi-weekly training.
How: Registration is completed through the main group WhatsApp chat.
Offer/request ride pickup?
What: Logistical coordination of runner pick up/drop off at the train station before and after training.
How: Available guides volunteer through the main chat. The admin then pairs runners with drivers through the main chat.
Participate in races/events?
What: Sharing information and organizing registration and participation in races and events,
How: Once registration opens a new WhatsApp group is created with the participants for that given race.
Socialize with group members?
What: social chat - lifecycle events and wishes, random musings and chats, informal social gatherings etc.
How: There is a separate active WhatsApp chat for all group social interactions and activities.
“A member can receive hundreds of messages on a given Monday just regarding that evenings’ training attendance and logistics”
Subject matter expert
The SME interviewed is a founding member of the running group. He is an individual who is blind. Prior to losing his vision, he worked in the hi-tech industry. Today he runs workshops for hi-tech companies and service providers on the topic of accessibility. He suggested activating the VoiceOver setting on my iPhone to better understand his current experience using the various running WhatsApp groups.
Culture and Accessibility Insight
As a founding member and blind runner
Equality: Kesher Ayen board is comprised of both sighted and blind individuals so that decisions are made with the runners and not for the runners.
High performance: Runners had been members of other running groups catered towards individuals with disabilities. These groups did not provide high quality workouts since they were catering to a range of physical disabilities.
Social: The group began with an emphasis on high performance. Over time the social element has become integral to the group as well.
As an accessibility expert
Degrees of vision loss: Runners have varying degrees of vision from mild (and often deteriorating) sight to complete blindness. Good design will be most accessible to the widest range of users.
High contrast and bold design
Descriptive captions - especially for buttons and images
VoiceOver: The suggestion to use VoiceOver heightened my sensitivity to unnecessary verbiage. A blind user can not skim or scan messages and has no way to quickly identify important messages.
“There’s an added element of frustration for a runner using voiceover accessibility technology. They can’t easily skim the messages for important information”
1:1 User interviews
6 users were interviewed to gain an understanding of group function, group needs, use of technology, and current successes and pain points.
Style
Open-ended interviews
Sample
Visually impaired runners
Participants
3 runners ages 29-70
Style
Open-ended interviews
Sample
Sighted guides
Participants
3 guides ages 25-55
Affinity map
An affinity map was created based on the interviews in order to find patterns that can be used to better understand the needs of the group.
Key interview findings
Equal Partners
Other groups for individuals with disabilities felt patronizing. The runners expect to be treated as equal partners.
Muted Chats
The social aspect is of greater significance to the runners. Guides interviewed have left the social chat due to message overload.
Group Culture
The group is described as a home and a family. They strives to maintain high quality workouts in an encouraging environment.
Social Needs
Users mute all run group related chats. Users experience message overload with people marking their attendance and then cancelling.
“There’s a whole lot of nonsense in the chats. At least the main chat is strict about limiting messages to just training related messages but even with that, it’s a lot of messages I need to read in case there is an important update”
Define
What is the problem?
Provisional Personas | Mood Board | User Story Map
How might I address design given the various needs of the runners?
How might I ensure accessibility without compromising equality?
How might I tackle message overload while addressing the need for some necessary communication?
How might I convey a sense of warmth while simultaneously conveying a commitment to excellence ?
Mood board
A mood board was created in an attempt to channel the group culture. A balance of high contrast, high performance coupled with a touch of warmth. I will be going for bold and simple.
My initial thought was to create two separate interfaces, one that specifically caters to the visually impaired user and one for the sighted user.
Upon completing the research phase I have come to the understanding that good design will be most accessible to the widest range of users.
Inclusive design
In an effort to speak to the core value of equality and integration every element of my design should strive towards accessibility.
Decorative text will be avoided to limit frustration of users dependent on VoiceOver.
Fonts should be bold and clear and work in both English and Hebrew.
Strive for high contrast while avoiding a cold design
Competitive analysis/inspiration
“Be My Eyes” does a great job of clean, minimalist, high contrast design
There’s a fine balance between encouraging social/volunteer work and ensuring the work isn’t patronizing. Strive to strike that balance!
Note the first available volunteer versus specialist help. This pattern can be revisited in a later iteration when guide pairing is customized.
Message overload versus necessary communication
Should I automate the entire process and eliminate chat entirely, that is the question?
User story map
A user story map was created to identify the needs of the various user groups. Using user activities, user tasks, and user stories I was able to breakdown the specific needs of each user persona.
You the Real MVP!
Priority product features include account creation, safety/health information, log-in, and logistics of bi-weekly training
Ideate
Brainstorming solutions
Task Flow | User Flow | Wireframes
Task flow and User flow
The task and user flow walk the user through a specific task navigation and app navigation, respectively.
Wireframes
A wireframe deck was used for initial brainstorming. The goal was to keep the design clean and simple while focusing on information blocks.
Potential solution direction
All logistical training registration and transportation coordination will be automated.
Only those registered for a specific session will be added to an active training chat that expires and is archived after the training session.
Prototype
Time to design
Hi-Fidelity Frames | Clickable Prototype
Hi-Fi Prototype
Onboarding considerations
Information such as height (for guide pairing), pace, distance etc was initially considered for initial registration process, however, the decision was made to limit onboarding to only the most essential information for this iteration. The plan is to include that information in a later iteration once a personal profile is included.
Prototype considerations
In an attempt to keep the interface identical I found myself debating whether one exception should be made so that a visually impaired user does not have access to the affordance of offering a ride. I decided to keep it for the simple reasoning that a family member or friend could be driving the runner to training, in which case they would be in a position to offer a ride.
Test
Moment of truth
Test objectives
Can users successfully create an account?
Can users successfully register for a training session?
Do users understand that the chat is available only to those who are attending?
Do users find the UI predictable and easy to use
Since some of the users are visually impaired, the frames will be described to the runners. Special care has to be taken in order to ensure that no leading information is provided.
Successes
Users understood the product.
Users were able to navigate the app easily.
Users were able to complete tasks.
Users found the UI clear and user friendly.
Pain points
Users found some word choices confusing.
Consider changing ‘valid stress test’ to ‘valid cardio exam’.
Consider changing ‘number of seats’ to ‘available seats’.
Users weren’t clear on the participants in the chat frame. Consider ‘attendees’ instead of ‘participants’.
What’s next
The project was completed in a two-week design sprint. While my testing did provide some actionable insight, further testing is necessary before moving forward to the next design cycle.
Completed further testing to account for a wider range of visual impairment.
Create a Hebrew prototype for more accurate feedback:
The native language of my users is Hebrew. As such, users found placements of elements unexpected since users are used to viewing and processing information from right to left.
Conducting testing while simultaneously reading and translating the information for visually impaired runners may have compromised the objective nature required to gather accurate information.