I designed a Google Maps add-on to address the most common accessibility pain points:

1. Parking Locations: Highlighting nearby accessible parking spots to reduce the time spent searching for suitable spaces.
2. Curb Cuts/Ramps: Clearly marking where ramps and curb cuts are located, allowing users to navigate intersections and pathways more efficiently.
3. Accessible Entrances: Indicating entrances that are equipped with ramps or automatic doors for wheelchair access.

Additionally, I incorporated a crowdsourcing feature inspired by Waze, allowing users to report accessible features or note missing infrastructure in real-time.

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During my Global Disabilities course, I visited the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum in Washington D.C. As a curious learner and mobility aid user, I was eager to see how accessible a "National" museum would be. I had high hopes that it would meet accessibility standards, but upon arriving, I quickly realized that accessibility had not been a priority in its design.

At the entrance, a wide flight of stairs greeted me. Off to the sides, two small signs directed me toward the nearest accessible ramp. I followed the signs—450 feet to the right—finally reaching the ramp. But the journey didn’t end there. After ascending the ramp, I had to travel another 450 feet back to the main entrance.

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In total, it was a 900-foot detour, an unreasonable demand for anyone using a wheelchair or crutches. No one should have to travel that far just to access a building that should have been designed with accessibility in mind. This experience highlighted a major gap in practical accessibility and reinforced the need for solutions that reduce unnecessary effort for mobility-impaired individuals.

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The project was inspired by my own experience as a crutch and wheelchair user navigating spaces that were technically accessible but practically frustrating. I conducted interviews with other wheelchair users to understand their experiences and challenges, which confirmed that poor signage, lack of curb cuts, and confusing layouts were common issues.

Initial Observations:

• Accessible ramps and entrances were often located far from the main building entrances, requiring unnecessary detours.
• Inconsistent signage led to confusion about where accessible features were located.
• The physical strain of navigating these environments was a significant burden for users.

Through interviews and personal experience, I synthesized several key pain points:

• Poor visibility of accessible features: Ramps, entrances, and parking spaces were not clearly marked, leading to wasted time and effort.
• Detours for accessibility: Wheelchair users frequently had to take long detours to reach an accessible entrance, making navigation frustrating and energy-intensive.
• Lack of community data: There was no real-time reporting system for accessibility, meaning users could not easily share information about accessible (or inaccessible) spaces.

These findings helped shape the decision to create a map-based solution that would provide visual cues for accessible infrastructure and allow for crowdsourced reporting.

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How might we simplify navigation for wheelchair users by providing clear, accessible information about mobility-friendly features in public spaces, reducing frustration and unnecessary detours?

I brainstormed several solutions, eventually focusing on a Google Maps add-on that would provide clear, accessible navigation options for users with mobility impairments. I also explored the idea of adding a crowdsourcing feature, where users could report newly accessible locations or flag areas that needed improvement.

I designed a basic overlay for Google Maps on iOS through Figma. Here, I decided to implement pins which indicate the location of a mobility impairment friendly feature.

I specifically chose this style because of their visual similarity to the pins which Google Map presents when searching for a location. I replaced the color with the blue color seen on accessibility icons and implemented specific icons that would help users quickly identify accessible locations.

Each icon represents one of the major pain points, parking locations, curb cuts/ramps, and accessible entrances, and allows the user to get an aerial view of how to travel from one location to the other most efficiently through Google Maps.

I was also inspired by Waze's community reporting aspect and wanted to capitalize on the power of crowd sourcing, so users can report accessible features of built environments or lack thereof.

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Due to time constraints, I did not have the opportunity to test the add-on with real users. However, I planned to conduct user testing in future iterations to gather feedback on the usability and overall effectiveness of the add-on.

With more time, I would refine the add-on based on user feedback, focusing on improving the clarity of icons and expanding the crowdsourcing feature to include real-time updates and community reporting.

The Access Locations Google Maps add-on aims to reduce the frustrations faced by wheelchair users by providing clear visual indicators of accessible infrastructure. Future iterations would expand on this concept by including indoor mapping and more robust crowdsourcing features, ensuring that users can access the information they need to navigate the world more easily.

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