Detroit Accessibility Project
Services Provided:
UX/UI Design, Brand Identity
Team:
Charlotte Bachelor, Emily Lin, Kennedi Cosma, Farjana Chadni, Addison Walton, Mohamed Malik, Isabelle Derocher
Tools:
Adobe Illustrator, Figma, WordPress, Crocoblock, Elementor, Optimal Sort
Duration:
December 2021 – November 2022
Project Manager:
Dr. Kate Birdsall
Background
There is no one-stop-shop for accessibility information for Downtown Detroit. And information on the websites of individual stadiums, theaters, and museums can be challenging to find, or non-existent. When these venues do provide accessibility information, it often times only applies to those with mobility issues but doesn’t address sensory or other non-visible disabilities. Without this information, navigating Detroit can be laborious for someone with a disability, and it excludes them from cultural spaces.
Objective
- Create the best accessibility guide Detroit has seen, and set the standard for accessibility information among these venues and attractions.
- Bring accessibility to the forefront and give disabled individuals an equal shot to engage and participate with their communities.
- Create sustainable accessibility infrastructure for communities.
- Set a precedent and bring accessibility to the forefront.
Drivers
Intuitive and Accessible
- WCAG guidelines
- POUR principles
- Compatible with screen readers
Community Oriented
- Metro Detroit
- Racial and ethnic diversity
- Advocates for people of all disabilities
Promote Change
- Venue owners
- Government officials
- Digital infrastructure
- Inspiration for more cities
Research Grounded
- Landscape analysis
- SPRINT method
- Card sort
- Personas
Research
We began the research process by asking the question: Who is a Metro-Detroiter? We needed to gain insight about Detroit’s demographics. First, we looked at a culmination of census data from the City of Detroit, Wayne County, Oakland County, and Macomb County respectively. This data was pulled from the 2020 US Census as well as the 2019 American Community Survey which provided more detailed information on race, disability, and language data.
Ideation
During the ideation process we created moodboards, lighting demos, and low-fidelity sketches. We discussed goals, opportunities, visual inspiration, and potential frustrations. After sharing these ideas, we dot voted on what types of features the user would both expect to see and want to see, as well as our sketch ideas. During ideation we also asked How Might We questions in order to narrow our focus, putting emphasis on questions like:
- How might we help visitors sort for the results they are looking for?
- How might we provide a filtering system that accounts for a diverse list of accessibility needs?
- How might we organize information in a way that makes it easy and effortless to find?
User Flow Hypothesis
Site Features
After our first set of sketches, we shared our observations and dot voted on which features we wanted to prioritize.
Interface Design
We also dot voted on all of the different ways we could display filters, the search function, and the results.
Low Fidelity Wireframes
Home
One of the goals of the website is to get users where they need to go without feeling like they’re completing a laborious task. We felt a simple homepage that provided a second route to the search page would support this goal – no fluff, just a quick introduction and easy access to the most important page.
Search
The venue search page needed to accomplish two major goals:
1) make accessibility information quick and easy to sort through, and
2) give the users a “quick look” of information represented through icons so they don’t have to open each individual venue page.
Details
While the search page needed to function quickly and provide information in small spaces, the individual venue pages needed to offer more detail. These pages breakdown each accessibility feature in depth. An icon can tell a user “yes, this venue is wheelchair accessible,” but this page specifies which entrances are accessible.
About
The Detroit Accessibility Project has a unique story that we wanted to highlight. This page would allow us to share our mission, vision, and values, but also to tell the story of this project and why this resource is so important for the community of Detroit.
Design
Type and Color Palette
Logo and Iconography
Final Design Solution
Future Steps
Social Media
The Detroit Accessibility Project will soon expand through the creation of a Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter account
App Development
Once the project picks up momentum in the community, the app development process can begin.
Expansion
More features can be added to the website, like an interactive map. We hope advancements in the project will generate media attention and inspire more cities.
