CASE STUDY
Brightway
PROJECT DETAILS
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Timeline- Jan- April 2025 (14 weeks project)
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Team- 2 UI-UX Designers, & myself as UX Researcher and Designer
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My core role – Ideation , Research, Usability Testing, Prototyping
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Softwares/Tools used- Miro, Figma, Smaply.
PROJECT OVERVIEW
PROJECT OVERVIEW
Brightway is a “mobility app for visually impaired” that empowers them with a seamless, stress-free and safe navigation while using PUBLIC TRANSPORT in KWC region of Ontario.
UNDERSTAND PHASE
THE CHALLENGE
THE CONTEXT
Currently, a visually impaired person struggles with following mobility challenges-
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Unpleasant experience in booking public transport
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Unreliable or complex booking process
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Unhappy with safety measures while boarding and de -boarding
RESEARCH & PLANNING
Research Questions
Q - Why there is a significant gap in usage of assistive technology by the visually impaired individuals in public transportation?
Q - What factors influence the confidence of visually impaired people while travelling?
Q - What could be the reasons for inadequate and insufficient accessibility features for visually disabled in public transportation?
Research Methodology
The research for this project was very integral since it focused on very niche target users and their pertinent problem in context of mobility. With a deep inclination towards research, I wore the hat of a UX researcher here. I led both secondary and primary research to uncover mobility challenges faced by visually impaired users. Secondary research included a literature review of accessibility standards and assistive mobility solutions along with a competitive analysis of accessibility-focused mobility apps such as Lazarillo, Be My Eyes, GRT Mobility Plus, Lookout , and Envision AI, which revealed functional gaps like limited real-time navigation feedback and lack of emotional safety features—opportunities that guided BrightWay’s differentiated value.
It was then followed by primary research with in-depth semi-structured telephonic interviews (qualitative in nature) with four visually disabled individuals. Miro was used as a tool here for data collection, transcription, and thematic analysis. Adhering to ethical guidelines, I ensured informed consent, anonymity, and respectful engagement throughout. A consolidated empathy map was crafted collating the responses from all four participant users. Key insights revealed a strong need for intuitive voice-guided navigation, environmental awareness aids, and emotional assurance during solo travel—shaping the app’s user-centered design direction.
EXPLORE & IDEATE PHASE
In this phase, we defined our clear problem statement and user persona followed by brainstorming, and sketching multiple ideas to address the identified problems.
PROBLEM STATEMENT
"A visually impaired woman needs seamless mobility and accessibility experience to her work because she believes that there isn’t any reliable & quick solution to overcome mobility concerns ensuring her satisfaction and safety while she travels independently using public transportation."
USER PERSONA
The research insights helped us craft our persona embodying “The Hero” archetype in our target user group, also identifying the user needs and pain points.
The common challenges that stood out faced on frequent basis were-
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Long Wait time of scheduling (specially in case of Mobility Plus)
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Frequency & Reliability of public transport
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Very limited access to real time information
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Hard experience with sensory notifications
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Limited mobility options with 24/7 availability catering to people with accessibility
HYPOTHESIS
We believe that there is a significant gap in accessing mobility options for visually impaired individuals who wish to travel independently. We will know this is to be true when we see up to 100 or more sign ups within first 6 months of the app launch.
IDEATION
The Crazy 6 sketches were made by the team based on the ideas generated amongst the group brainstorming from research insights to overcome the identified problems.
The Final Solution
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A “mobility app for visually impaired” that empowers visually disabled individuals with a seamless, stress-free and safe navigation by ensuring-
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Voice command navigation
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Audio and Haptic interface
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Freemium model
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Mostly works in Offline mode
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Sensorial alert notification
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Real time tracking
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Integration with other transit option
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24 hrs real time booking with confirmation….more!
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BUILD PHASE
Here, validated concepts were transformed into UX Storyboard, user flows, low to mid fidelity wireframes and high-fidelity designs with interactive prototypes. Usability testing, feedback loops, and iterative refinements guided the development of a user-centered final product.
DESIGNING THE
SOLUTION
UX Storyboard describing user experience with one of the core feature of BrightWay, which is 24/7 accessible cab booking for sudden plans where no pre-scheduling is required.
User Journey created on Smaply describing Danika's situational user experience with BrightWay, mapping her actions and emotions throughout.
This User Flow illustrates a typical journey of Danika within the Brightway app, beginning with discovery and decision-making. After signing up, Danika may explore transport options, either booking an Uber or scheduling a bus ride. The process culminates in payment confirmation and user satisfaction, leading to a successful trip completion.
WIREFRAMING & PROTOTYPING
The Low-Fidelity wireframes (sketches) of BrightWay demonstrates early-stage visual concepts that outline the app’s basic structure, navigation, and content hierarchy. It prioritize user journeys and accessibility features, enabling rapid iteration and stakeholder alignment before moving into detailed design.
The Mid-Fi wireframes of BrightWay presents a clear, structured layout focusing on key user tasks. These wireframes emphasize functionality and user flow, allowing for early usability testing and feedback on core interactions tailored to the needs of visually impaired users.
USABILITY TESTING
I along with one other team member conducted moderated usability testing in 3 consecutive stages of iterate & build with visually disabled users of varied demographics. The whole purpose was to evaluate-
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if the app's UI met the accessibility standards
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users seamless experience with UI
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users interaction with the app features
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if users faced any challenge
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if they had any suggestion for improvisations
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THE FINAL PROTOTYPE
High-fidelity prototypes of BrightWay illustrates a clean, accessible interface tailored for visually impaired users. These refined screens integrate assistive accessibility features, intuitive navigation, and ease of booking a ride 24/7 for smooth & safe mobility—bringing the inclusive design vision to life.”
CONCLUSION &
REFLECTION
At the end, we mapped and assessed our entire process to the innovation evaluation framework which helped us channel empathy, research, and creativity into a purposeful assistive mobility solution for visually impaired users.
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This project has opened me to many awakening facts about the problem, my users, the entire process of building the solution and most importantly the usability testing. There was a deep learning curve at every stage which encouraged me to push my critical thinking and problem solving abilities. Some of the road blocks did come while integrating technology in the solution. For instance, adding audio (voice command mechanism) to the app, building haptics in a realistic manner, etc. which certainly could be the next level to this app which will elevate the entire experience of BrightWay to another level.
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