hci report

1. HCI CA 2
User Interface to aid Independent travel for users
with special needs
Lucy Johnson
N00112139
Date: 24/2/2015
Lecturer: Marian McDonnell

2. User Interfaces to aid Independent travel for
users with special needs
Lucy Johnson
Applied Psychology
Institute of Art Design & Technologies
Kill Avenue, Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin, Ireland
N00112139@student.iadt.ie
Categories and Subject Descriptors
K.4.2 [Computers and Society]: Social Issues –
Assistive technologies for persons with disabilities.
H.5.2 [Information Interfaces and Presentation]: User
Interfaces – Evaluation/methodology, user-centered
design.
General Terms
Design, Experimentation, Human Factors.
Keywords
Special needs, independent travel, user interface design,
touchscreen.
ABSTRACT
This paper presents the need for a mobile application
which allows people with special needs to travel
independently and the design issues surrounding the
design of such an application. This paper discusses the
challenges faced by those designing interfaces for those
with cognitive impairments. The research in the area to
date is also discussed. Applications which are currently in
development in the area, such as Way Buddy and SnApp,
are also discussed. Both of these apps aim to aid users with
special needs in travelling independently and safely. Both
applications have taken different but affective approaches
in designing their interfaces. Discussion of the challenges
faced by users with special needs may help designers
when developing an app with this specific user group in
mind.
1. INTRODUCTION
Independence is an important aspect of life for everyone
and the loss of independence can have severe effects on
one’s mental health and quality of life. This can become
an issue for anyone, for example elderly people suffering
from memory impairment. The lack of independence leads
for them to feel anxiety when left alone [8]. Technology
can be used as memory aids or help improve memory
function to alleviate some of the anxiety experienced by
these people. The Help is an application designed to help
elderly people with memory impairment to independently
carry out their daily tasks. This gives them more freedom
and a higher quality of life. The same is needed to aid
people with special needs in travelling independently and
safely.
2. USER GROUP
Most websites provide an alternate design for people with
special needs, despite the fact that designs could be
implemented so an interface could be used by both people
with disabilities and those without [6]. People with special
needs face many challenges, one of the most prominent is
exclusion from society. They often experience exclusion
from clubs or societies as well as segregation, which can
be seen in some websites giving a separate interface for
users with special needs, which encourages a “separate but
equal” mentality. According to the National Disability
Authority (2010), many participants in the study spoke
about getting “funny looks” from people if they go out in
public. They also claimed that people “talk down to them”.
These experiences show that there is still stigma and a
degree of segregation in our society [12].
They also face challenges if they lack the ability to
complete everyday tasks such as grocery shopping,
clothes shopping, meeting up with friends or driving.
These challenges suggest a gap in the market for a mobile
application which can aid users with special needs and
allow them to travel independently. People suffering from
other learning difficulties may face specific challenges
when trying to operate a phone, such as difficulty reading
text on a phone or the inability to operate a phone properly.
One of the main challenges faced by people with special
needs is the lack of independence. Many parents or
guardians worry about letting their child travel alone,
fearing that they may get lost or be approached by a
stranger if left unsupervised. Another main concern is that,
if someone experiences difficulties operating their phone,
they will not be able to contact someone in the case of an
emergency and vice versa. These unique challenges faced
by those with special needs show that there is a great need
to develop an application which allows them to travel
safely and independently, without their
parent/guardian/carer worrying about the lack of
supervision.

3. 3. PRINCIPLES OF UNIVERSAL
DESIGN
A system must consider human perception and the user’s
cognitive skills in order to be considered usable [1]. This
is often not the case and users with special needs are often
ignored. This idea of “separate but equal” when it comes
to designing an interface leads to segregation of people
with special needs. When users are asked to use a separate
interface, their experience is often unequal, due to limited
functionality and content. This is why universal design
should be implemented, which allows all users to enjoy an
interface regardless of their age, ability or disability.
However, it should be noted that apps or websites
designed specifically to aid users with special needs in
completely specific tasks and integrate successfully
should be encouraged.
The main design principles for universal design are:
1) Equitable Use
2) Flexibility in Use
3) Simple and Intuitive Use
4) Perceptible Information
5) Tolerance for Error
6) Low Physical Effort
7) Size and Space for Approach and Use [4]
Many of these design principles align with the design
heuristics outlined by Neilsen [10]. Most prominently,
user control and freedom. Users must always be given an
“emergency exit”, they should be able to recover easily
should they make a mistake. Consistency and standards is
also applicable to universal design principles, as well as
recognition rather than recall. Icons and symbols should
be consistently used. Users should not have to guess what
an icon means, it should be clear and easily recognisable.
Error prevention should also be implemented as much as
possible.
4. RESEARCH IN THE AREA
It has been acknowledged that mobility and the use of
public transport is an issue for those with cognitive
impairment or mental health issues. It has been argued that
these problems can be alleviated with the proper training
of public transport staff in recognising and understand the
needs of those with cognitive impairment or mental health
problems [4]. This could potentially help with the use of
public transport but a more constant solution would be
necessary to make sure they complete their entire journey
safely, this could be addressed with an app on their phone
to help them travel independently.
The issue of independent travel is widely under
researched, although it has been an issue for decades.
Research has been conducted on interface designs to help
blind users travel independently. The research found what
potential users would like to know and which interactions
they would like when travelling or preparing journeys. [3]
An important aspect when outside was the ability to
control the flow of information as they felt they needed.
There were four levels of requirements. The first level was
basic information, which would allow you to check if you
are still on course, such as the direction of travel and any
known obstacles. The second level required detailed
information to include the type of detail selected for
inclusion in the pre-journey plan. The third level consisted
of transport such as the nearest bus stop or train station.
The fourth and final level was the alarm function which
would allow the user to seek assistance from a central
service centre. This was especially appreciated by the
elderly who expressed more concern regarding personal
safety.
According to the summary of a workshop which tackled
the issue of designing inclusive systems in 2013, there is
a need for inclusive design but although the arguments for
it seem logical, the logistics of doing it often mean it is not
carried out [5]. It is arguably more time consuming,
expensive and can be challenging. They argue that
sometimes having inclusive or universal guidelines simply
isn’t enough. It is for this reason that ethnographic
methods need to be employed when conducted research
before developing an app and when testing users. In depth
semi-structured interviews, participant observation and
diary studies can provide the designer with rich data about
the user which could aid them in successfully designing an
app which could be useful in helping users with special
needs [2].
However it must be noted that when completing this user
testing in order to achieve universal design, each user
represents a universe of one, with individual needs a
preferences. It is because of this that general assumptions
cannot be made about an entire demographic [11].
5. EXISTING APPS
5.1 WAY BUDDY
Way Buddy is an Irish app that is in development which
allows people with disabilities to travel safely and
independently (see Figure 1.). The simple interface is easy
to use and understand. One of the most innovative aspects
of this app is the landmark option. Users can upload
photos of landmarks on their journey which makes their

4. journey more recognisable and reduces the risks of getting
lost or confused. According to the Way Buddy staff, a
travel app for people with special needs is incredibly
important. The inability to travel independently not only
inhibits simple tasks such as going to the shop but it also
puts a strain on relationships. If someone is unable to
travel on their own, it makes it very difficult for them to
maintain relationships and friendships outside of their
home.
Figure 1: Sample screens from the Way Buddy app.
Way Buddy employs a minimalistic design which is clean
and easy to understand. The user can decide their
destination and are given a simple and easy to use map to
guide them on their way. The landmarks are clearly visible
to help the user better recognise their journey and make
sure they are on the right track.
5.2 SNAPP
SnApp is another Irish app (see Figure 2) in development
that aims to help users with special needs travel
independently. SnApp understands the importance of
Picture Based Communication for those who have
language difficulties or find it difficult to express
themselves. These simple icons may help them better
recognise their journey and stop them from getting lost.
Perhaps the most useful functionality of SnApp is the two
way map viewing system (see Figure 3). Both the user and
their parent or guardian, or whoever they choose to link
their app to, can view the map. Using GPS, they can both
see where they are, how far they have travelled and how
much further they have on their journey. This would
alleviate a great amount of stress for both the user with
special needs and their parent/guardian/carer, which will
allow the user to travel more independently and gain more
freedom.
Figure 2: A screenshot from the SnApp prototype.
Figure 3: A screenshot of the map screen from SnApp.
5.3 NAVCOM SYSTEM
NAVCOM system is a mobile application which aims to
aid people with visual impairment travel on public
transport. It achieves this by allowing communication
between the public transport vehicle and the user’s smart
phone, in order to help the user with indoor guidance, as
well as knowing what bus or train they are getting on and
what stop they are at so they know when to get off.
However, one of the drawbacks of this system is that it
only provides static information at specific check in
points, which may be hard to locate. [9]
Figure 4: An overview of the NAVCOM system.
5.4 ACCESSIBLEMAP
The AccessibleMap programme is also a system which
aims to make online maps more accessible to the visually
impaired. They aim to help visually impaired (caused by
different eye disorders), colour blind and blind persons.
Based on the user requirements analysis methods are
developed to (1) automatically generate a textual
description of a web-based map (map in words) as well as

5. (2) an optimised cartographic design/layout. Hence, the
AccessibleMap user interface is developed as a multi-
sensory interface.
Figure 5: An example of the AccessibleMaps interface.
Users have the option of selecting different modes of
receiving information such as an acoustic user interface,
for the visually impaired, or a visual user interface.
CONCLUSION
In conclusion, there is a clear need for a mobile application
that can aid users with intellectual disabilities in travelling
independently. The area of independent travel has been
relatively under researched. However, there is a great deal
of qualitative data in the area of cognitive impairment and
intellectual difficulties and the problems that they face.
One of the most commonly mentioned challenges is travel.
They find it difficult to travel independently and safely
without their families or carer worrying about where they
are or if they have gotten lost. The fact that this topic is so
frequently mentioned by these potential users shows a
clear gap in the market for a mobile application which
would allow people with special needs to travel
independently. Apps such as Way Buddy and SnApp are
paving the way for such a technology, but they are still in
development. If designers employ the principles of
universal design, outlined above, as well as in depth
research on the potential users using interviews etc, an
effective and appealing application can be developed in
order to meet the needs of those with intellectual
disabilities with travelling independently.
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