The design of assistive location-based technologies for people with ambulatory disabilities: A formative study

• Main Authors: HARA, Kotaro, CHEN, Christine, FROEHLICH, Jon E.
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2016
• Subjects: Accessibility; assistive technology; mobility impairment; location-based technology; Software Engineering
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sis_research/7124; https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/context/sis_research/article/8127/viewcontent/2858036.2858315_pv.pdf
• Institution: Singapore Management University

In this paper, we investigate how people with mobility impairments assess and evaluate accessibility in the built environment and the role of current and emerging location-based technologies therein. We conducted a three-part formative study with 20 mobility impaired participants: a semi-structured interview (Part 1), a participatory design activity (Part 2), and a design probe activity (Part 3). Part 2 and 3 actively engaged our participants in exploring and designing the future of what we call assistive location-based technologies (ALTs) location-based technologies that specifically incorporate accessibility features to support navigating, searching, and exploring the physical world. Our Part 1 findings highlight how existing mapping tools provide accessibility benefits even though often not explicitly designed for such uses. Findings in Part 2 and 3 help identify and uncover useful features of future ALTs. In particular, we synthesize 10 key features and 6 key data qualities. We conclude with ALT design recommendations.