Reimagining Mobility Generative Research Report Corten Singer Joyce S. Lee Nancy Yang Takara Satone Reece Clark
According to IDEO, designing for extremes can lead to solutions that are not only more inclusive, but also better for everyone.
For example, a study of pedestrian behavior* at a Florida shopping mall revealed that 9 out of 10 unencumbered pedestrians go out of their way to use a curb cut which was initially designed to comply with the American Disabilities Act. * The Curb-Cut Effect, Stanford Social Innovation Review, Image source: Wikimedia Commons
Our Research Objective How might we create more accessible mobility systems for people with disabilities or impairments? How can we design solutions that can cross over to benefit a broader population as well?
Generative Research Plan 1 Interviews and Collages with Caregivers 2 Love Letters from Wheelchair Users 3 Walk-a-Mile Exercise 4 In the Wild Observations
Collages and Interviews with Caregivers Responses to the prompt: What do you hope the future of mobility will look like? Comfortable, fast, and convenient.
Collages and Interviews with Caregivers Responses to the prompt: What do you hope the future of mobility will look like? Helpful but probably very expensive, and maybe not accessible.
Love Letters Idealized mobility products and services, as described by wheelchair users. Safe Comfortable Convenient
Love Letters Idealized mobility products and services, as described by wheelchair users. Flexible Personalized
Walk-a-Mile Riding in a wheelchair around the Berkeley campus as an empathy-building exercise. Everywhere is so claustrophobic. This is my favorite place.
In the Wild Observations General observation of behaviors around wheelchair mobility. Curb cuts can be dangerous Requires actively holding on
Empathy Map An overall synthesis of our generative findings.
From Insights to Storyboard Concepts 1 2 Online Paratransit Application To combat bureaucracy and long wait times of existing wheelchair shuttle services Recharge: Public Charging Stations To minimize claustrophobia and promote spending time outdoors 3 Donut Car With Seats Facing Each Other 4 Universal Self-Driving Bus To promote human interaction and alleviate fears of self-driving cars To address neglect for accessible mobility services
Online Paratransit Application Feedback from speed dating storyboard concepts among both wheelchair and non-wheelchair users: This is a good idea in theory but I believe that people also have to submit medical records (which is another pain in the butt step). If people are old, do they know how to use video-chat? Obviously this is good, and seems like an easy fix.
Recharge: Public Charging Stations Feedback from speed dating storyboard concepts among both wheelchair and non-wheelchair users: Maybe add chargers for other devices (like phones) to create more appeal for everyone. Everybody s battery dies. It would be good to have this, especially at night when you don t want a dead phone. What about rain?
Donut Car With Seats Facing Each Other Feedback from speed dating storyboard concepts among both wheelchair and non-wheelchair users: I like this one, but it depends on your mood if you want to talk to other people. For ridesharing, it would make things more awkward if you re face to face. Yes to this. I think companies are trying to make self-driving cars like this already. This is funny. But how s it going to fit into things like streets and parking garages?
Universal SelfDriving Bus Feedback from speed dating storyboard concepts among both wheelchair and non-wheelchair users: It's a federal law to reserve spaces for people with disabilities. However, what do we do if there is a stroller in the spot? I like this one. It s useful for everyone because busses don t wait. All automatic. Seems futuristic. Oh, and there s wifi!
From Storyboard Concepts to Prototyping Based on Feedback from speed dating storyboard concepts (post it notes) Participants top votes (denoted by colored dot stickers) Needs of the client (Ford)...we recommend the Universal Self-Driving Bus concept.
Universal Self-Driving Bus: Key Features 1 2 Personalized Messaging Gives waiting passengers peace of mind that transit is en route Modular Seats Allows greater flexibility of seating options in transit 3 Ambient Communication Display 4 Automatic Ramp Informs existing passengers of new pickup stops Deploys every time bus doors open
Getting to the Bus Stop 1
Getting to the Bus Stop Key Feature: Personalized Messaging Gives waiting passengers peace of mind that transit is en route FEEDBACK Bus stations are unnecessary infrastructure (most ride sharing services like Chariot have stations that aren t designated by physical signage) Consider converting this to mobile notification system (either web or app) 1
Bus Approaching 2 3
Bus Approaching Key Feature: Modular Seats Allows greater flexibility of seating options in transit FEEDBACK Incorporates modularity from an earlier storyboard concept One caveat is the force of inertia: once seated, people will need to be directly asked or told to move* * New NYC Subway Design Fail: Lockable Folding Seats, Core 77. 2
Bus Approaching Key Feature: Ambient Communication Display Informs existing passengers of new pickup stops FEEDBACK While they might be learned over time, colors may not be visible (or intuitive) to everyone: overhead lighting should be supplemented by audio Ideally a combination of lights and audio will inform passengers that a wheelchair user is about to board, and that federal law requires making room for passengers with disabilities 3
Boarding the Bus 4
Boarding the Bus FEEDBACK Like curb cuts, a sliding door that automatically becomes a ramp could benefit not only wheelchairs, but also strollers, luggage, and one day maybe even robots. Key Feature: Automatic Ramp Deploys every time bus doors open 4
User Journey Map
Outstanding Questions 1 2 Passenger-Bus Communication Before boarding, how will the user notify the bus about their pickup request? Will they be able to enter their end destination as well? Bus-Passenger Communication How will busses indicate to existing passengers that they will need to make way for a wheelchair user? Is it possible to send personalized reminders to passengers when it s their time to get off the bus?
Questions? Corten Singer, cortensinger@berkeley.edu Joyce S. Lee, joyceslee@berkeley.edu Nancy Yang, nancy_yang@berkeley.edu Takara Satone, takara@berkeley.edu Reece Clark, rclark@berkeley.edu