

Under the course ‘Design in Public Space’ at the School of Visual Arts, my teammates (James Z. Vanié, Julian F. Gonzalez) and I worked with “Intersection” to explore ways the Link NYC can support neighborhood activities. We shared a common interest in universal design and focused on accessibility of LinkNYC. We found out there are nearly 1 million people with severe visual impairment in NYC, but the city is completely lacking on accessibility. We conducted various research including ethnographic research, expert interviews, participation, and competitive analysis to know what are their pain points and how design and technology can help them. As a solution, we suggested Link ANA, Assistive Navigation Access, a system that facilitates the blind and visually impaired people of NYC with more travel independence and comfort while moving through the city.
Year2016AffiliationSVA MFA Interaction DesignRoleResearch, UX/UI DesignCollaboratorsJames Z. Vanié, Julian F. GonzalezLinkvimeo.com
User can register his/her mobile device via email before approaching a LINK in order to access wifi, and can set up the accessibility preferences in the app, enabling ANA.
LinkANA is a feature that will alert a LINK when a user is in front of it and automatically activate the accessibility features of the links interface:
• Voice enabled Navigation
• Talk Back
• Screen Magnification
• Screen Contrast Controls