Large-scale, Longitudinal, Hybrid Participatory Design Program to Create Navigation Technology for the Blind

TL;DR

This study tackles the challenge of enabling independent navigation for blind or visually impaired (BVI) individuals by developing NaviShare, a mobile app that supports indoor and outdoor navigation without space-embedded beacons. It implements a large-scale, longitudinal, hybrid participatory design program across three years, iteratively refining features (Clew, ClewMaps, Invisible Map) and culminating in NaviShare, which enables multi-session maps, seamless indoor/outdoor routing, and cloud-based map sharing. The authors demonstrate, through user-centered design, iterative feedback loops, and a summative in-person evaluation at a healthcare facility, that participatory design can yield high-impact, accessible navigation technology tailored to diverse BVI needs. The work advances the practical deployment of vision-based localization (AprilTags, visual SLAM, Google Geospatial) and hybrid localization strategies, highlighting both social-process benefits and technical challenges in scaling such tools for real-world adoption.

Abstract

Empowering people who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) to enhance their orientation and mobility skills is critical to equalizing their access to social and economic opportunities. To manage this crucial challenge, we employed a novel design process based on a large-scale, longitudinal, community-based structure. Across three annual programs we engaged with the BVI community in online and in-person modes. In total, our team included 67 total BVI participatory design participants online, 11 BVI co-designers in-person, and 4 BVI program coordinators. Through this design process we built a mobile application that enables users to generate, share, and navigate maps of indoor and outdoor environments without the need to instrument each environment with beacons or fiducial markers. We evaluated this app at a healthcare facility, and participants in the evaluation rated the app highly with respect to its design, features, and potential for positive impact on quality of life.

Figures (4)

• Figure 1: This figure illustrates the feedback design loop. It highlights how online participants, the student R&D team, BVI community coordinators, and research coordinators contribute to the ongoing development and refinement of the app.
• Figure 2: Left: a user marks a detected tag in Invisible Map in order to add it to the map. Right: a dynamically generated shortest path route from the user's current position to a goal.
• Figure 3: An example of determining the latitude and longitude of a point of interest using Google Earth. The cursor, shown in yellow, is placed at the point of interest and the latitude and longitude can be read off the info bar at the bottom of the screen.
• Figure 4: Left: after the user chooses a destination point inside a nearby building, the NaviShare app presents a list of potential starting locations. Center: after selecting "Start Outside", the app determines the user's position using GPS and camera data and begins providing outdoor guidance. Right: as the user enters the building, the app beings using indoor features to refine the user's position and continues providing guidance along the route.