A mobile application that empowers mobility-impaired visitors to enhance their experience at the Downtown Santa Monica Farmers Market, ensuring their comfort and accessibility without compromising the authentic Farmers Market atmosphere
Develop a mobile application aimed at addressing traffic challenges in Los Angeles, with a specific focus on enhancing accessibility for individuals with mobility impairments at the Santa Monica Farmers Market. The goal is to create a solution that not only eases traffic concerns but also ensures a more inclusive and comfortable experience for mobility-impaired visitors to the Farmers Market.
Academic Project
Santa Monica Farmers Market is a beautiful experience of community and local farmers that suffers from a lack of accessibility for mobility-impaired goers
User Research
UX Design
UI Design
On our visits to the market we noticed an abundance of obstacles that that might be an inconvenience for the majority of the population but detrimental to the experience of mobility-impaired goers
Routed, a browser-based navigation system that uses AR and physical pathways that are wide enough for all mobility-impaired goers and giving them information regarding the SMFM like map-layout and vendor info
Fall 2022 - 14 Weeks
.png)
Went to the Farmers Market on a Saturday, and while it didn't take him long to explore the entire Market, he would have loved to see a visual representation of the market either by directory or flyer.
"Navigating through the Market was simple because it was just a b-line down the street but I also wish they had more of directory of what the vendors specialized in and what else the market had to offer"
Emphasized the desire for safety to enjoy her experience. She elaborated the amount of precautions she has to take when going somewhere new and how at events or concerts the blame is usually put on the goer with mobility issues instead of of the ever coordinators themselves for not taking the proper measurements for people
"Going to a farmers market, I think of bags and bags hitting you because you are at the same level and how easy it is to go over a bag or a bump and go off on the wrong direction. Any tight squeeze I could get caught on anything or go over feet"
Meet Denise! Our persona. She loves to cook and for her current recipe she needs strawberries for a strawberry crumb cake. She heard from a friend that Santa Monica Farmers Market has the best produce to offer.
For users who need assistance getting to a vendor either because of mobility issues or first time visiting an AR Guide would help get them to the vendor they are looking for while at the same time teaching them about the market and promoting deals
At the moment the Santa Monica Farmers Market only has their vendors on a list on their website. Being able to provide a list of their current vendors on your phone with their location, list of goods, and rating would benefit consumers to shop smarter
At the moment the Santa Monica Farmers Market only has a map of the Wednesday layout with some of the vendors listed. Providing a map with available vendors of the current day would improve a users time if they are looking for a specific vendor
Our main focus was working out the navigation system and how it would be utilized
Based on 2 rounds of user testing with 5 users during each round we made several changes for a more intuitive user experience and improve on the visual aspect of our prototype
During the AR portion of our prototype where users would be navigated towards their vendor we did come across several issues regarding the info being shown either being ignored or not be helpful
The vendor list while helpful left with more to be desired, examples being a filter to go by. More information on each section like pricing.
The map was useful for people to understand that it was a layout of the of the market. Giver users the ability to click through each vendor also gave them an option to learn where vendors were at without utilizing the AR guidance tool
Being able to search for produce was made a main priority. We wanted users to easily be able to search by produce or vendor. We also gave the vendor list a filter options. Once the user finds a vendor they want to find they would hit find and it will direct them to the proper stall.
We wanted to give users the ability to explore the application without feeling burdened with signing up. Giving new comers an easier barrier to entry.
We added an accessible mode that would prioritize safety when activated that would change the guided route to a less dense route
The map gives user the layout of the market depending on the day. Each stall is labeled by what they sell and are color coordinated. If you click on a stall it would give you more information on the vendor.
For each vendor page you will be able to see their ratings along with what produce they have available for the day as well as any social media presence they have
I feel that the research was strong and we could have gone through more session of usability testing before finalizing our design. I feel that the design could be a little stronger but am contempt with the results we came upon
Looking to add more physical artifacts to the farmers market that could reflect the application. Map directories at entrances and designated areas to walk around. For the app adding features that help users with visual impairments would be the next step. As well as refining the navigation system so that it could reflect real time with available vendors.
My team was amazing and very passionate, It was an awesome experience to collaborate with that was very invested. It was very insightful designing for mobility in mind and learning about the struggles that come with living mobility-impaired