ViiRotas – How sensors can make indoor shopping accessible

Company: ViiSolutions
Year: 2017
Categories: Personal

1. Challenge

The project aimed to develop a technology that enhances indoor navigation for visually impaired individuals, addressing the significant lack of accessible navigation information in public spaces. Many users face difficulties in familiar environments due to inadequate directional cues, which restricts their autonomy and decision-making abilities.

2. Strategic Impact

Improved accessibility in various public spaces, including airports, hospitals, and shopping malls, fostering inclusivity for visually impaired individuals.
Enhanced user experience through the implementation of low-cost beacon technology, providing real-time navigation support and data collection for behavioral analysis.
Strengthened partnerships with institutions focused on disability support, expanding outreach and impact within the community.

Usability test with a visually impaired person

A person in a blue blouse holds a mobile phone while touching the screen — Prototype test with a visually impaired person

Raquel Cordeiro presenting the results of the PIPE Entrepreneur programme and the ViiRotas project

From left to right: Mentor Cláudio Violato, Raquel Cordeiro, Felipe Sobral and Douglas Toledo

PIPE Entrepreneur participants (includes Douglas Toledo) receiving diplomas of participation

Felipe Sobral and Raquel Cordeiro visiting potential clients

3. How I Made It Happen

Conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative research to understand user needs, preferences, and pain points, employing methodologies such as interviews, surveys, and ethnographic studies.
Implemented design thinking principles alongside agile development methodologies, enabling rapid prototyping and iterative testing of solutions based on user feedback.
Developed a user-centered mobile application that leverages beacon technology for indoor navigation, ensuring usability for visually impaired users through rigorous testing and refinement.

4. Tools and Methodologies

5. Key Achievements

a. User-Centric Application Development:

Measured by: User satisfaction ratings and feedback during usability tests.
Action: Developed and refined a mobile application that provides accurate navigation instructions, tailored for visually impaired users.

b. Successful Implementation of Beacon Technology:

Measured by: The number of beacons installed and user engagement metrics within mapped areas.
Action: Mapped indoor environments with strategically placed beacons, facilitating real-time navigation and data collection for further analysis.

c. Enhanced User Understanding and Personas Creation:

Measured by: Comprehensive user personas developed from research insights.
Action: Created detailed user personas representing the visually impaired community, guiding design and development decisions throughout the project.

6. Key Differentiation

Focused on accessibility and inclusivity, ensuring the solution was designed for real-world applicability and user needs.
Integrated user feedback at every stage of development, resulting in a highly usable and effective navigation tool.
Leveraged partnerships with disability advocacy organizations to validate the technology’s effectiveness and broaden its impact in the community.

7. References

CORDEIRO, Raquel (2018). How sensors can make indoor shopping accessible. Retrieve from https://viisolutions.com.br/en/how-sensors-can-make-indoor-shopping-accessible.