As part of a wider project at Meld Studios in Melbourne, Australia, I initiated a project exploring how people with Visual Impairment (VIs) perceived the city and commuted through it.
I conducted 7 interviews with VIs who used different aids while commuting. Some were born with a visual impairment others lost their sight later on in life. As part of the interview I asked them to describe in detail their journey to our meeting and name orientation points they used on the way. With this information, I sketched out mental maps of their cities. These were synthesised into an illustrated User Journey, highlighting pain points and good experiences.
As commuting has a lot to do with confidence, I came to the conclusion it would be of value to explore how we can support the individual VI in gaining confidence rather than adapting and redesigning the city.
