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Role : UX researcher

Team : Individual Usability Test
Timeline : 4 Weeks

1. Introduction

There is no subway in Kingston, and if people don’t have a car, the only public transportation that people can use is the bus. Buses are considered an important means of transportation in Kingston, as there are so many bus users, and accessibility to information necessary for getting on and off is important, but unfortunately, accessibility to the bus stop and the bus itself here in Kingston is not good. A brief look at the bus stops in the Kingston area makes it easy to see that there are large consistency problems and accessibility problems. Except for places that can be called landmarks such as schools and shopping malls, most of the bus stops have only small flags, but these flags don't even have a proper number and name, so there's no way to know which buses are coming and going. Most users can search on their mobile phones for which bus stop they are at and what number of buses are coming. But even this is a possible scenario if people know the name of the bus station where they are and what stops they are standing at. This is also difficult for the elderly and children, and it is difficult for people with hearing, cognition, and vision to even try at all.

(Figure1: A bus stop on Milford Drive in Kingston)

In this project, not all bus stops in Canada have this problem, so I want to analyze them by limiting the scope to Kingston and limiting the scope to regular street stops, not to stops near Kingston's landmarks or famous shopping malls. First, I want to analyze what is the main problem of the bus station, what is the violation of the P.O.U.R. principle, secondly, what types of users can have particular problems, and thirdly, what barriers they may have, and finally, I want to provide a design solution that complements the improvement of the bus station.

(Figure 2: The bus stop in Toronto)

2. What accessibility issues are there at Kingston's bus station?

There are four main guiding principles in the accessibility to which the WCAG is built. These four principles are known by the abbreviation PURE, which represents perception, operation, understanding, and robustness. I would like to apply this principle to physical bus stations to explain what accessibility principles are violated.

1) Perceivable

Assuming that users who use Kingston Bus Stop first visit the nearest bus stop, it is difficult to find the bus stop because there are no signs, notices, or separate guide blocks (e.g., Braille blocks for the blind). Second, it is difficult to get information about the name of this bus stop, which buses users can take, and what destinations users can go to when users arrive at the bus stop. Therefore, it violates the perceivable principle, which defines that an alternative should be presented in case the user is not able to process information or has a disability. ‘

2) Operable

At this bus stop, information is not provided to users, making it difficult to find the user's location using a map or to find a bus that needs to be taken. In addition, chairs cannot be moved at the convenience of the user, and no objects at the bus stop can be operated for the disabled. It is therefore against the principle of operability.

3) Understandable

It is difficult for users to find accurate and clear applied information at this bus stop. It does not provide information such as how to use a map or find information at a bus stop, so the following principles cannot be adhered to. 1) Use clear and concise language. 2) Provides easy-to-understand functionality. 3) Users should be able to understand and learn content.
4) Robust
To effectively recognize and deliver the information needed by the disabled and the general public, these various factors, such as signages, roofs, and chairs at bus stops, must be designed to conform to the principles of robust. However, some signs do not provide accurate information (what kind of stop it is) to the disabled or the general public, and even if the information is provided, it is located too high to see for the disabled in a wheelchair. In addition, no information design can effectively convey information about getting on and off the bus to the disabled and the general public.


3. Identify and explain Types of Impairment

I would like to describe in detail what type of impairment users will face due to the problems at the bus stop that were discovered earlier.

1) Physical/Mobility

It is difficult to effectively deliver bus stop information or use bus stop facilities to people with physical damage or disabilities such as severe disabilities, amputees, dexterity, and quadriplegia. Chairs at bus stops should be able to be moved or manipulated for physically handicapped or uncomfortable movements and should be able to reduce or hide when necessary to ensure mobility. In addition, other facilities, signboards, and information designs at the bus stop should be located in a location that anyone can easily access. At most bus stops in Kingston, many types of buses stop and there are no signboards where passengers can get on and off, making it difficult for disabled people to use the bus.

(Figure3: Route information for buses available at the bus stop)

 

2) Visual/Vision

The bus stop targeted in this project does not provide any information design to view

information about buses getting on and off. Even if information design in some large malls or bus stops near the school is considered (Figure 3), it sometimes takes a long time or is difficult to identify not only people with low vision but also the general public. Sometimes, the number or name of the bus stop is not provided at all, and even that is erased because it is not managed, so accessibility for people with low vision is inevitably reduced. Also, people who are blind face the difficulty of lack of information because they cannot get all the visible information at the bus stop.

 

4. Identify and explain the types of barriers

I would like to explain the types of barriers users may potentially face due to the issues found earlier by Bus stops.

1) Physical and architectural barriers

There are two types of bus stops, one with Shelter and the other without Shelter. However, both of these types were designed without considering people using wheelchairs or walking aids. It is difficult for wheelchair users to enter a bus stop with a shelter, and it is difficult to secure space because signs or people line up even at a bus stop without a shelter, if the bus stop is on a ramp, the wheelchair can expose themselves or other people to danger. In some cases, the lights are not turned on in the evening, so there is no way to check the information, and users are greatly affected by time and season.

2) Information and communication barriers

Kingston's bus stop is not adequately informative to anyone who is low vision, blind, colorblind, or the general public. In the case of stops around large landmarks that provide bus route visual information or get on and off information, visual aids such as large fonts and braille are not considered amid a lot of information to show. The information provided should be simple and clear using more common public icons and fonts, but not doing so is confusing to most users.  

 

5. Design solution

Due to the existing bus stop problem, I would like to propose a solution that can be applied not only to the disabled but also to most people. I also want to elaborate on how these solutions can help users. Prior to proposing a particular design solution, the priority should be that all proposals relating to bus stops should be provided consistently at all bus stops within Kingston.

1) Providing consistent design policies

For users to find bus stops well, a consistent design policy is required that a specific mark (design element) is the mark of a bus stop. That is, the user should be able to know that a specific mark indicates a bus stop wherever the bus stop passes.

2) Separate guide blocks

Separate guidance blocks (e.g., yellow subway guidance blocks) for the visually impaired and low visibility should be provided so that visually impaired people can easily find bus stops. In addition, many types of buses to and from should be allowed to get on and off only at designated places so that passengers and disabled people do not have difficulty getting on and off.

3) Universal language and symbols

Signs of correctly marked bus stops shall be provided. Signs should be kept clean and designed to be recognizable by anyone in universal language and symbols, regardless of weather or light.

4) Securing physical space

It is necessary to design a bus stop for users who have difficulty walking or mobility. The space at the bus stop needs to be divided into space for those who want information and those who wait for the bus, and the mobility and variability of the components in the bus stop should be secured for those who enter with devices such as wheelchairs. Chairs at bus stops should be movable or manipulated, and the size can be reduced or hidden if necessary, ensuring mobility for wheelchairs or other physically challenged users.

(Figure4: A bus stop in a small town in Korea)

5) LCD panel or user-manipulated device attachment

People who use bus stops range from the general public to people with disabilities. The information they want to get from the bus stop will be the bus number that they can take at the bus stop, the route of the bus, and the bus dispatch interval. This information needs to be updated continuously, but there have been many cases in which information is not provided, or information related to bus stops provided on paper continues to be attached worn out, and damaged. Since this is not a good situation for the person repairing the bus stop or the person using the information, I would like to propose the following plan. Users who want to find information more actively by applying a digital device to the bus stop are allowed to search and browse, and users who are not familiar with digital device operation are provided with minimal information through the digital device. For example, an LCD is attached to the top of a bus stop to display a list of buses in operation and to automatically update and display upcoming buses and the time remaining at that bus stop for easy user access. In addition, an operational LCD panel is provided to users who want to use information more effectively.

(Figure 5: Bus stops where there are the most bus routes in Korea, Kangnam)

7) Providing sound Information for people with visual Impairment

It provides a service that reads the information displayed on the LCD so that the visually impaired can receive the same information as others. It also provides voice recognition, allowing the user to operate the device through sound commands.

 

6. The expected effects of design solutions

The effect of these design solutions is that they can effectively convey information to everyone beyond securing access to the disabled and secure safety. When applied in the same way as the proposed design solution in its current state, the initial cost may be high, but the maintenance cost may be low. This is because labor and maintenance costs are reduced. After all, the updated information can only be uploaded to the device instead of continuously attaching a paper in an analog manner whenever the information is updated. In terms of information delivery, people with disabilities can also get information through bus stops more comfortably, and the general public can get the information they want in more detail and conveniently.

(Figure 6: A concept design for Seoul Metropolitan Government's Future Bus Stop 'Smart Shelter')

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