Eyes on the Street

The problem

Google Maps assumes full attention, in a world that rarely allows it.

Maps shows the same map-first screen whether you’re standing still or squeezing through a rush-hour crowd. Every check means stopping, stepping aside or asking a stranger.

For a wheelchair user propelling with both hands, this is not a situation. It is every day. I scoped the project to one user, one situation and one task: a commuter following walking directions to the exact exit, entrance or platform.

UX audit: map-first screen, no context awareness, two-finger gestures, Live View needs raised hands, voice assumes a quiet street, guidance ends at the pin. None of the seven products I reviewed adapts its interface to the user’s real-time context.

Research

The real bottleneck is people’s eyes, not their hands.

• 59% had to stop walking to check the phone

• 56% went the wrong direction

• 44% couldn’t find the exact exit, entrance or platform

• 41% vs 15% named screen attention as the hardest constraint, versus one free hand

What changed my mind

• I assumed one free hand was the main barrier. Screen attention was, by almost three to one.

• I assumed voice already solved busy eyes. 38% never use it, and all six interviewees avoid it because of noise, accents and pace.

• Adaptation is welcome, but only when it is opt-in or easy to undo.

• Wheelchair users need more than step-free routes. Wrong turns and missing accessible exits cost them far more.

“It was tough when there was not a particular landmark or not a particular shop when I need to take a turn.” P5

Define

The problem isn’t the crowd. It’s an interface built for standing still.

A 5 Whys pass led to the root cause: navigation is designed for full attention, so limits on eyes and hands are never accounted for.

• How might we let people understand the next step in a 1 to 2 second glance while moving?

• How might we guide people to the exact exit, lift or platform, not just the pin?

• How might we adapt the interface to the moment without taking control away?

Ideate

Three directions explored, one clear winner.

• A. Eyes-free guide. Not chosen. Only 12% found haptics very useful, and strong vibration risks a dropped phone. Kept as an optional layer.

• B. Last-metre exit guide. Absorbed. It only helps at the end of the journey, so it became Busy Walk’s arrival step.

• C. Busy Walk. Chosen. It targets the root cause, stopping to read, and works for permanent and situational users alike.

Prototype

Every screen designed for a two-second glance.

Gentle suggestion, exit guide, glance view and early warning. Sized for a OnePlus 10T, with simulated haptic cues.

• 1 tap to start Busy Walk from a suggestion

• ≤ 2 s to read the next step

• 64 dp minimum touch target, in the bottom third

• 7:1 contrast on key text, for direct sunlight

When context detection gets it wrong, the user stays in control: suggest, opt in, adapt, exit anytime.

Testing

Six prototype reviews moved every control under the free thumb.

• Exit was out of reach. “Tap to exit” sat at the top. V3 added Switch hand, and V5 put Exit in a dock under the free thumb.

• “What is Busy Walk?” Two reviewers asked. The V4 suggestion card now says what it does in one line.

• Wanted more map. V5 lets you tap the mini map to swap to a full map view, and back.

“These are great addition features, especially for people who are directionally challenged like me.” R6, pedestrian traveller

Moving forward

I started by designing for busy hands. The real limit was attention.

People can free a hand, but not their eyes. Designing for whoever has the least to spare made the walk simpler for everyone.

Next: a phased pilot, starting with an internal test and an opt-in Android beta in India, then A/B tests on asking first versus switching automatically, single versus double buzz, and warning distance.