Away from the navigation folder, towards the digital map

At Independo, our vision is to make the digital world accessible to everyone. For this, it is crucial to understand the challenges faced by people with learning difficulties when using existing technologies.

As part of a Design thinking process We have worked intensively on the barriers that people with learning difficulties encounter when navigating with digital apps.

Together with partner institutions We have researched what hurdles there are. In the first step — the problem analysis — we conducted workshops and interviews with the target group. It turned out that many users use analog navigation tools: photos of waypoints are printed out and marked manually with arrows. However, this method is time-consuming, difficult to update, and prone to errors — especially if photos are lost or damaged. For people who can't read texts, there was a lack of clear visual clues about where they are and how to get to their destination.

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Based on these findings, we have developed a solution based on Supported communication Instead of texts, use:

• Icon-based navigation: Intuitive symbols such as arrows, building photos or markings make orientation easier.

• Personalized routes: Users can photograph waypoints and add their own symbols.

• Help function: Easy way to reach pre-saved contacts directly via video. Alternatively, you can use ready-made audio messages to ask people nearby for help.

The Design thinking process has not only helped us to better understand the needs of our users, but also to understand concrete Ideas and solutions produced. Our partner institution made a decisive contribution to this Integration Vienna, who have enriched the entire process with their expertise and valuable insights.

For the project, we were supported by Content Vienna Award for Digital Literacy excellent. This success shows how important it is to find solutions together with the target group to develop.