Pit Stop (Restroom Finder)
UI/UX Accessible App
Pit Stop locates and directs users to nearby restrooms. Other features include the ability to add new restroom locations, report issues, rate the cleanliness, and even save restroom locations for future use. In addition, the app is designed to be accessible to individuals with 20/70 vision, color blindness, and dyslexia through heavy emphasis on color and typographic studies.
My roles: UI/UX design, color measurements, and competitive audit
Team: Mikayah Arbizo, Carlos Aviles, and Ada Loong
What does it mean to have 20/70 vision?
According to the American Foundation for the Blind, "[a] visual acuity measurement of 20/70 means that a person with 20/70 (impaired) vision who is 20 feet from an eye chart sees what a person with unimpaired (20/20) vision can see from 70 feet away."
What is dyslexia?
Individuals with dyslexia have a language learning disability that interferes with their ability to correlate the letters seen with spoken sounds; as a result, this causes reading to be difficult and slowed. Additionally, struggles with memory and mentally organizing information is often common with dyslexics.
User Personas
Personas were created to ensure user needs are met by the design of the app.
Competitive Analysis
A few popular restroom finder apps are studied in both analyses. The UI analysis consists of branding aspects while the UX analysis includes key features in each app.
Color Palette
Each color’s y-tristimulus value is measured based on its distance from white (100) using the Classic Color Meter app downloaded from the App Store on Macintosh computers.
Accessible Color Combinations
Combinations with a y-tristimulus differential of 40 or more and a minimum luminance contrast ratio of 4.5 between the background and foreground color indicates that there is enough contrast. Luminance ratios are calculated using the Planetcalc website to distinguish how easily a human is able to recognize text or images in the foreground on a colored background.
Color Blindness Views
Using the Color Blindness Simulator on the Color Blindness website, this shows the viewing perspectives according to each color blindness type.
Blue-Weak/Tritanomaly
Each color’s y-tristimulus values are measured again, and luminance ratios are recalculated for each combination to confirm their accessibility with each color blindness type.
Typography
Sans-serif fonts and medium or semi bold weights (for body copy) provide better legibility and readability. Using italic and all capital letterforms are avoided as it interferes with the speed of reading for the visually impaired and dyslexics.
Inter Viewing Distances
Based on color, type weight, and type size, viewing distances are calculated using a formula provided by the Innovation Center for Design Excellence’s White Paper. Only the darker color (lower y-tristimulus number) in color combinations need to be calculated. The following calculations are minimum (viewed at 1.5 ft) and maximum (viewed at 3 ft) point sizes that can be used for the darkest hue (#001a35).
Iconography
Outlined icons must have a minimum 2 point stroke. In order to ensure the readability of the icons, their viewing distances are calculated using the same type viewing distance formula.
Branding Identity
To keep Pit Stop light-hearted, the smiley toilet paper roll logo concept is designed to have an animated and silly look. Moreover, the "i" in "pit" is a simplified resemblance of a human—similar to gender illustrations displayed on restroom signs.
Illustrations
Colors are selected in accordance with the palette and either comply with the list of accessible color combinations or are tested to confirm the contrast differential is adequate.
User Journeys
A few user journeys are created to verify users are able to:
Immediately find a meant toilet under emergency circumstances
Search for nearby restrooms by using their location or entering it in the search bar
Receive navigation directions
Report issues with toilet listings
Rate and view the cleanliness of toilets
Add toilet locations that haven't been discovered
Save toilet locations for future use
