Student prototype for blind/low-vision campus wayfinding — looking for assistive tech feedback
Hi all! I’m a Foothill College student working on an assistive technology project, and I’d love feedback from people who know this space better than I do.
My team is building an early prototype called NextStep, an audio-first navigation concept for blind and low-vision users. Right now our prototype focuses on one specific use case: guiding a user through a campus route to a nearby bus stop using spoken directions and real-time transit information.
I’d really like feedback from people who use, build, study, or think seriously about assistive technology.
Some of the main questions I’m trying to understand are:
- What important mobility/navigation gaps are current assistive tools still not solving well?
- What existing products or apps should we be studying closely?
- Does “audio-first wayfinding” sound genuinely helpful, or does it raise red flags?
- Would a glasses-based experience make sense, or should this stay phone-first for longer?
- How much should a tool like this try to do at once?
- What would make this feel practical, trustworthy, and not overwhelming?
- If you were evaluating an early prototype like this, what would you want to see before taking it seriously?
I’m especially interested in feedback about:
- real-world navigation,
- transit connection,
- accessibility design,
- and what would make a prototype feel authentic rather than gimmicky.
Even short comments would be really helpful. If anyone wants to DM me or chat briefly, I’d really appreciate that too!
I’m not trying to market anything here. I’m trying to learn from real people so we don’t build something misguided.