JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Indoor navigation presents persistent challenges for persons with visual impairments (PVI), limiting their autonomy, safety, and quality of life. Although navigation assistance technologies (NAT)—powered by advances in artificial intelligence, mobile computing, and sensors—offer promising potential, their adoption remains limited. This gap is largely due to an insufficient user-centered design that fails to adequately reflect the lived experiences and diverse needs of PVI and other key stakeholders. Addressing this issue requires the development of inclusive, accessible solutions grounded in participatory approaches.

Objective:

This study aimed to co-design “Edge A-Eye,” an inclusive indoor navigation platform for PVI, using a participatory, interdisciplinary methodology. The initiative brought together end users, rehabilitation professionals, researchers, and industry partners across Canada to collaboratively design a solution that balances usability, accessibility, and technological innovation. The central objective was to foster greater independence and safety for PVI by building a tool that is both functional and broadly acceptable.

Methods:

Conducted between May 15, 2024, and May 15, 2025, this qualitative research followed an eight-step iterative process to ensure sustained stakeholder involvement and adaptive development. The study began with a needs assessment involving twelve (12) PVI through bilingual focus groups and two (2) rehabilitation professionals via interviews. A co-creation workshop involving twenty-one (21) participants—including users, clinicians, researchers, and industry actors—helped define priorities and key features. An initial prototype was developed based on these insights and continuously refined through user testing conducted in both controlled environments and real-life settings (e.g., shopping centers, clinics, public buildings). Data sources included interviews, literature reviews, collaborative workshops, and bilingual focus groups. Thematic analysis using an inductive-deductive approach identified user needs, expectations, and concerns relating to accessibility, safety, usability, and privacy.

Results:

The inclusive and iterative process fostered active engagement across all phases. Stakeholder feedback informed continuous refinement, improving functionality, ease of use, and adaptability. The integration of user experience, vision science, technical development, and economic considerations helped shape a holistic solution. Key challenges addressed included physical and digital accessibility, cybersecurity, device compatibility, and equity across users with varying levels of technological literacy and resources. Stakeholders emphasized the importance of flexibility and contextual adaptability to ensure broad relevance and adoption.

Conclusions:

The Edge A-Eye project demonstrates the effectiveness of participatory, user-centered design in the innovation of assistive technology. Sustained, multi-stakeholder collaboration allowed the platform to respond to real-world needs while modelling best practices in inclusive tech development. This approach offers a replicable framework for future research, reinforcing the idea that accessible innovation must be co-created, adaptable, and grounded in the experiences of those it aims to serve.