Innovating public transport services for inclusive, accessible and independent travel for all - centring d/Deaf users

One in five people with disabilities feel unable to travel due to the lack of appropriate transport options, they make 38% fewer journeys compared to people without disabilities in the UK and that figure hasn't changed much in the last decade. There is both a critical and urgent ethical case and a commercial case for supporting more people to be able to use our transport networks.

The client had a vision to enable every customer in their region to reach their preferred destination with freedom and independence. This aligns perfectly with my equity- and human-centred ethos and striving for my inclusive, accessible and liberatory services for all. Together with Futurice and the client, we set out to address the accessibility gap faced by the d?Deaf community - one of the most excluded and marginalised groups by current services.

Image credit: SHVETS production

Image Credit: Silvio Pelegrin

I interviewed d/Deaf people with a BSL interpretor and accompanied them as they travelled in order to understand the issues in more depth. I mapped out a current state customer journey and ideal journey map validated by users, then led the co-creation of innovation opportunities to take forward to a prototyping stage.

I brought d/Deaf users' into the centre of solution design by researching and working directly with those affected to identify experience aspirations, painpoints and gaps. I led the research design and co-creative process of bridging gaps and designing innovative solutions in line with real user feedback, whilst bearing in mind national Government legislation.