AV's for BLV Users
Primary research on accessibility of Autonomous Vehicles for the Blind/Low-Vision community
My Role:
Research Lead
Timeframe:
Ongoing
Tools:
Qualtrics
Category:
Human-AV
Overview
Designing autonomous vehicles for the whole journey, not just the ride.
Autonomous vehicles promise independence for blind and low-vision travelers, but most research stops at the cabin door. We surveyed 18 people and interviewed 10 in Austin, comparing what experienced riders lived through with what non-riders expected.
Problem
Drop-off and the last stretch to the entrance were hardest: 71% of experienced riders struggled to confirm where they'd been dropped off, while half of non-riders expected it to be easy. Core trust concerns never faded with use.
Solution
A seven-stage journey framework, from booking to the last mile, shows where support is needed. A communication schema pairs audio and haptics, repeating critical alerts across both and splitting routine ones. We also name a structural trust deficit, which fixes like emergency recourse and a human fallback must address, not interface polish.
