While most of us rely on visual information like signs and icons to navigate our bustling maze-like environment, the visually impaired can't. For them, losing their sight also means losing their independence because they have to rely on others to get to where they’re going.

They have aids, such as white canes and guide dogs, which get them from point A to B safely. But these aids can’t tell them what points A and B are. Technologically, most tools are either impractical or prohibitively expensive.

Our team, which consists of a lead application developer, user experience architect and a creative team that is spread across three continents, wanted to change this. With no external funding, we developed a working prototype of Guide Dots, an audio-based navigation Android app that uses Android Development Tools (ADT) and the Google, Facebook and Foursquare APIs.

We chose Singapore as a test bed for this app. This bustling city enjoys one of the world’s highest smartphone penetration rates at 90 percent (MMA, 2012) and stable nationwide LTE connectivity. That meant we could test the prototype with visually impaired subjects who are sophisticated smartphone users and who live in a very hectic city.

Guide Dots is a free audio-based navigation app that was developed directly for our consumers, the visually impaired, to enable them to explore the world around them and to empower them to be independent.

With speech recognition users can hear what’s around them and search for a particular destination. The app then queries and harnesses data from Google Maps and Places, Facebook and Foursquare as well as our own database of GuideDots (geo-tagged information, such as offers/obstacles), plus the phone’s GPS and magnetometer data to “paint” a picture of the user's surroundings using speech synthesis. Social integration allows users to learn about places their friends have “liked” or “checked-in.”

Inspired by our extensive user experience interviews, Guide Dots uses a clear and conversational audio script. The story unfolds as the application guides the user through the world. On-screen content is minimal, high-contrast and customizable.

It's also a fundraising tool. Stores could pledge a token sum to purchase a GuideDots listing, which could include information such as the latest items, special offers or floor plans. The funds will be used to provide mobility training, white canes and guide dogs, as well as fund the further development of Guide Dots, ensuring that this project is self-sustainable.

The integration of data across our technology stack (which is distributed among the data providers and our internal servers) was a complex challenge. Designing our user experience around the visually impaired, when we’re so accustomed to designing visual experiences in the advertising world, was also an interesting challenge.

Using usability testing data from our prototype, we plan to go into internal alpha testing. We also plan to use this prototype to raise funds for further development. Ultimately, because Guide Dots has the potential to impact the visually impaired worldwide, we plan to scale this project globally.

We’ve been encouraged by the positive reactions of the visually impaired people who have interacted with Guide Dots. The innovation has already gained the partnership of malls (e.g. Paragon) and has attracted the interest of potential sponsors. We plan to continue our prototype and future builds to secure further sponsorship. The team also plans to continue investing its own time to further develop the app.

With the raised funding, we aim to further develop, optimize and scale Guide Dots globally. We plan to crowd-source location information from users and store owners to grow our GuideDots database.

Our long-term goal is to help end the isolation of visually impaired people and give them independence by giving them a complete view of their world in a highly relevant, customizable and easy-to-understand way.

We also hope to influence user experience professionals to rethink how they create experiences for the visually impaired. We also hope to inspire the location-based and mobile industries to think how their technology can include the people who need it most. More importantly, we want to inspire people in our industry to realize that if we put our minds to it, we can combine creativity and technology to change lives.