Estimated reading time: ~10 minutes
3 Product Designers
1 Product Manager
1 Engineer Lead
6 Software Engineers
Product Scoping
Product Strategy
Interaction Design
Usability Testing & Validation
Accessibility Design
Full Project Build
May 2021 - Apr 2022
1 | Collaborated with 2 other designers, a product manager, an engineering lead, and 4 RCD representatives to align on scope and develop a 1-year development roadmap.
2 | Led usability testing and research on visual/mobility accessible design patterns and WCAG compliance.
3 | Owned end-to-end design for online permit renewals, access control, permit holder management, and report generation workflows.
4 | Partnered with engineers to refine designs within technical limitations, ensuring feasibility without compromising usability.
UW Blueprint is a University of Waterloo student design team that builds custom digital products to help Canadian non-profits better serve their communities.
The Richmond Centre for Disability (RCD) is a non-profit in Richmond, BC, that provides programs and services to people with disabilities, helping make communities more accessible.
<aside> ♿ 15% of RCD’s members use their Accessible Parking Permit (APP) service, which allows them to obtain legal access to designated parking spaces. RCD processed over 3400 APP applications between 2019 and 2020!
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The majority of RCD’s members are older adults (65+) with mobility impairments. Because applications could only be submitted in person, there were significant barriers: travelling to RCD’s office was physically challenging, wait times were long, and there were health risks, especially during COVID-19.
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“The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic limits office capacity, making it hard for us to serve our members” - RCD Parking Permit Staff
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RCD’s processed applications through paper records, Excel spreadsheets and a 15-year-old Microsoft Access database. Manual, redundant data entry across these systems, along with a 25% year-over-year increase in applications from 2020 to 2021, overwhelmed staff, significantly slowing permit issuance times.
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“The lack of a centralized management system and an influx of APP applications means that a lot of work has become menial and unproductive” - RCD Manager
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At first, it was challenging to put ourselves in the shoes of older adults with mobility and visual impairments, as their experiences with digital products are wildly different from our own. To bridge this gap, I conducted contextual research on accessibility patterns, reviewed WCAG guidelines, and consulted RCD staff to ensure our designs fully met user needs.