TMU Digital Solutions Incubator: Phase 2


As we dove deeper into our research, we continued our research development to better identify a tangible and sustainable product or service. This phase of the incubator allowed our team to engage in collaborative design, event planning, and web development.

User Research: Round Table Talk

In January 2019, our team alongside moderator Emily Gillespie, MA in Critical Disabilities Studies, York University,  led a final group interview for our user research phase. We exercised our capabilities to run an inclusive discussion with the presence of accessibility consultants, creatives, educational assistants, parents and youth with disabilities. Accessible accommodations were made for communication access realtime translation services (CART) and American Sign Language Interpreters (ASL) services.  

A group of people greeting and introducing themselves to each other.
A group of people sitting a round table.
A person with curly hair, signing. They are wearing a shirt that says 'The Future is Accessible'.
A person standing in front of a wall with sticky notes and people sitting at a table.
A group of people reading, writing, and placing sticky notes on the wall.
Three people sitting at table. They are all smiling.
A group of people listening to a person in a grey sweater and glasses.
Two people looking down and writing on paper on the table and two people hugging next to them.
A group of people sitting at the table and one person pointing.

A group of people greeting and introducing themselves to each other. A group of people sitting a round table. A person with curly hair, signing. They are wearing a shirt that says 'The Future is Accessible'. A person standing in front of a wall with sticky notes and people sitting at a table. A group of people reading, writing, and placing sticky notes on the wall. Three people sitting at table. They are all smiling. A group of people listening to a person in a grey sweater and glasses. Two people looking down and writing on paper on the table and two people hugging next to them. A group of people sitting at the table and one person pointing.

User Testing

After our user research stage, we reached out to our community to test some ideas that we developed after our round table talk. Our user testing involved card sorting, user flow navigation, and more feedback to improve our minimum viable product (MVP).


Iterating

Prototype 2: The Shifting Attitudes Project

The Shifting Attitudes Project is a poster initiative that challenges how we might help shift attitudes about accessibility and wellness. This project is one outcome of the Digital Solutions Incubator, a past project funded by the Toronto Arts Council and Ryerson University.


Exploring themes on accessibility and inclusion through a creative and multi disciplinary lens. This project aims to address concerns of stigma and negative attitudes often experienced by individuals who identify as having one or multiple disabilities. How might we collectively share perspectives and raise awareness through the Arts, about building a more inclusive society? 


Prototype 3: Inclusive design and web development became our third prototype of the DSI. After The Shifting Attitudes Project was established, we dove into our curiosities to develop an accessible website. This initiative introduced a new website taking into consideration Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 (WCAG 2.0).  

Using Format