CASE STUDY / FEASIBILITY
Accessibility requires technology, interface and physical context to be designed from the same user perspective.
THE PROJECT, EXPLAINED
NAVIGATION EXPERIENCE
Accessibility is measured across the complete journey, from recognising a position to understanding the next instruction.
Detection and feedback are tested in the real environment to reduce ambiguity, handle errors and preserve continuity through the building's most complex points.
The project responds to the need to support blind people in complex indoor spaces. Satellite positioning alone cannot provide reliable indoor guidance: routes, points of interest and instructions must connect to cues within the environment and be delivered through an accessible mobile interface.
The concept uses beacon triangulation to estimate position and trigger information relevant to each route segment. Its technology layer includes a proximity network, positioning logic and a mobile application; the service layer covers route definition, instruction quality, error handling and continuity between physical and digital cues. Mapping each environment and placing beacons are therefore part of the design, together with managing the guidance content associated with route points.
A technically possible feature is not automatically useful. The path includes software and UX analysis, prototyping, checks in real environments and user testing. Economic assessment, required partners and activity planning sit alongside these steps, turning the need into a project that can be evaluated.
The innovative proposal gained access to the FRIM ERDF 2020 research and development line for SMEs. The business plan, pitch and application translated the technical solution into objectives, activities and an economic structure aligned with the programme.
Project360 proposed the project and contributed to software analysis, user experience, technical-economic assessment, business planning, pitch and funding application. This cross-functional role connected user needs, technology choices and the financial structure of the experiment.
The case shows why accessibility belongs in the initial requirements and validation method. The same approach can guide digital services for stations, public buildings, healthcare facilities and other places where wayfinding and autonomy are essential to the experience. It also brings accessibility criteria into procurement and partner coordination from the outset.
The Lombardy Region’s FESR 2020 SME R&D line supported the project with a €100,000 subsidised loan. The programme connected technological experimentation, accessibility needs and the economic sustainability of development.
FROM PROJECT TO INDUSTRY
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