Be My Eyes: Reimagined
How might we enable visually impaired users to navigate Be My Eyes more intuitively and accomplish everyday tasks with confidence and independence?
Client:
Academic Project
Category:
Project Design, Design Strategy, Business Strategy, UX Research, Brand Adherence
THe Team:
Sarah Ellzey, Tiffany Chau, Xiang Li, Ruihan Wang
My Role:
Product Designer, Design Strategist, UX Researcher
"Blindness is not the end of independence"
— Hans Jørgen Wiberg, founder of Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes is a free mobile app that connects blind and low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers or an AI through live video calls to help with everyday tasks.
For low-vision users, the app's visual clutter, weak community tab, and disproportionate focus on volunteer outreach create usability challenges even as AI calls through the app continue to grow in use.
"Blindness is not the end of independence"
— Hans Jørgen Wiberg, founder of Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes is a free mobile app that connects blind and low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers or an AI through live video calls to help with everyday tasks.
For low-vision users, the app's visual clutter, weak community tab, and disproportionate focus on volunteer outreach create usability challenges even as AI calls through the app continue to grow in use.
“Blindness is not the end of independence”
— Hans Jørgen Wiberg, founder of Be My Eyes
Be My Eyes is a free mobile app that connects blind and low-vision individuals with sighted volunteers or an AI through live video calls to help with everyday tasks.
For low-vision users, the app’s visual clutter, weak community tab, and disproportionate focus on volunteer outreach create usability challenges even as AI calls through the app continue to grow in use.
Reimagining a more accessible visual assistance experience.
My team explored how the app experience could be improved through thoughtful interface design, with a focus on making key interactions clearer, more intuitive, and accessible.
Reimagining a more accessible visual assistance experience.
My team explored how the app experience could be improved through thoughtful interface design, with a focus on making key interactions clearer, more intuitive, and accessible.
Research and Insights
It starts with hearing from the affected community.
My team grounded our design decisions in real user needs by conducting in-person research with students and staff at LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
It starts with hearing from the affected community.
My team grounded our design decisions in real user needs by conducting in-person research with students and staff at LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Be My Eyes isn't just another app; it's a lifeline to independence.
Through observing accessible design in practice and speaking with community members about their digital experiences, we identified Be My Eyes as a key tool and used those insights to guide a more seamless, empowering redesign.
We gathered feedback from students and staff at LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and conducted hands-on audits of the app in both volunteer and low-vision user roles.
Be My Eyes isn't just another app; it's a lifeline to independence.
Through observing accessible design in practice and speaking with community members about their digital experiences, we identified Be My Eyes as a key tool and used those insights to guide a more seamless, empowering redesign.
We gathered feedback from students and staff at LightHouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired and conducted hands-on audits of the app in both volunteer and low-vision user roles.
We identified these red flags from our interviews and usability evaluations:
Buried AI volunteer feature; reliance on human volunteers
Lack of community connections available
Overall visual clutter and lack of usability
We identified these red flags from our interviews and usability evaluations:
Buried AI volunteer feature; reliance on human volunteers
Lack of community connections available
Overall visual clutter and lack of usability
Luckily, for every red flag, we found a solution
Emphasize the Be My AI feature
Highlight community outreach features
Create a consistent design
Luckily, for every red flag, we found a solution
Emphasize the Be My AI feature
Highlight community outreach features
Create a consistent design
Before: Crowded Get Support
We noticed the Get Support screen is visually cluttered, and the navigation offers two separate ways to get support.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Difficult to find information & navigate resources
- Call Volunteer & Be My AI are separate tabs
- Poor readability and information hierarchy
Before: Crowded Get Support
We noticed the Get Support screen is visually cluttered, and the navigation offers two separate ways to get support.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Difficult to find information & navigate resources
- Call Volunteer & Be My AI are separate tabs
- Poor readability and information hierarchy
Before: Crowded Get Support
We noticed the Get Support screen is visually cluttered, and the navigation offers two separate ways to get support.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Difficult to find information & navigate resources
- Call Volunteer & Be My AI are separate tabs
- Poor readability and information hierarchy
After: Simplified Get Support
Introducing a more unified and assistive Get Support screen for visually impaired users.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- Search bar for quick services
- Uniting Be My AI & Call Volunteer into one screen
- Information hierarchy based on the most-used function
After: Simplified Get Support
Introducing a more unified and assistive Get Support screen for visually impaired users.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- Search bar for quick services
- Uniting Be My AI & Call Volunteer into one screen
- Information hierarchy based on the most-used function
After: Simplified Get Support
Introducing a more unified and assistive Get Support screen for visually impaired users.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- Search bar for quick services
- Uniting Be My AI & Call Volunteer into one screen
- Information hierarchy based on the most-used function
Before: Overwhelming Navigation
We noticed that Be My Eyes' existing navigation bar creates cognitive overload and risks stressing blind/visually impaired users.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Excessive touch points (five total)
- Visual clutter
- Inconsistent with other elements within the app
Before: Overwhelming Navigation
We noticed that Be My Eyes' existing navigation bar creates cognitive overload and risks stressing blind/visually impaired users.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Excessive touch points (five total)
- Visual clutter
- Inconsistent with other elements within the app
Before: Overwhelming Navigation
We noticed that Be My Eyes' existing navigation bar creates cognitive overload and risks stressing blind/visually impaired users.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Excessive touch points (five total)
- Visual clutter
- Inconsistent with other elements within the app
After: Intuitive Navigation
Introducing a more cohesive and clear navigation bar that is clear and direct for visually impaired users.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- Two main touchpoints
- Clear options resulting in less confusion
- Consistent and cohesive interface
After: Intuitive Navigation
Introducing a more cohesive and clear navigation bar that is clear and direct for visually impaired users.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- Two main touchpoints
- Clear options resulting in less confusion
- Consistent and cohesive interface
After: Intuitive Navigation
Introducing a more cohesive and clear navigation bar that is clear and direct for visually impaired users.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- Two main touchpoints
- Clear options resulting in less confusion
- Consistent and cohesive interface
Before: Buried AI
We spoke with the Be My Eyes founder and learned that the Be My AI feature is becoming widely used, yet its functions are buried in the UI.
We found three problems with its AI feature for the blind/low vision user:
- The user experience is not conversational and does not feel natural
- Be My AI is hidden within the UI, despite providing fast assistance
- The interface is outdated in comparison to other AI assistants
Before: Buried AI
We spoke with the Be My Eyes founder and learned that the Be My AI feature is becoming widely used, yet its functions are buried in the UI.
We found three problems with its AI feature for the blind/low vision user:
- The user experience is not conversational and does not feel natural
- Be My AI is hidden within the UI, despite providing fast assistance
- The interface is outdated in comparison to other AI assistants
Before: Buried AI
We spoke with the Be My Eyes founder and learned that the Be My AI feature is becoming widely used, yet its functions are buried in the UI.
We found three problems with its AI feature for the blind/low vision user:
- The user experience is not conversational and does not feel natural
- Be My AI is hidden within the UI, despite providing fast assistance
- The interface is outdated in comparison to other AI assistants
After: Centralized AI
Introducing a more advanced LLM model & intuitive Be My AI interface.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- User experience is conversational
- Feature is at the forefront of the app's UI
- Interface is updated with enhanced LLM
After: Centralized AI
Introducing a more advanced LLM model & intuitive Be My AI interface.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- User experience is conversational
- Feature is at the forefront of the app's UI
- Interface is updated with enhanced LLM
After: Centralized AI
Introducing a more advanced LLM model & intuitive Be My AI interface.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- User experience is conversational
- Feature is at the forefront of the app's UI
- Interface is updated with enhanced LLM
Before: Isolated Community Tab
We noticed that the community tab falls short in bringing communities together, and the poor readability makes access difficult.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Difficulty finding information & navigating resources
- Community tab feels isolating rather than inviting
- Poor readability and information hierarchy
Before: Isolated Community Tab
We noticed that the community tab falls short in bringing communities together, and the poor readability makes access difficult.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Difficulty finding information & navigating resources
- Community tab feels isolating rather than inviting
- Poor readability and information hierarchy
Before: Isolated Community Tab
We noticed that the community tab falls short in bringing communities together, and the poor readability makes access difficult.
This introduces three problems for the blind/low vision user:
- Difficulty finding information & navigating resources
- Community tab feels isolating rather than inviting
- Poor readability and information hierarchy
After: Inclusive Community Tab
Introducing a more community-oriented, discoverable, and visually structured layout.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- A search bar has been introduced for quick discoverability
- The Community tab is organized by events, services, and community groups
- Readability and CTA has been improved
After: Inclusive Community Tab
Introducing a more community-oriented, discoverable, and visually structured layout.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- A search bar has been introduced for quick discoverability
- The Community tab is organized by events, services, and community groups
- Readability and CTA has been improved
After: Inclusive Community Tab
Introducing a more community-oriented, discoverable, and visually structured layout.
We developed three solutions for the blind/low vision user:
- A search bar has been introduced for quick discoverability
- The Community tab is organized by events, services, and community groups
- Readability and CTA has been improved
Our redesign strengthens what Be My Eyes has always stood for:
Independence, Dignity, and Human Connection.
Our redesign strengthens what Be My Eyes has always stood for:
Independence, Dignity, and Human Connection.
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