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Yelp
I redesigned a service to provide trusted
information on the physical accessibility of the store in an easier & quicker way for users with disabilities - making an inclusive platform for all users on Yelp.
Project Background
This is an individual case study project I initiated after researching about accessibility and Inclusive design in our society. I wanted to identify a product that potentially needs a redesign to be more inclusive for people from all backgrounds - including people with disabilities. This case study is a great example of overall system design addressing current standards of accessibility and the lack of a sense of belonging for all users.
Timeline
2022 Fall
Role
Solo Project, UX Designer
Tools
Figma
Skills
User Research, Interaction Design, UX Design
DISCOVERY
Problem
It is very difficult to find the correct information online regarding accessibility features about a store in which disabled people often face barriers of physical access that could have been prevented.
Goals
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- To find accommodations the store provides as well as the physical accessibility of a location in an easier & quicker way for users with disabilities
- Reduce the change of plans that occur due to the wrong information available
- Increase the trust of accessibility information (indicators) to be accurate for users with mobility issues on Yelp
- To provide a platform that is inclusive for all users regardless of their background of having a disability
Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022
OPPORTUNITY
How might we make Yelp easier to navigate in finding sufficient information on accessible amenities and services available for disabled people?
Redesigned Product Features
FEATURE 1
Introducing Accessibility Score
Overall Accessibility Score is determined by detailed subcategories to inform the users in an easier and simple manner. Review photos of each subcategory is also available.
FEATURE 2
Trustworthy Reviews on Specific Amenities
User can find real trustworthy reviews on specific accessibility amenities a business provides such as parking with photo that are provided by customers
FEATURE 3
Personalizing Preferences Based on Your Needs
User can save their personal preferences in their setting to have all the search results to be personalized according to their interests.
The Process behind Yelp Redesign
USER RESEARCH
Understanding the Context
Demand for Inclusive Design
Disabled people identified their priorities for future service provision, including: physical and online environments being appropriate for a wide range of impairments and offering flexibility in recognising and accommodating needs, involving disabled people in policy and service decisions that impact their lives, increasing awareness and empathy for people with a range of impairments, and providing meaningful, readily-available help for disabled people when accessing activities, goods and services.
Why Now?
In 2022, Yelp reported annual revenue of approximately $1 billion USD, and it had an average of 145 million unique monthly visitors to its website and mobile app. There is still a huge opportunity to grow the business.
Percentage of adults with functional disability types (2022), CDC
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The CDC reports that approximately 36.7 million of U.S. adults have a mobility disability with serious difficulty walking or climbing stairs (use a mobility aid such as a wheelchair).
Expand into previously Untapped Markets
Help companies to be more socially responsible by enabling greater diversity and providing equal opportunities. This can form a key part of a company's Corporate Social Responsibility and elevate its public perception.
Social Responsibility, Elevate Public Perception
Competitive Analysis
To develop an understanding of the challenges our users faced, we needed to have an understanding of their environment as well as their roles in and interactions within their environment. I conducted competitive analysis to identify what competing apps provide for inclusive design and either or not if they include relevant accessibility information - people with disabilities are interested in visiting new places: restaurants, stores, etc.
Huge Opportunity for improvement by providing sufficient accessibility info to make planning easier for users and to feel inclusive
Search filter can to be more enhanced to be customizable to individual's accessibility needs
Key Findings
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Opentable was the only application with upfront parking information, Yelp had the information but it was hidden, making it hard for people to access it
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Yelp and other competitors all didn’t have sufficient accessibility information, it was limited by providing at vegan options available and how its restaurant is allergy-friendly
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Yelp was the only application with friend list collaboration which gives more opportunity of growth with sharing the information among the same-interests group
“Wheelchair accessible” just isn’t enough!
Yelp’s current design only has one indicator of accessibility: “wheelchair accessible”.
One of my main take-away that I used for my design process was how Yelp only had only one indicator of accessibility which was if the store/restaurant is wheelchair accessible.
Having only one option of “wheelchair accessible” which isn’t sufficient for the users to be feel inclusive. Despite a vast number of users, Yelp is falling short of serving the disabled community with their app and website. Not only do those with mobility issues not trust this indicator to be accurate, this falls extremely short in providing the kind of information that would be helpful to people with other disabilities trying to navigate going to the businesses listed on Yelp.
DEFINE
Persona
I created a user persona to help shape my product strategy and accompany myself during future usability testing sessions to have more intentional conversations with our users. From the insights generated via research, I was able to develop this user persona.
Empathy Map
To help build empathy for users, I created an empathy map to illustrate their experiences visiting and finding new restaurants on Yelp. Users were the most engaged in the excitement for discovering places with good ratings. One of the pain points was how the user could experience frustration if the restaurant with high expectations in terms of accessibility is not available for them or when they can't even find the relevant information that are critical to them.
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User flow
To better understand why it takes a long and difficult to find information on accessibility, I created the current user flow of the Yelp app. I was able to discover areas for improvement in making the accessibility information available more upfront.
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Upfront Accessibility
Summary
Opportunity
Separate Accessibility page (Details)
Opportunity
Accessibility Review Page
Opportunity
Pain Point
(scroll to the bottom of the page)
One line of "Wheelchair Accessible" shown
Accessibility Information is hidden, and even if they do manage to go on "More Info" page, users end up seeing the limited information of wheelchair accessible
I conducted a landscape analysis of other apps that provide accessibility information and reviews to help people with disabilities navigate public spaces and businesses. I researched three indirect competitors dedicated specifically to accessibility. The screenshots in order above are: AccessNow, iAccess, and Ability App.
AccessNow
iAccess
Ability App
IDEATION
Wireframes - Upfront Accessibility Score
NARROWING DOWN
So what information are users with disabilities interested in?
“There's a particular restaurant just up the road from me, and [a friend] keeps saying to me, 'You have to come with me there.' There's a step up into it, I can't go. I can't, I just physically can't, she doesn't understand this and she keeps saying to me, you know, 'You have to come,' and no matter how many times I say to her, 'I just can't get in the door.'... [she said there are] people in wheelchairs in there, I said, 'But they must have somebody with them to help them in,' I said, In a powered wheelchair, nobody can lift it.”
User Interviews
Identifying user pain points to extract essential features
In order to understand what our users thought, we needed rich qualitative and quantitative insights. Conducting user interviews enabled us to understand their experiences. 15 Interviews were conducted via zoom. Participants varied from people with disabilities as well as people with a disabled member in their family.
Goals
1. What type of information users are interested in seeing to better accommodate the user's needs
2. Which problems they experience during their information gaining process and at the store
3. Opinions on sharing information / detailed reviews of places they visited
Process behind Yelp Accessibility Redesign
Pain Points Summary
Opportunity
Accessibility information should be available more upfront
Information on available accessible amenities and services are not provided for people with disabilities
1. Insufficient Information
2. Lack of Trust on Accessibility Information
Accessible informations are not fully described and most of the times show wrong information causing distrust
Opportunity
Provide important information that users are interested in so they can actually make use of it
People with disability are interested in ramps & elevator so they can enter a place with stairs. Accessible restroom, and accessible seating that can fit the wheelchair. Accessible entrances as well as parking were mentioned. None of the information that were mentioned by users were fully available with details on Yelp. Users admitted that they stopped using Yelp to find information because it was useless.
People with disability are interested information that are trustable not just one phrase of "wheelchair accessible" that doesn't represent anything in detail.
Opportunity
Make a system that disabled users can trust with confidence when they are planning
3. Hard to Navigate & Time Consuming
4. Feel Isolated & Unwelcomed
Getting rejected & having difficulty to find relevant information online makes them feel isolated from their commmunity
Takes long & is difficult to even find parking and wheelchair accessible info, users can't make use of hidden information
Opportunity
Provide personalization features specific to user's needs to reduce the # of rejections
If there are so many clicks and scrolling involved to find one line of "wheelchair accessible", Yelp needs to do a better job in providing the correct information in an easier manner where it is discoverable.
Not only do they feel discriminated on the app Yelp itself, but even worse when they go in person and later find out that they can't access the store/restaurant.
FEEDBACK FROM USERS
Wrong Interests of Content/Phrases for Disabled People + Lack of Trust
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≠ Trust
Language Improvements
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Parking Accessible
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Entrance Accessible
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Restroom Accessible
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Table Height Accessible
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Automatic Door
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Elevator
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Ramp
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Service Animal Friendly
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Outdoor Seating Access
RE-DEFINED PROBLEM STATEMENT #2.0
How might we make Yelp easier to navigate in finding correct information on accessible amenities and services that can be trusted by disabled people?
IDEATION
Applying Insights to App Design
I integrated the 4 themes I found as insights from my research and landscape analysis to my initial design processes.
Pain Point: Hard to Navigate
Certain information like parking and wheel-chair accessible filters are hidden so many people miss it or can’t make use of it
Upfront Accessibility Score in Info section without clicking "More info"
Solution
Current
Info Section
Current
Redesign
Upfront Accessibility Score Out of 5 is available in Info section on the first landing page of the store.
Users do not have to click "More info" to see another page of a long list with only one line of "wheelchair accessible" on the end of the page.
Pain Point: Insufficient Information
Information on accessible features are not available for people with disabilities - limited by the term"wheelchair accessible"
Provide Reviews on each subcategory of Accessibility
Solution
Current
Redesign
Accessibility Review Option Added
Pain Point: Lack of Trust
Certain accessibility information on parking and wheelchair accessible are not trusted by users with disabilities
Solution
Verification System + Real reviews with Photos
Current
Redesign #1
Redesign #2
Upon click on parking section on accessibility features page, it leads to the collection of parking photo reviews by users
Adding new categories to Photos and Videos page
Pain Point: Feel Isolated
Solution
Not even being able to find accessibility information for users with disabilites makes them feel isolated from their community
Personalization that accomodates Individual Needs in Preferences
Current
Redesign
Saved preferences will reduce the hassle of filtering out individual needs every time user searches for information
VALIDATION
Usability Testing
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For our usability testing, I gave two tasks to the users to complete. I studied user’s facial expressions and counted number of clicks attempt to complete the tasks. The usability testing was proceeded through zoom meetings so that I could have access to their facial expressions and record their usability testing process.
Two tasks were given to 5 Users
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​1. Find Accessibility Information
2. Give an Accessibility Review
All test users were positive with the redesigned features in terms of the sufficient information & the improvement of information architecture, that made it easier for them to find the relevant information to the users in terms of accessibility. However, we observed some frustrations with the prototype in different areas.
Key Observations from Testing
1) Excitement finding Verified Information from Real users
When they realized how they can now see accessibility features, they found it really interesting (shown by their smiles on their face) and was even more positive when they can verify themselves as well as have access to trustable information alongside photos of the actual feature.
VERIFIED INFORMATION
VERIFIED INFORMATION
LANGUAGE
2) Confusion with Language and Icons
Users were confused with the term "verified 62 times" together with "(47 participants)". Also users were confused what the exact difference is in N/A and No when they were giving review on accessibility features.
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Key Takeaways
If Yelp explores the possibility of expanding their features and providing detailed information about accessibility services available, this would be the start of the journey to collect real data from the reviewers, increase accessibility and also allow Yelp to differentiate from its competitors. Even in the 21st century, there is no app that has sufficient and relevant information for people with disabilities. That speaks to how scarce accessibility resources are, even at one of the largest revenue companies in the world.
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What would I have Done Differently?
This project was a great opportunity to learn about accessibility as a whole and the ins and outs of adding features to existing products. First and foremost, I would have made sure to include members of the disabled community on my design team. Co-designing this with people who are directly impacted by the lack of accessibility features currently available is critical. Second, I would have greatly expanded the amount of user interviews I conducted and would have tried to pay participants for their contributions. Third, I would have expanded to do multiple rounds of testing with a wider community of users to get a better sense of whether this feature serves the needs of the disabled community. Overall, I am glad to have the experience with this project and will be able to carry forward my knowledge of accessibility into future design projects.
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