WEWALK
2021
WeWALK is on a mission to enhance the mobility of visually impaired people with cutting-edge technology driven by their lived and professional experience of visual impairment.
We were honoured to redesign the WEWALK smart cane from their initial v1 engineering, improving usability, ergonomy and overall aesthetic. We got involved with the WeWalk team in co-design workshops with visually impaired participants.Our research included a multi-sensory research approach, helping decisions in haptics, sound spatialisation and ergonomy.
Our priority in the redesign has been to get as close as possible to a traditional white cane in the shape, weight and hand gestures for users. Through user research, we found out that the white cane historical design was so versatile and crucial in access to independence.
WeWALK’s patented technology smart cane improves safety and independence with obstacle detection, accessible multimodal navigation, and public transport integration. WeWALK has already impacted lives in over 59 countries and has been recognised as a TIME Best Invention, Amazon’s Startup of the Year, and an Edison Gold Award.
Design lead: Salome Bazin
Design assistant: Yildiz Tufan
Engineering: We Walk team
3D animation: Romain Rosi
Special thanks to Harman, RNIB for sound research and mobility training.
