Resume

Michelle

Cheng

About

AI reader

The Challenge

Apple’s Magnifier app helps users with visual impairments magnify text, images, and other elements in their environment. Currently, users encounter a significant challenge in efficiently revisiting specific sections of text. The existing rewind and fast-forward buttons offer a limited and imprecise method for navigating, creating unnecessary friction in their experience

Solution

We leveraged Apple Intelligence to introduce smarter, more adaptive navigation features that cater to the individual needs of vision impaired users, offering an experience that feels faster and more enjoyable. This redesign will address the practical needs of vision-impaired users, ensuring it continues to be a powerful tool for accessibility.

Role

UX Designer

Industry

Assistive Technology

Timeline

3 weeks

Team

Arthur Jensen

Lois Kim

Celia Choi

Tools

Figma

02. Design challenge

How might we improve the navigation experience in Apple’s Magnifier app for users with visual impairments, enabling them to access specific sections of text more precisely, quickly, and intuitively?

03. Project goals

What I led

I organized and a series of collaborative brainstorming sessions to pinpoint the core opportunities of improvement using social listening as a key method to uncover user pain points

I conducted in-depth research into how visually impaired users interact with digital tools, including reviewing academic papers, analyzing user studies, and gathering relevant statistics.

04. Understanding the user

The why?

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 2.2 billion peopleglobally experience some form of vision impairment or blindness.Everyday tasks such as reading, navigating, and accessing information can be significant challenges. Many rely on tools and technology to enhance their interaction with the world.

Assistive technologies, such as the Magnifier app on Apple devices, provide essential tools for individuals with visual impairments. These tools are not just about improving convenience—they are critical to maintaining autonomy, access to information, and participation in society

05. Identifying the Core Challenge

Understanding user pain points

After reading reviews and gathering insights, we identified a key pain point: Navigating the text itself can be difficult and inefficient.

Apple accessibility survey (2023)

This survey indicated that 45% of visually impaired iOS users indicated that they find navigating large blocks of text in apps to be particularly difficult, especially when they need to locate specific information.

American foundation for the blind (2021)

This report found that 80% of individuals with visual impairments report difficulties with navigation and accessing text on digital platforms, even with assistive technologies like screen readers and magnifiers.

American council for the blind (2024)

This survey found that 60% of users felt that assistive apps like Magnifier could be significantly improved with better precision in zooming and more intuitive navigation controls.

06. Accessibility design

The design solution

The current magnifier app

Screen reader
The visually impaired user opens their phone and navigates to the Magnifier app via screen reader. Currently, users rely on imprecise rewind and fast-forward buttons to revisit a specific section of text. This method is slow, frustrating, and disruptive, especially when searching for exact information.
The current solution
The user selects the 'reader' option, and the screen reader starts reading the entire menu aloud.

‍Problem: The user has to either listen to the entire menu again, rely on their memory to recall a specific dish, or struggle with the fast-forward and rewind buttons. What if there was a faster way to do this?

Screen reader
The visually impaired user opens their phone and navigates to the Magnifier app via screen reader. Currently, users rely on imprecise rewind and fast-forward buttons to revisit a specific section of text. This method is slow, frustrating, and disruptive, especially when searching for exact information.
The current solution
The user selects the 'reader' option, and the screen reader starts reading the entire menu aloud.

‍Problem: The user has to either listen to the entire menu again, rely on their memory to recall a specific dish, or struggle with the fast-forward and rewind buttons. What if there was a faster way to do this?

The redesign

Screen reader
By incorporating AI into the experience, the user can now interact in a more intuitive, conversational way. Instead of using rewind buttons, they can ask questions directly using voice commands, such as, 'What’s in the crispy prawns?
AI reader
Once the AI feature is activated, the user's question appears in a bubble at the top of the screen.
AI reader
Siri's AI capabilities allow users to ask questions and receive clear, context-aware responses. This enhancement makes it easier for users to navigate long passages of text, greatly improving accessibility and overall usability.

Screen reader
By incorporating AI into the experience, the user can now interact in a more intuitive, conversational way. Instead of using rewind buttons, they can ask questions directly using voice commands, such as, 'What’s in the crispy prawns?
AI reader
Once the AI feature is activated, the user's question appears in a bubble at the top of the screen.
AI reader
Siri's AI capabilities allow users to ask questions and receive clear, context-aware responses. This enhancement makes it easier for users to navigate long passages of text, greatly improving accessibility and overall usability.

07. Designing from all perspectives

Retrospective

This Magnifier app redesign project was an incredibly rewarding and eye-opening experience that reinforced my commitment to inclusive design. Leading the research into visual impairment and understanding how users interact with assistive technology gave me a deeper empathy for the challenges visually impaired individuals face daily.