Sociability is an app that helps disabled people find accessible places and peace of mind. For more than 1 billion people worldwide, poor accessibility poses a significant barrier to social inclusion, equal opportunity and quality of life. Knowing the accessibility of a venue in advance makes a world of difference. With the right planning, obstacles can be overcome, stress can be avoided, and everyone can be included.

The challenge:

Through continuous discovery, one of the key user feedbacks received was the need for a more personalised search experience within the Sociability app. Users were seeking a way to specify their unique accessibility requirements, without having to manually input these filters each time they did a search.

The solution:

The Saved Accessibility Filters feature was carefully designed to simplify the search process and cater to Sociability users' unique needs. Upon onboarding, users are prompted to save their accessibility preferences, which are then stored and can be quickly applied to any future searches.

The feature includes a diverse range of filter options, from wheelchair accessibility to Braille signage, ensuring we catered to a broad spectrum of access needs. To maintain Sociability's commitment to intuitive design, we made sure the process of setting and applying these filters was straightforward and user-friendly.

The outcome:

Since deployment in July 2023, over 800 users have set up their Saved Filters. Of all accounts created during this time, 50% of new users have set up their accessibility profile during onboarding. I couldn't be more proud of the success of this feature and the improved experience it has created for Sociability users.

Next steps:

During usability testing many users offered the suggestion of having the ability to create multiple filter sets. Disability is fluid, not only between people, but within people. One person may have certain access requirements one day but different requirements the next day. Having multiple filter sets means they could quickly change their filters depending on the context. This was a great insight and this feature update has been added into the roadmap for 2024.