Bachelor of Design student Soyinka Seguin’s capstone project will help the City of Edmonton when making vehicle-for-hire policies for Edmontonians accessibility needs. 

“For so many people, using a vehicle for hire is not a luxury – it’s a necessity,” says Seguin. 

Under the guidance of Associate Professor Dr. Isabelle Sperano and in partnership with the City of Edmonton, Seguin’s DES410/415 Digital Experience Design (DXD) capstone project was to research the experiences of riders who have accessibility needs. Then, from the research, to create fictitious “personas” representing riders with various needs, in order to improve those services. 

“Student projects, such as this one, are an incredible opportunity,” says Sperano. “Our students get the chance to work on a real-world design problem in collaboration with industry experts.”

Interviews and surveys helped Seguin understand the challenges riders can face. An interview with a participant whose disability requires them to use crutches, for example, revealed some frustrating pain points. “So many drivers would ask: ‘Hey, what happened to you?’” recounts Seguin. “And they’re just curious. But the rider has to have that conversation numerous times a week.” 

These kinds of conversations challenged Seguin’s original design approach. “I pushed myself to ask how I could make personas that are functional and helpful – not just static documents.” 

His solution is a living application – an interactive tool that stores user feedback. Real-time information could provide a more comprehensive understanding of the needs of riders, potentially helping the City when policies get created or updated. 

“Eight million Canadians report having a disability, according to StatsCan,” cites Seguin. “So if you design without everyone in mind, you are missing at least 27 per cent of the population.”

As he works to change life for Edmontonians, he says this project has changed his own future. “It made me realize there is more out there that we can do as user experience designers,” he says. “It’s being mindful about how and why I design and who I work for. The objective is not only to provide solutions, but also to ask “how does this improve the lives of those around you?””