Back

Back

Back

Empowering Young Visually Impaired Learners

Empowering Young Visually Impaired Learners

🥇 This project won 1st Place at the 2025 UW/UX Flow Designathon!

Project Overview

Project Overview

Visually impaired children face significant barriers in online learning due to restrictive web design. Recognizing this gap in accessibility, I collaborated with two designers to create VisiPal: a browser extension that adapts any website into a learning environment tailored to each child’s needs.

Visually impaired children face significant barriers in online learning due to restrictive web design. Recognizing this gap in accessibility, I collaborated with two designers to create VisiPal: a browser extension that adapts any website into a learning environment tailored to each child’s needs.

Team Members

Alyanna Fuentes, Joy Zhang

Role
Timeframe
Team Members

UI/UX Designer

7 hours

Alyanna Fuentes, Joy Zhang

Role
Timeframe

UI/UX Designer

7 hours

THE PROBLEM

1 in 10 children experience some form of visual impairment

Behind this statistic are students who struggle to participate fully in lessons designed for sighted learners. Without proper support, they face academic challenges that compound into learning gaps, diminished confidence, and reduced educational opportunities.

Behind this statistic are students who struggle to participate fully in lessons designed for sighted learners. Without proper support, they face academic challenges that compound into learning gaps, diminished confidence, and reduced educational opportunities.

As schools adopt digital learning tools, a critical barrier emerged…

As schools adopt digital learning tools, a critical barrier emerged…

The internet serves as the primary resource for research and reading, yet most websites don't account for diverse visual needs. The very technology meant to democratize education has instead created new forms of exclusion.

The internet serves as the primary resource for research and reading, yet most websites don't account for diverse visual needs. The very technology meant to democratize education has instead created new forms of exclusion.

When do buyers get stuck?

USER RESEARCH

A cycle of discomfort, frustration, and disengagement

A cycle of discomfort, frustration, and disengagement

To assess the needs of visually impaired students, we conducted secondary research and analyzed existing accessibility solutions. Our findings revealed three overarching themes:

COMPETITIVE ANALYSIS

Reading tools exist—so why are children still struggling?

Reading tools exist—so why are children still struggling?

While existing products offer valuable features like line tracking and distraction removal, they each solve only one part of the accessibility puzzle.

IDEATION

We began our brainstorming session by revisiting our research insights

We began our brainstorming session by revisiting our research insights

💡 Key Design Decision: We evaluated multiple implementation approaches to determine the most effective way to deliver accessibility features to students.

Standalone App ❌

With a separate app, students would be required to switch out of their browser while reading to paste text into the app.

Standalone App ❌ With a separate app, students would be required to switch out of their browser to paste text into the app.

LMS Integration ❌

Building features into LMS platforms would limit students to reading only the materials their teachers upload.

LMS Integration ❌ Building features into LMS platforms would limit students to reading only the materials their teachers upload.

Browser Extension ✓

A Chrome extension integrates into the student's browser, applying features to sites without interrupting their flow.

Browser Extension ✓ An extension integrates into the student's browser, applying features without interrupting flow.

Having established our delivery method, we translated our findings into product features:

ITERATION

Finding balance between easy access and minimal distraction

Finding balance between easy access and minimal distraction

🛠️ Iteration Philosophy: Accessibility shouldn't feel like accommodation—it should seamlessly integrate into the user's routine.

We researched different interfaces and selected three viable options: a full-width bar, a vertical panel, or a floating widget on the top right corner. Each approach offered unique advantages and trade-offs in terms of visibility, screen space, and ease of use.

Through prototyping and comparative analysis, we selected the floating widget which prioritizes unobtrusive access while ensuring full functionality remained available.

Through prototyping and comparative analysis, we selected the floating widget which prioritizes unobtrusive access while ensuring full functionality remained available.

FINAL DESIGN

Introducing VisiPal: Customize the interface of any website

Introducing VisiPal: Customize the interface of any website

Seamless Onboarding & Interest-Based Discovery

Upon logging in with your student ID, select up categories that reflect your passions, and instantly discover and join relevant clubs at your university.

Onboarding & Interest-Based Discovery

Upon logging in with your student ID, select up categories that reflect your passions, and instantly discover and join relevant clubs at your university.

Setting up the extension

During onboarding, students can customize the font size, style, and line spacing, then select from colour themes optimized for different disabilities.

Transforming your reading experience

Whether navigating a history textbook chapter or researching for a science project, students can adjust their settings conveniently with the VisiPal widget.

Whether it's navigating a textbook or researching for a project, students can adjust their settings conveniently with the VisiPal widget.

IMPACT & TAKEAWAYS

Winning first place by advocating for inclusive design

Working with an incredible team, I'm really proud of the product we conceptualized! With more time, I would love to explore its feasibility including how it would adapt to different articles.

IMPACT & TAKEAWAYS 

Winning first place by advocating for inclusive design

Working with an incredible team, I'm really proud of the product we conceptualized! With more time, I would love to explore its feasibility including how it would adapt to different articles.

You made it to the end ᯓ★︎

Thank you for reading this case study! If you'd like to learn more about this project, please reach out at efan.song@mail.utoronto.ca ◡̈︎

Next Project ↓


You made it to the end ᯓ★︎

Thank you for reading this case study! If you'd like to learn more about this project, please reach out at efan.song@mail.utoronto.ca ◡̈︎

Next Project ↓


© 2025 Efan Song

Email

LinkedIn