Designing an inclusive public product that reduces disease transmission

Public products such as parking meters and seating have become steadily more ubiquitous in community spaces. While useful, they are often perceived as burdensome and unfriendly, and the COVID-19 pandemic has caused people to become even more anxious about using these high-touch products.

Jay Yoon is tackling this problem through the community-engaged learning course DEA 3510/6510 Human Factors and Inclusive Design. The project will focus on individuals traveling to Ithaca by car and enjoying social, cultural, and shopping experiences in the Ithaca Commons area. Two key areas of interaction will be examined: (1) on-street parking pay-stations and (2) outdoor public seating. Working with the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, a community organization, students in the course will explore users’ concerns in relation to the two touchpoints and use these findings to design solutions that address a wide range of human variety and abilities (physical and psychosocial) and environmental conditions. They will use multiple design methods for user research, design exploration, and evaluation, including interviews, ethnographic observations, and participatory workshops.