Skip to main content
Fernando.Works

AICA Access  2018

Overview

AICA Access was an augmented reality mobile app that helped visually impaired and deaf people in Mexico access written and visual information through sign language interpretation and audio descriptions.

Index

AICA Access being used

Overview & Scope

Project Goals

Back in 2018, I joined a startup called AICA as their only developer. The goal was to use AR to help deaf and visually impaired people read public signs and books. I had never done AR or mobile development before, but it seemed like an interesting challenge.

For the MVP, we needed the app to recognize specific images and play sign language videos with transparent backgrounds over them. We also needed a way to upload new content without pushing app updates, plus a demo book we could use to show investors.

As we got going, we started adding more features - like a map showing accessible places, user reviews about accessibility, and a way to connect physical locations with their scannable content like restaurant menus.

A video sent to investors

Design Process

My first lessons

When I started, there was already a brand stylebook made by a graphic designer before me. They had created it for print materials, not really thinking about app development. So I had to figure out how to translate their color scheme, typography, and logo into something that would actually work on screens - which was an interesting puzzle since some of those colors had pretty poor contrast ratios.

I was just getting into UI design and Sketch at the time. The first version tried to stay faithful to the brand guidelines while still being usable:

After actually building and using it, I made a second version that leaned more into Material Design principles I'd discovered along the way. It bent the brand guidelines a bit more, but would've been much more usable. This version never got implemented though.

First version of the app
First version of the app
The redesign that never shipped

Technical Implementation

AR & Mobile Development

This project introduced me to a bunch of new tech. I had to learn Vuforia for the AR features, which somehow led me into OpenGL shader territory. The app itself was built with Android Studio and Java - both firsts for me - and Firebase handled all the backend stuff.

The most interesting challenge was getting transparent videos to play over the camera feed in AR, which required diving into GLSL shaders.

Working solo on this project pushed me to learn different development environments and experience Android development challenges. The project successfully reached MVP stage but ultimately didn't continue as the company ran out of money.

Illustrations to explain the UI layout to the outsourced developer

Let's Work Together

or just say hi

Tell me about your project. I'm happy to jump on a call or have a quick chat.

You can also email me at hello@fernando.works