Adapted Route Instructions for Navigation Technologies in Support of Wheelchair Mobility in Urban Areas: Online Survey

Wheelchair users face environmental barriers that limit their mobility and social participation. Although existing navigation tools support urban mobility, they often lack clear orientation and confirmation cues, and information on accessible and safe routes to meet wheelchair users’ needs. This study aims to identify the most adapted route instructions for wheelchair users, examine characteristics’ (sociodemographic information and profiles) impact on their instructions’ choices, and evaluate instruction’s delivery modalities. An online questionnaire collected participants’ characteristics and agreement with the proposed route instruction formulations (different combinations of information like turn-by-turn instructions, landmarks, and accessibility information) regarding clarity, sufficiency, adaptability, and safety criteria. Formulations were evaluated across 14 navigation situations involving accessibility and safety challenges. Participants also rated communication modalities. 32 wheelchair-users (19 males, 13 females; mean age = 45.8 years; mean wheelchair experience = 23.5 years) participated. Data analysis reveals the importance of enriched turn-by-turn instructions, including non-turning actions, alerts, landmarks, and/or street names for participants. Alert-based formulations were favored in most situations, like uneven sidewalks, slopes and intersections. More enriched instructions were significantly acceptable among women and participants with greater wheelchair experience. Multimodal delivery, particularly visual and audio information, was also preferred. These findings help develop adaptive navigation tools, improving wheelchair users’ safe, confident mobility, autonomy, and social participation.