- A mobile app to help wheelchair users navigate Singapore — find accessible routes, discover wheelchair-friendly venues, and hold businesses accountable for accessibility. Built at Designathon 2017, a hackathon by DesignSingapore Council. Top 7 of 53 teams. Won Best Business Model.
the problem
Wheelchair users in Singapore face a daily information gap. Google Maps might tell you a place exists — but not whether there's a ramp, a lift that works, or a door wide enough to get through. Most accessibility databases are either global and shallow, or local but outdated. There was no hyperlocal, community-driven solution for Singapore.
I spent two weeks navigating Singapore in a wheelchair to understand the problem firsthand — lifts, kerbs, mall entrances, the works. We also user-tested at SPD (Society for the Physically Disabled) and confirmed what we suspected: people were navigating by memory and word of mouth, not any app.
what we built
WheelyEasy was a mobile app with three stakeholders:
For users — find wheelchair-accessible routes and venues in Singapore. Users could also contribute accessibility data and earn vouchers for doing so, creating a self-sustaining community data loop.
For businesses — accessibility insights to serve a captive and underserved customer base. We pitched the economic case: wheelchair users and their caregivers represent a loyal, high-frequency segment. Better accessibility multiplies customer lifetime value by 2–3x.
For government — anonymised, hyperlocal accessibility data for urban planning. We used SUTD's wheelchair accessibility heat map of Singapore as a baseline.
positioning
We were uniquely positioned: hyperlocal and routing-focused. Google Maps is global and generic on accessibility. AXSMap, Wheelmate, and other competitors focused on locations but not routing. We sat in the top-right quadrant alone.
The pitch closed on four words: Simple. Feasible. Validated. Sustainable.
outreach
During the hackathon we reached out to and got traction from: Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Bugis+, Subway, Uniqlo, Pull&Bear, La Senza, The Editor's Market, and Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.
the team
Built with Jen (full-stack developer at General Assembly; 3+ years of startup marketing experience; TechLadies volunteer) and Rachel Poonsiriwong (self-taught UX/UI designer; 2+ years of volunteer experience working with people with disabilities). I was the hustler — product and business.
Rachel's lived experience with disability communities grounded the product instincts throughout. She went on to secure the DesignSingapore Scholarship — one of four designers awarded in 2017 — and studied interaction design at the California College of the Arts before landing at MIT Media Lab.