Helpful Resources
Explore these digital resources to learn more about the factors that can influence and guide the design of your product.
Understand the Problem
What are some problems that navigation apps could help address with the right criteria?
The following resources represent a few of the many problems navigation apps could help address. Be creative and find a problem that matters to you.
- Mental and physical well-being – Use these resources to learn more about how where you live and how you get to work or school affects your well-being.
- Use this resource to learn about how the routes people take to get from place to place can have a surprising impact on childhood development.
- Access to basic and essential services can be an important consideration in planning travel. Use this resource to learn about the challenge of finding a public restroom.
- Use this resource to learn more about things to consider when planning travel in rural and suburban areas.
Ways scientists and entrepreneurs are currently addressing the problem
What are the advantages and limitations of the navigation apps that are in the market now?
Use these links to learn about some current navigation apps, the information they provide, and the criteria they allow users to choose from.
- Top Free Navigation Apps, a list of the pros and cons of 20 free navigation and traffic apps.
- Blind Square, a navigation app designed for people with visual impairment.
- Just Ahead, a navigation app paired with an audio tour guide.
What technologies are available to use in navigation apps?
- Many apps use GPS to help users navigate from place to place. Use this resource to learn more about how GPS works and to decide whether it would be a good option for your app.
- Some apps, such as Waze, incorporate crowdsourcing to find routes that meet travel criteria, such as finding the shortest or fastest route. Use this resource to learn more about crowdsourcing and to decide whether it would be a good option for your app.
- Use this resource to learn more about the importance of protecting privacy when building navigation apps.
Business Models
Math Resource
Use this resource to learn how to calculate distance, travel time, and estimated time of arrival using linear functions.
- Modeling Travel with Linear Functions (click here for editable Word Doc version)