In May 2016 we launched the first Working Draft of the Wayfindr Open Standard. This was the result of work that we had carried out through live trials in London and Sydney. It also included input and feedback from industry experts and Wayfindr Community members. We are pleased to announce that we have now released the next version of the Open Standard – Candidate Recommendation 1.0. It is ready for you to view and download on our site.

The Candidate Recommendation is a more mature version of the Open Standard, as it has evolved from the Working Draft. It has been reviewed by experts in both the transport and vision impairment sector – who were asked to become part of a Working Group. We invited each of them to read through the Open Standard and give us feedback on areas they believed could be improved, or strengthened.

The Transport Working Group was made up of:

• Martine Abel-Williamson, Objective Leader – Access to the Environment and Transport, World Blind Union
• Nicole Holmes, Access and Technology Officer, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT
• Manuel Ortega, Head of R&D at Ilunion Technology and Accessibility
• Kelly Prentice, Orientation & Mobility Specialist, Guide Dogs NSW/ACT
• David Simpson, Senior Researcher, Nominet
• John Welsman, policy lead on transport and travel, Guide Dogs UK

Each member was able to provide us with unique insights from their field. One example of a change that was made in the Candidate Recommendation is that all instructions were changed so that the verb ‘walk’ become ‘move’. This was to take into account the fact that not everyone who would be using the Open Standard would be on foot. The Release Notes are included along with the Candidate Recommendation so you will be able to see which parts have been changed or updated.

Their feedback was collated into different streams. Some of it needed further investigation and was added into the Open Standard as “Suggestions for Further Investigation”. Everything else was passed on to the Working Group. They were then asked to collaboratively discuss and decide on whether it should make it into the Candidate Recommendation.

To facilitate these conversations we used Loomio, an online collaboration tool. We set out each point and the context in which it was raised. Then, each participant could comment on it, or make their own suggestions on what they thought would be a better way for the information to be presented in the Open Standard.

The updates to the Wayfindr Open Standard are made in our Working Groups. In these cross-sector, multi-disciplinary Working Groups (that include members of the Wayfindr community) we facilitate the co-creation of the next iteration of the Open Standard – where all views and opinions are considered and given equal treatment.

The Candidate Recommendation is open to the public for eight weeks. After the 10th of February, we will take all of the feedback and start working on the Wayfindr Open Standard – Recommendation 1.0.

In order for us to be able to release the next version, we are now opening up the Candidate Recommendation 1.0 for feedback from interested parties and the general public. We encourage you to read it. If there’s anything that you feel could be improved – or needs to be further investigated – then you can contact us at standard@wayfindr.net.

If you are interested in becoming a part of the Wayfindr Community you can get in touch here.