”PWH easyGo”A smartphone app helping patients and visitors navigate Prince of Wales Hospital (PWH) with

easeThe first pathfinding mobile app

developed in the Hong Kong Hospital Authority

Our Sharing of this app development in Briefing on Web Accessibility Recognition

Scheme 2016, OGCIO HKSAR

Hospital must be patient friendly, butit becomes so large to be navigate-able through signage alone, and many a time we see distressed visitors looking at the directory not knowing where to go. This is equally taxing for new staff

Someone like to ask their way. Some persons want to explore on their own. • For those who want to ask, we have

to make sure staff will know the answer when asked.

• For explorers, we need to give them tools.

This comes the idea of PWH Easy Go.

Rationale for “easyGo” from our Hospital Chief Executive, PWH

Dr. C T HungHospital Chief

Executive, Prince of Wales Hospital

• A regional hospital with huge pedestrian traffic (>150,000 inpatient discharges, >1 mill

A&E, specialist outpatient and allied health attendances each year)

• Patient services housed in 6 main buildings, scattered around vast hospital complex

(total floor area >160,000 sqm).

• Buildings interconnected by footbridges, zebra crossings, corridors

• Many wards carry same prefixes

Geographical Setting of the Prince of Wales Hospital

• Patients and visitors easily get lost

• Walk unnecessary distances - physically straining for elderly and

disabled

• Late for / miss appointment or visiting hours

Problems

Illustration of Huge Daily Pedestrian Traffic Volume

Function 1 : Traffic Information

Connect to Google Map

Show nearby railway, bus and minibus routes

Visitors, patients and carers can plan route ahead at home

Function 2 : Services at a Glance

Function 3 : Find Your Paths

Show the most direct route with step-by-step instructions and photos

along the way614 routes of

frequently visited locations stored in

database

• NTEC internet websites have joined Web

Accessibility Recognition Scheme since 2012.

• Elderly and disabled will use this app to find the

route.

• Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme is an

opportunity for the app’s accreditation.

• This is first app in HA to fulfill Web Accessibility

Recognition Scheme.

Background – Why join Web Accessibility Recognition Scheme

• Read the technical guidelines from Web

Accessibility Scheme.

• Join OCGIO WAC briefing and workshop.

• Browse WAC website and related documents.

Prepare to join Web Accessibility Scheme

• Use accessibility module (e.g. Talkback, VoiceOver) to test your app.

• Find the gap between the testing result and web accessibility scheme requirement.

• Read the initial assessment report from OCGIO.

Find the gaps to fulfill web accessibility

• Many gaps are found.

• Need significant development efforts and

time to change the app and upload to app

store.

• Not easy to modify the app to follow

example.

Challenges

Provide meaningful

text alternative for non-text

contents

Changes needed in Web Accessibility (1)

Added accessibility hint for each image in source code. For example, add hint statement “ 住院主樓暨創傷中心建築物外觀圖片 . 按下此圖可觀看此建築物樓層指南” to describe the image and its function.

Provide meaningful

text alternative for non-text

contents

Changes needed in Web Accessibility (2)

Add hint statement “ 按「 Google 地圖」搜尋目前位置與威爾斯親王醫院的距離”

Provide meaningful

text alternative for non-text

contents

Changes needed in Web Accessibility (3)

Add hint statement “ 威院圖片” .

Provide meaningful

content sequence

Changes needed in Web Accessibility (4)

Re-design the screen structure. X,Y coordinator values of each element are inputted base on the content sequence and the height of elements are not overlay.

Changes needed in Web Accessibility (5)

Change colour of image and background for higher contrast. The ratio is 4.5:1.

Provide sufficient

colour contrast

Changes needed in Web Accessibility (6)

Enable and add Accessibility Hint for each cell image in the source code of table.

All content should be accessible by screen

reader.

Changes needed in Web Accessibility (7)

Add accessibility statement in your app.

Accessibility statement

• Web accessibility compatible

• People with disabilities can

obtain the same information

• Won Gold Award in HK

Government Web Accessibility

Recognition Scheme 2015

Recognition

Acknowledgement

「威院一路通」勇奪第 14屆「亞洲醫院管理大獎」（ Asian Hospital Management Awards）「創新醫療服務資訊科技」卓越獎

醫管局首個路線搜尋手機應用程式，協助病人及訪客搜尋威院各病房、臨床部門及設施的路線。使用者只需掃描醫院入口海報的二維碼便可知道當前位置，再從目錄中選取目的地，系統就會顯示路線及沿途相片。程式現時有超過 600 條路線，及提供醫院地圖、樓層簡介和交通資料。

Thank you !

Q&A