rohan dharane
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reframe
CIID Thesis Project
Advisors: Harsha Vardhan, Jose Chavarría, Chris Downs
Duration: 9 weeks
This project began with a simple question: what does commuting feel like for people with reduced mobility? My first instinct was to design an accessibility-focused tool that could ease the stress of everyday travel. I started by speaking to people with disabilites, curious about their everyday experiences of moving through cities.
What I discovered through these conversations, and later through broader research, challenged my assumptions and led me toward a more universal design opportunity. Reframe emerged as an attempt to look at our surroundings differently, to peel back what usually goes unnoticed and make hidden layers of information tangible.
Research
I interviewed experts who provided perspectives on urban & autonomous mobility, accessibility, inclusive design and the role of data in shaping experiences. Their input framed commuting not just as a logistical issue but as an emotional and cultural one.
To build a deeper understanding, I visited social co-ops, spent time on public transport, and spoke with people with disabilities ranging from those with low vision to wheelchair users. These conversations helped me understand their lived experiences of navigating cities.
“In the perfect world, it would be like teleportation” - Mike, Low Vision Individual
Why does this matter?
Initially, I approached this challenge from an accessibility perspective, speaking with people with reduced mobility. When asked about their “dream” way of commuting, several including Mike, answered simply “teleportation.”
What struck me was not just the wish for convenience, but the deeper desire to skip the journey altogether. This revealed that the frustration of transit isn’t limited to those with mobility challenges it’s a universal issue shaped by stress, monotony, and the pressure to move quickly.
Another recurring insight from my conversations was around how navigation apps are designed with speed as the priority, often overlooking comfort and accessibility. Commuting is universal, yet most navigation systems prioritize efficiency over human experience. This creates a cascade of problems:
The Stress Cycle
- Commuters report: feelings of stress, anxiety, and sensory overload
- Current tools optimize for: speed and distance, not comfort or presence
- The result: crowds and congestion amplify stress while opportunities for discovery remain hidden
"Poi posti dove c'è affollamento che ti stressano, cioè ti schiacciano come salire."
"Then places with crowds that stress you out—they press on you like you're being squeezed."
Explorations & Discoveries
Compass as a metaphor?
Stress-Free Navigation
Design Challenge
How might we create location-responsive experiences that inspire curiosity and presence during everyday travel between spaces?
With the problem space defined, I started asking what kinds of information could make movement more meaningful. Was it local news or what’s happening around me? The accessibility of a place? The weather or pollution levels? Maybe the nature I’m passing by, or the history beneath my feet. I realized it’s not about overwhelming detail, but about just enough to spark curiosity or even start a conversation.
I thought of the camera as the perfect metaphor for discovery, a tool that captures new perspectives depending on the settings you choose. What if information could be designed in a similar way, where adjusting filters or modes lets us uncover different layers of a space and engage with it more meaningfully?
Form & Function
So I decided to prototype a camera-like object one that doesn’t capture images, but instead collects contextual, location-based information.
With the concept fresh in my head, I started thinking of the form more seriously, as the metaphor of the camera needs to be evident from how the device looks and feels and functions.
With my friend Juan’s help, we created this shell. For packaging, I opted to use an old smartphone with its display and sensors to achieve a more reliable output.
Followed up by fabricating a shell along with a custom PCB featuring a rotary encoder to interface with the smartphone wirelessly, serving as a physical dial to control the filters.
Testing the first functional prototype using gathered data and proper orientation.
Final form & packaging ‘I really wanted the form-factor to resemble a handheld camera, making it intuitive for the user to understand and naturally explore its functionalities’.
Interface
I kept the interface minimal so the focus stays on discovery. A wide crosshair helps users aim the device, while the viewfinder updates with location details—like weather and pollution levels, as they pan around.
On capture, one can view essential details like the current location, selected filter, and contextual information. This is summarized in a concise and easily digestible tone, automatically dismissing after 15 seconds.
Simply pan and the device automatically snaps to a location based on the co-ordinates and orientation Physical dial that acts as a toggle for filters and a shutter button on press
Software: Node.js with HTTPS, Socket.IO (WebSocket), UDP (Arduino ↔ server), frontend in HTML/CSS/JavaScript with Device APIs, JSON for data storage.
Closing thoughts
Imagine this, the daily commute is no longer just a line between A and B. With each glance, familiar routes reveal hidden stories, transforming motion into presence. Travel becomes less about arriving quickly, and more about noticing, reflecting, and connecting with the world along the way.
Through reframe, I explored how design can reshape the meaning of everyday routines. I learned that sometimes the most impactful interventions don’t change what we do, but how we experience it. Reframe asks us to imagine mobility not just as empty transit, but as an opportunity to slow down, notice, and reconnect with the world along the way.
Thank you for reading:)
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