Role
Product Designer
Teammates
Product manager
Client
Unicef
In 2025 I joined UNICEF Giga to work on GigaMaps, an advocacy platform that helps governments visualize unconnected areas of their country. The goal is straightforward yet powerful: bring internet to every school and give all children equal access to digital opportunities. The map displays schools with simple dots. That’s where my design challenge started.
The problem
During a heuristic evaluation, I identified a critical accessibility issue:
school dots were hard to distinguish for users affected by color blindness;
the color palette did not fully comply with accessibility standards;
markers didn’t scale effectively at different zoom levels.
For a platform that aims to “include everyone,” this was a major limitation.
Research & Analysis
To better understand how to address the issue, I conducted a competitive analysis of major mapping platforms:
Google Maps
Apple Maps
OpenStreetMap
I focused on three key aspects:
how markers adapt across zoom levels;
use of color contrast to ensure universal readability;
reliance on icons to reinforce meaning.
Design process
Prototyping in Figma
I began by exploring variations of color and size for the school dots directly in Figma.
Testing in a real map environment (Mapbox)
To validate my designs, I replicated the GigaMaps environment using Mapbox. This allowed me to:
check the effectiveness of colors under real conditions,
test scalability of dots across zoom levels,
simulate how users with color blindness perceive the markers.
Accessibility iterations
adaptive marker size based on zoom,
accessible color palette aligned with WCAG standards,
icons appearing at maximum zoom to reinforce school identification.
Final solution
The new design made markers more inclusive and accessible without compromising GigaMaps’ identity.
Each school is now clearly visible, even for color-blind users, thanks to:
zoom-adaptive markers,
WCAG-compliant colors,
supporting icons at detailed zoom levels.
Impact
This improvement went beyond aesthetics, it directly supported the mission of Giga: to make GigaMaps a truly inclusive tool where governments can interpret data without perceptual barriers.
In a product about universal connection, visual accessibility is not a detail. It’s a requirement.