ADA Illustraded App | 3D Illustrated Version of the ADA Building Standards
So this article is a total self promotion, but it is for something I’ve been working hard on for months 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design became enforceable. As a person that draws and reads construction plans, I could understand the code pretty well. Not that reading the ADA Standards is hard to understand, but they can be hard to visualize. Which had me thinking, why not make an illustrated version of the standards and turn it into an app. That was the beginning of the ADA Illustrated app, a 3D illustrated version of the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design with over 380 images.
Best Laid Plans
Back in July of last year I began making creating the drawings using SketchUp. I foolishly thought I could have the drawings done in a couple months. I didn’t finish them till January! I’ve spent the last month and a half assembling the app using Buzztouch and hopefully it’ll be available soon. Today I submitted it to Apple for approval and later today I’ll working on submitting it to Google Play.
Easy Navigation
I wanted to make ADA Illustrated easy to navigate and understand. Everything is broken down into menus and sub-menus the same way the ADA is written. So if you wanted to see the picture on Ramp Landings here is the menu path you would take: Accessible Routes –> 405 Ramps –> Landings. Simple as that. At the top of each numbered section is the corresponding text from the ADA for quick reference.
Picture This
Most of the drawings are of a 3D model and I tried to make them as easy to read as possible. They’re best viewed in landscape mode and can be zoomed in on with pinch gestures. Because of the shear number of drawings, I had to make them only internet accessible. Otherwise the app would’ve been over 700mb in size! But once you bring a drawing up, it’s cached on your phone.
Conclusion
Now remember that the drawings are only meant for guideline purposes. Always refer to the 2010 ADA Standards for Accessible Design for final reference. Once the ADA Illustrated app is available for purchase ($2.99) I will let everyone know. Hopefully the approval process is quick and if you purchase it, please let me know what you think. Watch the demo video below and thank you for the support.
