Designing Human-Centred Adaptive AI Navigation for Blind and Visually Impaired Individuals: A Cognitive Load-Aware Framework for Accessible Urban Mobility

Abstract

Abstract

Artificial intelligence systems increasingly mediate high-stakes human activities, yet urban navigation remains highly challenging for blind and visually impaired individuals. Although digital navigation technologies have significantly improved route planning and accessibility, many existing systems still rely on generic interaction paradigms that insufficiently account for cognitive load, contextual uncertainty, and the adaptive needs of vulnerable users. This challenge highlights the importance of Human-Centred AI approaches capable of supporting not only functional accessibility, but also cognitively sustainable and trustworthy interaction. This paper introduces LAZAR, a human-centred adaptive AI framework for accessible urban mobility grounded in a user-centred design methodology and formalised through a structured Software Requirements Specification. Rather than focusing exclusively on route optimisation, LAZAR approaches assistive navigation as an adaptive human–AI interaction problem in which instructional granularity, interaction frequency, and feedback mechanisms are designed to support user autonomy and situational awareness whilst limiting unnecessary cognitive burden. The proposed framework integrates high-fidelity prototyping, accessibility-oriented interaction modelling, and a modular multi-agent architecture intended to support adaptive and personalised guidance. Central to the approach is a cognitive load-aware interaction layer designed to regulate the presentation and timing of navigational assistance according to user needs and contextual conditions. The proposed multi-agent architecture is presented as a modular design framework whose interaction principles and interface logic were partially operationalised in the evaluated prototype. The complete integration of all adaptive coordination mechanisms, together with large-scale real-world validation, remains part of ongoing and future development work. This work contributes a structured methodology for the design of adaptive assistive AI systems that integrates accessibility requirements, human-centred interaction principles, and cognitively informed guidance strategies. A formative usability evaluation involving eleven visually impaired participants provides preliminary empirical evidence regarding usability, accessibility, and perceived usefulness of the proposed interaction model. The framework establishes a foundation for future research on inclusive and adaptive AI-based navigation systems in urban environments.