Is the milk expired? What seasoning is this? Do my socks match? These are everyday things that seeing people take for granted. However, there is a whole community of people who are blind or have low vision who need assistance with these tasks. Because of this, Hans Jørgen Wiberg launched an app in 2015, allowing seeing people to help. Be My Eyes is a completely free tool for users to video message volunteers when they need assistance.
“The technology itself is not complicated but it’s the idea that resonates with people.”
When the company first launched, they put out one press release. They feared that there would be tons of requests for assistance and not enough volunteers to help. It went viral. In just one day, the app received 10 thousand volunteers and 1 thousand users. Today, they are at over 3 million volunteers and 190 thousand users from 175+ countries speaking 200+ languages.
Getting Involved
Being on the app is not the only way to volunteer, although it is the most direct. During the Super Bowl this year, users shared written and audio descriptions of the game as well as commercials using #bemyeyes and #bemyeyesexperience. Spreading the word about the app is also a huge way of helping.
On June 30, 2019, a user on Twitter that goes by the handle @Ellsmoove_ posted about a call he received from the app to help a user pick out almond milk. The post went viral! From that post alone, the app received half a million new volunteers. People want to help. They just need the opportunity to do so.
Partnerships
Be My Eyes has also partnered with companies such as Microsoft and Google in their Specialized Help Program to provide direct product assistance to users. This idea came about when Windows had a new software upgrade and the app was receiving a spike in calls. They reached out to Microsoft to form a call center that specializes in helping the blind and low-vision community with their services.
Since then, they have grown their partnership with 9 additional companies to offer specialized help and are working to continue to grow that list. In return for partnering with Be My Eyes, companies are able to get real-world usability test results, be more inclusive in their product reach, and strengthen the brand’s image.
“The connection it gives your company to the blind community is really strong. You’re getting real feedback on what is or isn’t working for people. And you help keep the service totally free to users.”
Receiving Calls
When a user makes a call on the app, the app runs through an algorithm that determines who gets a call and sends the call out to multiple people. Whoever picks up first will be connected.
“When you’re waiting for help, the difference between 10 and 15 seconds could be an eternity.”
A volunteer and a user are connected based on:
- Spoken language – pairing people with someone who speaks the same language
- Timezone – making sure volunteers are not receiving calls in the middle of the night
- Moving to the back of the line – Once you have received a call, you will move to the back of the queue until it cycles through again. That way, you won’t feel like you are getting spammed or overwhelmed with calls. With so many more volunteers than users, someone can go months without receiving a call.
After the call, users and volunteers will get the option to thumb up or thumb down the experience with their call. There could be a range of reasons for a thumb down from connection problems to someone who was being rude or offensive. Those cases are immediately sent to the Be My Eyes team which then takes a look at the problem and acts on a solution.
Coming Up
This year, Be My Eyes aim to continue the growth of their community and partnerships along with sharing stories from the community within the app. They will be going into Season 2 of their Be My Eyes Podcast. They have also been invited to the Dubai World Expo 2020 where there are 190 participating countries and millions of visitors. The subthemes this year are Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability.