These color codes are called NaviLens, smart digital codes whose goal is to make spaces more accessible and to empower people with visual impairments (and other types of disabilities). For the team behind the codes, “technology must be used to include, not to exclude.” NaviLens is therefore a perfect example of how technology, when used well, can support an entire community.

A GUIDE DOG THAT DOESN’T NEED TO BE FED

NaviLens is a mobile app that allows users to scan digital codes placed in public spaces so that people with visual impairments can perceive their surroundings without needing to see them. You might ask: why not just use regular QR codes? Well, these striking codes aren’t there just because they look cool; they have a reason.

First of all, the technology allows them to be scanned from far away (12–15 meters) without having to get close. In addition, they can be detected without precise aiming and while the user is walking or moving, something essential for people with visual impairments. Unlike standard QR codes, which require the camera to be focused steadily for a few seconds, NaviLens codes are read almost instantly. As the team explains: “The idea was for the phone’s camera to act like an eye, and the code to act like signage.” Last but not least, the app can detect several codes at the same time, presenting them to the user in an organized and user-friendly way.

So how do these codes help users in practice? Imagine this: you’re at San Mamés Metro station in Bilbao, but you can’t see the information screens, you don’t know which platform to go to, and you can’t find the elevator. All you need to do is open the app, move your phone around slightly, and the app will explain everything you need through the speaker.

There are two free apps available for IOS and Android. The first is called NaviLens (as it is) and is designed for people with visual impairments or total blindness. The second, nevertheless, is called NaviLens GO and it’s aimed at people with low vision or other disabilities, and it presents information visually but in a very simplified way and in multiple formats (audio guide, easy reading, sign language, simple symbols, etc.). With over 100,000 downloads and an average rating of more than 4.5/5 in app stores, users generally rate the app very positively, emphasizing how important these tools are for empowering people with different disabilities.

Feedback from users is extremely important to the NaviLens team. This is by no means a one-sided effort. As they explain: “We believe it’s essential to rely on the help and feedback of users and of all the institutions that understand the current needs and challenges faced by people with disabilities. From the very beginning, our obsession has been to ensure that the technology is truly useful for users. That’s why we’ve worked closely with people with visual impairments and with the associations that represent them. We have several channels through which we receive suggestions for improvement and feedback about the different applications. Every day we receive emails with messages of support or ideas for improvement. We organize sessions and workshops with users and associations where we help them learn how NaviLens works, and at the same time we take note of their feedback. We also conduct user testing during some implementations to evaluate the usefulness of the technology on-site and identify potential improvements. Feedback can also be sent through the apps themselves. We log even the smallest issue reported by users in order to correct it and establish continuous improvement processes. We know that one of the reasons for NaviLens’ success is that it is designed by and for users.”

HOW TO FIT INFORMATION INTO COLORFUL LITTLE SQUARES

But how does this technology work? How is it possible to store information in such a unique image?

Let’s start by talking about scannable codes in general. QR codes are a modern version of traditional barcodes, the ones that usually identify products so that checkout scanners can recognize what’s being sold. In barcodes, information is encoded in the bars and spaces, with each element (of varying widths) representing small binary character strings. This makes each code unique and easily identifiable. In this case, information is stored and read horizontally, from left to right.

QR codes work differently. Although they also store information using binary code, they do so in a completely different way: each small square (or sometimes dot) represents a bit. Different patterns allow the creation of numbers, letters, or both, making it possible to store websites, contact cards, or even payment methods. Unlike barcodes, QR codes can be read both horizontally and vertically, and their size varies: from a minimum of 21×21 squares to a maximum of 177×177 squares.

You may also have noticed that QR codes have larger squares in the corners. These help devices scan the code correctly. Even if the code is upside down, tilted, or moving, these corner squares, called alignment and positioning markers, tell the camera how to read the code properly.

Now let’s look at NaviLens codes. As you’ve probably noticed, they don’t look like traditional QR codes, and that’s precisely what makes them so accessible. Although, like QR codes, they are matrix codes (both store data in a grid), NaviLens uses its own encoding and detection system with several distinguishing features that make them extremely easy to scan and use.

First, they use highly contrasting colors that are easy to differentiate, helping cameras detect them even in low-light conditions. Each block is large and regular, unlike QR codes, making detection much easier even while moving or when the image is blurry. Earlier we mentioned alignment markers, which NaviLens codes don’t seem to have at first glance. That’s because each code has its own unique “fingerprint” made of color patterns, allowing the algorithm to instantly identify the code’s edges, orientation, and size.

Overall, NaviLens uses a completely different type of code from anything we currently know, making it extremely easy to detect and decode—and helping to create a truly innovative technology that genuinely contributes to society. Simply put, NaviLens is on a whole other level.

IN BILBAO METRO, NEW YORK, AND AT HOME

It’s no coincidence that NaviLens is one of the most beloved accessibility brands worldwide. Born in Murcia, the project has traveled to 140 countries, reaching iconic locations such as the New York City subway, the University of Dublin, and train systems across the UK. Not to mention the center of the world: Bilbao, of course. Fun fact: Bilbao Metro surpassed 100 million passenger journeys for the first time in 2024. According to the Department of Social Action (2020), there are more than 66,800 people with disabilities in Bizkaia, representing 5.8% of the total population. Thanks to systems like NaviLens (and others), these spaces are far more accessible, not only for that percentage, but for everyone. Out of those 100 million trips, can you imagine how many people pulled out their NaviLens app to scan those colorful squares?

Many well-known brands have also adopted these codes for their products, brands like Pantene, Pringles, Coca-Cola, Kellogg’s, and Nivea, among many others. This allows people with visual impairments to access more information about the products they consume.

And don’t worry—you don’t have to be a big, famous company to use NaviLens. Remember, NaviLens is here to help. On their website, you can convert any QR code into an accessible NaviLens code completely free of charge. As they explain: “From the very beginning of the project, we knew that for NaviLens to expand and generate real impact, it was essential for users to have easy access to the technology.” So if you own a restaurant, have designed an informational poster, or want to promote your business, you can do so in a way that people with visual impairments can also enjoy. “Our goal is for any person, organization, or content creator to be able to make their QR codes accessible, without economic or technical barriers,” they tell us.

And even though NaviLens has already reached the entire world, their mission continues: “Now what we want is to turn it into an accessibility standard; present everywhere, in every country, and on every product or service. Only then will we ensure that no one is left out, and only then will NaviLens have fulfilled its mission.”

So if, at the beginning of this text, you admitted that you’d never noticed these codes before, you’ll probably remember them now every time you’re at a bus stop, visiting a museum, or traveling by metro. Because behind this cutting-edge and fascinating technology, there’s a team of people focused on helping an entire community and doing it spectacularly well.