What Makes Hong Kong an Accessible Destination?
8 Lessons in Everyday UX
On my recent travels, Hong Kong surprised me with how thoughtfully it welcomes every kind of traveller. From parents navigating with prams to wheelchair users exploring the city with ease, accessibility felt seamlessly built into daily life. Interactive train lights, clear picture menus, and intuitive signage all reflected a city designed for comfort, clarity, and inclusion.
Here are eight real-world examples of user experience (UX) in action, and what they can teach us about designing for families, mobility, and everyday joy.
1. Project Dignity
At the entrance of Project Dignity, a social enterprise restaurant, visitors are greeted by the heart-warming story of its mission: employing marginalised communities and disabled people. The dining experience matched the message. Staff guided us through an image-based menu and served beautifully presented dishes with warmth and pride.
Tip: Visitors appreciate knowing they’re supporting values-driven places, especially when kindness and empathy shine through every interaction.
Image: Project Dignity Logo.
2. Picture communication
In restaurants and buildings across Hong Kong, picture-based communication made navigation and ordering effortless. Image menus helped us choose dishes quickly, while lift directories displayed shop logos and floor numbers, saving time for multilingual visitors. We even downloaded our own images to communicate dietary needs, proof that good design empowers users to adapt.
Tip: Use visuals to make life easier. For families juggling strollers, bags, and hungry kids, clear images reduce stress and help decisions happen faster.
Image of Lift with restaurant food logo.
Image: Visual lift map.
3. Progressive lights
On the airport train, a row of progressive LED lights brightened gradually as we approached the next stop, like a physical progress bar. It was intuitive, delightful, and practical. If a delay occurred, passengers could instantly gauge their position between stations.
Tip: Keep parents in the know. Clear visual cues help families plan their next move, whether that’s preparing to exit with a pram or calming a restless child mid-journey.
Image: Airport train.
4. Flashing lights
Local trains used a simpler but equally effective system: flashing yellow lights to signal the next station. For tired travellers or those with hearing difficulties, this visual cue offered reassurance and reduced anxiety about missing their stop.
Tip: Communicate across senses. Families often multitask (tending to children while navigating new spaces) so combining sound, light, and movement ensures no one misses important information.
Image: Local train.
5. Ground Priority signs
At MTR stations, bright red floor signs marked areas for parents, wheelchair users, and elderly passengers. Their size and colour made them visible from ten metres away, simplifying travel and reducing uncertainty.
Tip: Make priorities obvious. Clear, bold signage helps parents know exactly where to wait with a stroller, turning crowded spaces into calmer, more organised environments.
Image: Floor sign.
6. Accessibility signs on the ceiling
In addition to ground signs, ceiling-mounted yellow lift indicators ensured accessibility information could be seen from anywhere. The consistent colour system: red for platforms, yellow for lifts; helped travellers instantly recognise where to go.
Tip: Think in layers. Parents often look up, down, and around while navigating with kids or prams, so providing visible guidance at every level makes movement smoother and more intuitive.
Image: Train station signage.
7. Visual aesthetics
Even in Hong Kong’s dense cityscape, designers found ways to create pockets of joy. At Olympic City, mirrored pillars reflected greenery from potted planters, doubling the visual effect and softening the urban environment. This illusion of space turned a busy walkway into a calming experience.
Tip: Design with calm in mind. Small aesthetic details, like greenery, light, and reflection, can turn hectic family outings into moments of ease and delight.
Image: Bridge to Shopping mall.
8. “Recycle Me” diagram
Sustainability communication was clear and inclusive. A milk carton’s illustrated recycling guide explained each step visually, ensuring understanding regardless of language. This simple pictorial UX encouraged responsible behaviour through design.
Tip: Make it simple for families to do the right thing. When recycling and sustainability cues are clear and visual, parents can teach children eco-friendly habits naturally in daily routines.
Image: Milk cartoon.
Bringing it all together
Hong Kong’s urban design shows how inclusivity, communication, and delight can coexist. From accessible transport systems to heart-driven restaurants, every experience felt intentionally designed for real people.
As a designer, walking through Hong Kong was like stepping inside a living UX case study, a reminder that great design doesn’t just make life easier; it makes it more human.