Vlada and Michał Bortnik launched Marco Polo after the birth of their second child. The busy couple needed a way to stay in touch with family scattered across time zones, so they built an app that let them record private video messages – without worrying about likes and followers.
While Marco Polo’s functionality may seem standard among social apps, its design ethos is less so.
“We only build technology that is good for our community’s wellbeing,” Vlada says. “We don’t sell our users’ data or employ manipulative algorithms to increase time spent in the app.”
The Bortniks’ mission is to help all loved ones feel closer. That’s why Marco Polo was built from the ground up to support iOS accessibility features such as VoiceOver, Voice Control and Reduce Motion. Here’s a look at a few of the ways Vlada and Michał have gone above and beyond to ensure no one gets left out.
Flip the script
Many social apps mirror the playback of selfie videos – a practice that flips the face-to-face experience of communicating in sign language.
“Members of the Deaf community told us sign language was coming through backward and difficult to read,” Vlada says. “Marco Polo’s purpose is to make people feel close; if the way we built the camera got in the way of that, we needed to fix it.”
You’ll find the fix in the app’s settings: Go to Help & About Us > Accessibility, then toggle on Flip Front-Facing Camera.
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The app’s closed-captioning feature, which adds subtitles a few seconds after you’ve finished recording a video message, was added to improve accessibility. It ended up improving the experience for all users too.
“Captions are used every day by people watching on mute, whether at work, on public transit or in waiting rooms,” Vlada says.
Show your true colours
After learning that the app’s colour palette made navigation a challenge for some users, Marco Polo refreshed its colours and typeface to improve contrast and legibility.
“We rely on the people who use Marco Polo to show us what we can’t see. That feedback loop is the foundation of how the app continues to evolve,” Vlada says. “When someone tells us what needs to change, we act. I hope that sends a clear signal: You belong here.”