Walc, A Navigation App for Pedestrians

Google and Apple Maps are ubiquitous for GPS navigation, and Waze is popular with commuters, but urban pedestrians are left out when it comes to navigation apps. Your GPS might be able to give you turn-by-turn directions, but these can be counterintuitive for walking in the city.

Allison McGuire, founder and CEO, Walc, was familiar with the frustration, and decided to develop a more natural way of giving directions by utilizing landmarks. Most people can’t calculate what 0.2 miles is when walking down a street, so instead of feeding you cold metrics, Walc gives directions the way humans do, by utilizing landmarks. Now instead of turning onto Broadway in a quarter mile, pedestrians are instructed to make a left at the Starbucks.

It may seem like a relatively simple change, but if you’ve ever dealt with a GPS after walking out of a train station, you’ll know how much simpler it is get directions based on what you are seeing. Walc asks users if they can see a particular landmark, and calculates directions based on common walking routes. Other navigation apps stick to following the roads, but Walc can give you a shortcut through the park.

The app also incorporates information on nearby businesses, aiming to make the neighborhood feel more like home and thus more walkable. Walc is available on Android and iOS. Learn more at walc.me.