Urban pedestrians often face unwanted interruptions from street fundraisers and public solicitors in crowded areas. These encounters, while sometimes for good causes, can create discomfort and inefficiency for people simply trying to navigate public spaces. There's currently no system to help people anticipate and avoid these interactions while maintaining their daily routines.

A Crowdsourced Solution for Smoother Navigation

One approach could involve creating a mobile app that crowdsources real-time data about solicitor locations. Users could report sightings with details like organization type and interaction style, while others could view these as heatmaps or pins on a map interface. The system might offer:

• Customizable route suggestions to avoid high-density solicitor areas
• Integration with existing navigation apps for automatic rerouting
• Time-sensitive data that automatically expires to ensure freshness

The value would grow with user participation - more reports would mean better accuracy and coverage. While primarily helping avoid unwanted interactions, the data could also benefit charities by showing them over-saturated areas or optimal times for fundraising.

Balancing Utility with Sensitivity

For such a system to work well, several considerations would be important. The reporting mechanism would need safeguards against false information, possibly through verification systems or reputation scores for frequent contributors. The positioning would need to emphasize time management rather than being anti-charity - perhaps even allowing charities to participate voluntarily.

Initial versions could start simple, with basic mapping and reporting functions, then evolve based on usage patterns. More advanced features might include predictive modeling of solicitor locations or integration with urban planning tools. The key would be creating enough immediate value that users want to participate, while developing systems that maintain data quality as the user base grows.