Mixed Reality Mobile App
Client
Student Project
Role
Product Designer
Year
2017
The Problem
Visiting a new city is always exciting, and walking around to explore new sites and landmarks is usually first on travelers’ agendas. But without a guidebook or local expert, it can be hard to know what building is in front of you, or what street to walk down next. How can travelers learn more about their new surroundings while still feeling independent and capable of navigating new locations alone?
Research
In order to ensure I had a comprehensive understanding how people use their mobile devices during travel experiences, I ran multiple rounds of research. I conducted interviews to gain user insights, and ran market analysis to get a better idea of what different companies are doing with image recognition.
All users interviewed said they carry mobile devices during travel, and most researched their trips before arriving at their destinations, but feel as though they miss out on some history and other information about the places they visit. Users also mentioned feeling disconnected while having to thumb through their mobile devices while on vacation.
Implementation
Through concept testing and user feedback I was able to work through two iterations. Suggestions like landscape mode and saving capabilities made their way into the final design.
After a final round of user testing and feedback I was able to create a clean first version of the Waldo app. One final feature added in based on user feedback was the slider at the top lefthand side of the screen. The slider prevents users from information overload, and allows them to control the radius of Waldo. As users zoom in and out with the slider, they can see more of the tagged sites around them, or focus in on the one they’re looking at.
