An offline location map that can help track you and your teammates' location when doing recreational activities outdoors.
Role: UX designer, UX researcher . Project: Mobile UX . Individual Project . 2021
Summary:
With more and more people interested in hiking, safety concerns such as altitude sickness and getting lost are put to light. HIKONECT provides a solution, enabling people to stay connected with their group while on a hiking trip. The APP is designed for an outdoor environment with no cellular or internet connection, by people who use smartphones and are familiar with using technology.
This is an individual project I worked on in an interaction design course. I conducted research and prototyped the product based on much feedback from users, peers, and instructors.
The Process
1. Interview Key findings
6 Interviewees: Hiking beginners(1-2 years experience) . Experienced hiker . Physical therapist
The needfinding process shows that when going outdoors, target users mostly have the goal of experiencing nature, work-life balance, and bonding and connecting with other people.
The following are the three top key findings:
1. Beginners in hiking do research mainly on hiking gear and FAQs, but not so much on first aid treatment.
2. Beginners strongly rely on hiking leaders, and more experienced friends while going outdoors, trusting that they can handle emergencies.
3. The biggest concern on safety is getting lost, altitude sickness, and hypothermia.
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2. Personas
I created personas according to my interviewee's experiences and pain points.
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3. The rationale for design decision - QOC
I used the QOC method (Questions, Options, and Criteria), on deciding what would be a more practical project, considering factors such as if the tool could be of frequent use, or whether it can provide aid in emergencies. After looking through four tools, the offline location map best corresponds to the users’ needs.
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4. Storymapping - storyboard sketch
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Main Functions
Save offline maps:
Users can begin a trip by creating a journey. To create a trip, users have to search for the area of the map they want to download on their mobile device, for access when there is no connection. There is also an additional function where they can choose if they want to save the weather forecast as well. Both saving a map and relevant weather information supports the goal of keeping hikers safe and informed.
Connect with friends:
Users can choose to either scan their QRcode or use Bluetooth to connect, and look for their usernames. After finding their friend, they can be added to a friends list, which later on can be used to create a group. A group can be formed by putting in the journey detail and adding friends from the friend list. Once a group is created, you can see each other’s location on the map.
S.O.S. function:
Users can see the location and connection information of team members. If a user lost connection, the map would change their status to "disconnected". The S.O.S. button would also light up, so users can have the option to call the nearest emergency teams through satellite phones.
