Digital Trail Maps
A mobile wayfinding site UX/UI Case Study
A Digital Wayfinding Solution
LISTEN
IDENTIFY PROBLEM
ENGAGE
DIGEST
BUILD
RESEARCH
ANALYZE
DESIGN
FINISH
DELIVER
LISTEN
IDENTIFY PROBLEM
Why Digital Trail Maps?
The Heart Trail is a curated walking experience throughout downtown Baton Rouge, LA. This 3 mile trail is connected by 9" inch ground decals laid out every 50 feet, guiding the user turn by turn. The project's goal is to encourage citizens and visitors to experience the heart of the community through a guided trail using the cities existing sidewalks. After 2 years since it's installation, the ground decals began to show wear and tear and will require replacement. This replacement is time consuming and very expensive, causing decals to maintain the integrity of the trail's wayfinding responsibilities.
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WAYFINDING DECALS
01 DAYS
WAYFINDING DECALS
AUDIT
WAYFINDING DECALS
500 DAYS
The Heart Trail suffers from one crucial liability, if a single ground decal is removed or damaged, the user could become lost. Not to mention, the cost to replace or maintain the 350 pieces required to connect the entire trail. After a design workshop, a strong design solution emerged utilizing smart phones and Google Maps.
USER RESEARCH
ENGAGE
RESEARCH
02.4: Usability Testing
02.3: Surveys
02.2: User Focus / Groups
02.1: Interviews
Before we can begin to layout the interface, we need to understand who we designing for. By conducting interviews or surveys with the project's users, we hope to gain the crucial pain points the Heart Trail may be experiencing.
ANALYZE
DIGEST
EXTRACTING DESIGN FROM DATA
In this step, we will take all of the information gathered from our discussions, interviews, surveys, and usability testing and distill the most important elements. To build this data set, we need to build the following bits of information;
Adam Caar
Product Designer
BIO:
Adam is senior level Product Designer who enjoys working on beautiful industrial problems in the southeast region. He recently started his own practice and is not able to afford a traditional office, but needs a space to set up his work and separate from his home space.
AGE: 25
FAMILY: Single
LOCATION: Baton Rouge, LA
PERSONALITY: ENTP
GOALS: To locate a shared space that is professional enough to bring clients, yet flexible on pricing and contracts
Frustrations: Yearly leases that are 2-5 year terms and very expensive.
Motivations: Clean and professional spaces, secure offices, affordable prices, fast and reliable internet.
Rebecca Harley
Real Estate Agent
BIO:
Rebecca is a veteran real estate agent in the southeast region. With flexible hours and a demanding work environment, she does not need the traditional office 24/7, but rather a space to bring clients to review listings and close deals.
AGE: 36
FAMILY: Married
LOCATION: Baton Rouge, LA
PERSONALITY: ENTJ
GOALS: Locate a flexible shared space for daily rentals for meetings and document reviews.
Frustrations: Yearly leases that are 2-5 year terms and very expensive.
Motivations: Clean and professional spaces, secure offices, daily rates, conference rooms, and professional staff to greet clients.
Samuel Atkinson
PhD Candidate - Literature
BIO:
Sam recently started his PhD courses in 19th century literature and loves get lost in his work. From reading and writing, Sam enjoys a quiet space without distraction. He also loves his two dogs, Salt and Pepper and takes them everywhere he can
AGE: 31
FAMILY: Married
LOCATION: Baton Rouge, LA
PERSONALITY: INFJ
GOALS: Find another space beside the outdated library and traditional coffee shops.
Frustrations: Loud and crowded coffee shops, libraries that are outdated and do not offer a space to leave your supplies.
Motivations: Locate an affordable space that will allow for zero distractions and for Sam to leave his work laying around as he works.
With smart phones in nearly every pocket, we aimed to utilize a new mobile website that behaved like an app to guide the user throughout the entire experience. From onboarding to tracking your current location, we had to create a platform that would assist the users every need throughout a 3 mile walk.
The Solution: Digital Maps
THE FINAL SOLUTION
The Heart Trail organization's mobile website was constructed around the usability of an application. We achieved an important goal by overlaying any Heart Trail map on the user's Google Maps within two clicks. The mobile website also includes a FAQ, project narrative, contact forum, and more.