On this post a document the interventions that will be taking place until the end of the course.
Index:
- Recommended tour and map design
- Testing the first prototype of the app
Recommended tour and map design
(28/09/2021)
Here, I kind of merged two interventions into one for more practicality. There were two main things I wanted to get stakeholders’ feedback on:
The first one was whether there should be an option to choose a “recommended route”, which is an idea that had been mentioned a couple of times during my summer interventions. Going back to having a controlled tour does not particularly excite me as earlier in the project I moved away from this type of structure to a more free and explorative vision of the tourist experience. Nonetheless, I must consider what my stakeholders gravitate towards.
The second thing I wanted to explore was related to app design. As I have just started the process of designing the app, I wanted to ask my stakeholders what sort of colour palette and style they would prefer for the map that will be featured, as it is one of the main elements.
As I have created images on adobe illustrator, this intervention is also an opportunity to experiment with designs and, therefore, get a better idea of what the final product may end up looking like.
The intervention
This intervention is quite simple, I have created a few images, which I attached to a survey to collect answers.
Recommended tour images:
The screenshot above is the first thing that participants see when they start the survey. It asks them to imagine that they are in Venice and that they are using this app to get the most out of the city. It also quickly explains how the app works and that on the next image they will have two options to choose from.
Once they see this image they need to choose between (explore Venice Freely) or (Try the recommended Tour). The idea is to see which option gets interacted with the most.
Map design images:
Next, I ask the participants to select their preferred colour palette and then map aesthetic.
Results:
Through this survey, I found out that 82% of participants would have picked the “Explore Venice freely” button. This is a relief for me as the core concept of the app (non-linear exploration) seems to appeal to people.
When it came to the map design 82% of participants preferred the light blue tones. The top rated map was number 4, which is also the one I found to be the most appropriate, plus the colour reminds me of the Venice lagoon.
What I have learned:
It gave me an idea of how the home page of the app may look like in the future. I am starting to come up with a basic structure and design, which is helping me materialise my ideas. I was also able to see that the concept of explorative tourist experience is appealing to my stakeholders.
Furthermore, I now know what style of map to use in the future.
I was also pointed out by my tutor that the design may have suggested to the participants to choose the option that I wanted, especially with (explore Venice freely or try the recommended route). I wished more people to opt for “explore Venice freely” as it embodies the free exploration experience that I am trying to promote. The other option reminded me too much of the controlled itineraries that I was trying to avoid. Therefore, on the design “Explore Venice freely” came first, which may have influenced the participants.
What I could have done better:
I could have tested more elements of my design such as different versions of the logo or the overall colour palette.
In the future I will try to be more scientific and not try to manipulate the participants’ answer.
Testing the first prototype of the app:
(2/12/2021-4/12/2021)
I tested the prototype with some stakeholders. Unfortunately, it does not yet allow to use geolocation, although it is possible, it would take longer to apply. So, for this first attempt, we came up with an alternative, which simulates the original model. We can move a character on the screen with a virtual joystick (the character hovers over an icon and the anecdote appears).
(You can watch some screen grab videos of the app in App design)
To gather results, I went for a qualitative approach and asked the participants for feedback conversationally following a few basic questions:
- How would you rate the overall design of the app?
- How would you rate de user friendliness of the app?
- Would you use it if you were to go to Venice?
- Additional comments
What went well:
They liked most aspects of the design, like the colour scheme, the minimalistic style, the language used in the texts, and the audio version, which was thought very immersive.
Some have also expressed that they really enjoy the self-navigation aspect that the app promotes and feel that there is enough on the map to know that wherever they go there will be something interesting to learn.
What can be improved:
I was pointed out that it would be better if the audio voice did not automatically start, so that the user can choose whether to read or listen. I completely agree with that, I actually had not noticed this aspect of the app.
The digital designer who reviewed it noticed practical details like some buttons being slightly off the screen or that the joystick was a little confusing at the beginning, as it is more intuitive to directly touch the screen in order to navigate.
They unanimously did not love the stickman walking around. I understand, it does look a little creepy and threatening when it walks. It could easily be replaced by some sort of dot or icon.
I found that it was very difficult to make something user friendly for older demographics. For instance, people from a younger age group were not phased at all by the loading page, but the more mature participants did not necessarily understand that they had to press on the explore button.
Additional thoughts:
One of the stakeholders proposed an extra feature. She noted that as the historical facts show that was connected to the world, it would be nice to design a feature that somehow links the origin of the user with the app. Maybe that one can use a filter to get anecdotes that are related to where the user comes from. However, although I understand the appeal, I do not want to limit people’s experience. I would like to preserve a sense of randomness that instigates exploration and teaches about many different things, not only the one we choose.
When I asked whether the participants would be interested in using this app, I got an answer that touched on something I had not considered before, which was advertisement. How would I grab my stakeholders’ attention? It is something interesting to think about in the future. Perhaps spreading posters and QR codes around the city and starting a social media account.