IntuPark is a collaborative mobile app project aimed to provide users with the resources to make better-informed decisions in planning a visit to local parks and improving the overall user experience.
The visual demonstration here is the general use case of the Intupark App. A typical experience is by no means linear but rather provided to the user on a "want to know" basis.
Parks are primarily filtered via recreation type, full facilities listing, and on an individual basis as selectable on the map. Additional information such as parking lot statuses and walkway density are also included to showcase Intupark's diverse capabilities.
Noticeably, all screens with the exception of the initial browse contain a check-in function. The incentive being that of participation in exchange for points allocated towards the rewards program offered in the near future.
The value of providing facility and park data is only outweighed in importance by its accuracy and thus essential to Intupark's purpose as a whole. This is especially apparent during the foundational stages, when the database is sparse. As such, there is a substantial emphasis on the report function, which covers multiple traffic points within parks:
For demonstration purposes, the video simulates status changes taking effect immediately, whereas status changes would only take effect if enough similar validated user responses are amassed and verified.
Note: There are considerations to reward users for their due diligence in reporting inaccuracies provided that the criteria of authenticity in their submission is met.
While data accuracy is crucial to the function of Intupark, the social facet via the community tab is what contributes to a truly inclusive and pivotal community forging experience.
In terms of utility, the community page is the users' foray into fitness and recreational activities on all levels of organization. Customization is simple and searches will help to identify their preferences.
As one could guess, the profile tab is where the user has the utmost autonomy to customize their park-going agenda to better serve their interests. This is also where many of the cross tab interaction occurs. Namely the home park and community group pages, with the former serving as a centre point for rapid-access whilst the latter houses all the social hubs the user belongs to.
The Intupoints reward system/program aforementioned is explained in full detail here via the information icon pull out. The points accrued are also displayed boldly in the mid-section of the profile.
The initial research consisted of three successive rounds of surveys on the Reddit platform and facebook groups and garnered 203 responses which measured quantitative responses.
We conducted interviews with park-goers. A few of the interview questions that were asked:
The survey provided quantitative data on the extent and reach of the problem. Before conducting the survey, it was important to recognize and avoid any biases that can affect the results. Street safety can vary depending on the location that the participant is from, to keep consistency I focused on Toronto. Despite being regarded as one of the safest cities in the world, it was interesting to see that the majority of the female participants and members of the LGBT communities did not feel safe traveling at night. A majority of the participants had experienced some form of street harassment. A surprisingly 24% of those participants experienced life-threatening harassment.
Intupark does not have a direct competitor in the traditional sense, instead I drew parallels to apps such as Google Maps, Planet Fitness, and Meetup. These platforms provide vital utility ranging from location based API to physical fitness metric tracking to social and community frameworks.
As such the aim is to create a platform housing similar utilities with the purpose of expediency for casual users and to expand the user pool to encapsulate amateur and intramural teams in the community. Below are key takeaways of the aforementioned competitors that provided the basis of Intupark's initial design.
We brainstormed multiple ideas to solve problems that were outlined in our research. We focused on what kind of information users would want to know prior to commuting to a park, and how we could present the information. A few key features that we wanted to include:
We understood that to have accurate up-to-date information regarding parks status, we needed to depend on community efforts to use our app check-in and report feature. To increase and encourage the usage of our app, IntuPark needs to have a presence at local parks. Intupark beacons could also help track when people arrive and leave the facility, improving the accuracy of facility status.
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Installation of beacons can help track when users arrive and leave a facility. The beacon provides a simple, convenient, and most importantly, exciting way to improve accuracy.
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Here we begin with a general use case, the MVP and where users would derive the most value in the app as an expedient and dependable tool for updated traffic and condition statuses of any given park facility.
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A demonstration of the path that users can take to report inaccurate park data. The app will also find alternative parks that users can reroute to.
The diagram shows how the users can use the community section to discover and join upcoming events and groups that share similar interests.
From the onset we sought to construct a compact design inspired from widget and dashboards layouts. We felt that minimizing steps to obtain the information would best maximize a user's time needed for commute and recreation respectively.
Image shows the initial iteration of the general use wireframes and notification module for change in vacancy status whilst an individual is in route to their destination.
To test the functionality of our app, we conducted usability studies in low fidelity. Participants were given the Adobe XD prototype, and were asked to accomplish a set of tasks. We asked participants to record how they navigated through the prototype, while sharing their thought processes. We were not present in the testing because we wanted to mimic a real-life situation of how a new user would interact with the prototype.
Users had difficulty completing tasks due to misinterpreting icons and their meaning. We decided to adjust the design to use simple text over icons whenever applicable. We realized that functionality was more important than visual aesthetics.
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We created Safe Path design system to keep consistency in the usage of the company’s branding, colors, typography, iconography, UI components, and elements.
The decision in selecting the bright turquoise colour was to lighten the design and evoke a feel of vigor and inclusion.
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I had previously created a design system on my previous projects. The benefits of using a design system became more prevalent in a collaborative environment. Me and my partner had a different design style,and we each designed a different screen. Having style guidelines and components allowed us to make designs that are efficient and consistent and throughout the app.
A design needs to be easily understood before it can be aesthetics. If the users cannot complete it’s intended action, the app doesn’t provide any value.
