Darwin
Naturalism Reimagined
Many people would like to explore nature but do not feel safe. With Darwin, people can have security when they investigate nature and they can contribute as well.
By using image recognition technology to identify the plants and animals, people can learn more about the natural world around them and with alerts and notifications, feel secure.
Overview
During this assignment, I was limited to a four week time sprint. The typical GV sprint is usually a five-day process for answering critical business questions through business strategy, innovation, behavior science, and design thinking. Like Google Ventures, each week we worked on either designing, prototyping, or testing ideas with customers.
Summary
To provide a product and service for outdoor enthusiasts that makes them feel excited and safer when exploring and exercising in nature. By using database and AR technology to alert people about recent sightings Darwin allows people to experience nature like never before.
Roles & Responsibilities
Conducted user research and testing. Developed wireframes and task flows based on user needs. Collaborated with designers and developers to create intuitive, user-friendly software.
Problem
Many people feel unsafe when they are embarking on a hike, trail run or mountain bike trail by themselves. Most people want to document and track their fitness, to make sure that they are healthy and achieving goals in athleticism.
Audience
My audience consisted mainly of 26-34 year olds who enjoy nature, but felt like hiking, trail running or mountain biking alone was a bit unnerving. It should also be noted that this application is for anyone who wants to enjoy and feel safe while exploring nature and, at the same time, track their personal fitness goals.
Solution
With Darwin, the only thing to fear, is fear itself. By creating a mobile application, that not only tracks people’s fitness, but allows them to communicate with one another. With constant updates on ever growing database, people can be notified about plants or wildlife that they want to see or avoid at the click of a button.
Research and Discovery
Process
With a survey, I was able to begin the process of finding out more about people’s views on safety when exploring nature, conservation, exercise and other aspects. This allowed me to better understand my average user.
Survey Data
What I learned from this project, is that people would like to exercise more in nature. They want to explore and witness nature first hand, but are afraid of venturing out without safety measures. With my survey data, I have proof that people want to become explorers and naturalist, if they felt safer in the process.
SWOT Analysis of Pokemon Go
By reviewing Pokemon Go’s business strategy, I was able to better understand how to use opportunities in my app to capitalize on some of their weaknesses.
With a company like National Geographic who has years of experience with layout and design and digital marketing. It is possible that mirroring this strategy could be highly advantageous.
Competitive Analysis of Nike
● Strengths- Global Brand/Logo Recognition
● Advertising budget has spent over $6.3 billion in three years
● Weakness- Perception of manufacturing facilities
● Opportunity- Digital sales/marketing
● Expansion into international markets
● Threats- Maintaining positive image manufacturing products
SWOT Analysis of Nat Geo
Strengths -Wide range of programs
Opportunities - Use emerging technologies such as AR and VR
Threats - Internet reduces curiosity of exploration
Weaknesses - Unwanted advertising in programs
Competitive Analysis of Apple
Apple is the second largest smartphone company in the world. The iPhone, one of its main products, faces a number of powerful competitors in the global smartphone market. It’s global market share is 26.91% and its main competitors and their global market shares are as follows
Samsung: 29.14%
Xiaomi: 10.02%
Huawei: 09.83%
OPPO: 5.02%
Personas
For this project, I had to create three personas. Based of my survey, I choose to represent three different people. Hudson Smith, who is White and Pacific Islander, Debra Patel, who is Indian and Jessica Smith who is Black.
Hudson Smith
Motivations - Hudson wants environmental issues to be taken seriously. When he is not doing web design, he is hiking, rock climbing with friends or surfing. He loves being active and in nature.
As a surfer and hiker he has witnessed lots of evidence of littering and people not cleaning up after themselves. He really loves seeing wild animals and is always thinking about photographing or getting a video of his encounters.
Goals - Photograph and study animals quickly and easily. Not endanger himself or the animals. Accomplish tasks quickly while exploring nature.
Frustrations - Lack of time. Litterbugs. People not respecting nature
Bio - Hudson lives in Boulder, CO. He is a single 30 year old white and pacific islander male. On his days off from web design and being a design consultant he enjoys going to a national park with his friends or by himself. He loves nature and if he can he will take a flight out of Colorado and try to go surfing whenever possible.
Debra Patel
Motivations - Debra is eager to get her book on botany published for her dissertation. She hikes all over Florida to find rare and exotic species of plants. She loves mountain biking and enjoys playing tennis with her husband and daughter.
She is an avid environmentalist and wants people to enjoy and respect nature. She wants to show other women around the world that they can be just as adventurous as men.
Goals - Document rare plant species in the Everglades National Park. Not get eaten by a saltwater crocodile or Burmese python. Accomplish tasks quickly while hiking through dangerous areas. Report people who abuse or destroy fragile ecosystems and the animals that inhibit them.
Frustrations - Worries about safety, carrying too much gear and feeling over-encumbered and having gear get ruined or lost in the swamp
Bio - Debra lives in Key Largo, FL. She is a 33 year old Indian female who works for a biotech company studying botany. She has a loving husband and 12 year old daughter. On her days off she enjoys playing tennis and goes on hikes in the Everglades to work on achieving her PhD. She likes to go on walks with her daughter and husband.
Jessica Wilson
Motivations -Jessica has desires to travel more. She works hard as an IT manager helping her company stay efficient, secure and nimble. She believes in volunteering time to help the community and she strives to photograph more on her down time when she is away from work.
She wants to have an active life outside of work with her husband. She loves nature documentaries and watches them often with her husband and friends.
Goals - Travel safely to remote areas. Achieve goals when traveling to parks or other remote destinations. She wants to learn about nature and aspects of wildlife conservation.
Frustrations - Lack of time. Nervous about navigating trails . Not being healthy. Being stuck inside a IT center workspace for most of her week.
Bio - Jessica lives in Memphis, TN. She is a 28 year old black female. She has a husband. On her days off she enjoys going to the bowling alley, watching nature documentaries and making travel plans for parks that she wants to visit. She likes to go on walks with her husband in her favorite park.
Persona: Jessica Wilson
Jessica has done well for herself. She is in charge of a large IT department and has a great salary and benefits. Unfortunately, she does not get to exercise or get out in nature as often as she would like. She loves her friends and her family. She often goes bowling with her husband and friends, but dreams of planning camping getaways.
Pain Points
Jessica works from 10:00-7:30 Monday thru Friday as a IT manager for an aerospace and defense company in the Memphis, TN. She has little time to get outside in nature. Her husband is working part-time and spending most of the time helping their bowling league make it to the semi-finals. They often watch nature documentaries and desire to get outside more and go camping.
Gain Points
Jessica has a great work ethic and loves her community. She works helping her business manage projects or networking issues. She has made great friends with their bowling league. Her strong community ties have allowed Jessica to volunteer her time to get inner city youth more involved in nature and science.
Jessica Wilson
For the rest of the project I choose Jessica as my sole persona for user flows. Since, she accurately depicts the data that I gathered and because she shows how trends in outdoor activities may change with the advancement of technology.
User Flow #1
Jessica is using Darwin for the first time and needs to access to mountain biking trails. She can access them quickly and on the way she identifies some plants and trees.
User Flow # 2
Jessica is using Darwin for the first time and is interested in finding specific wildlife. She can find trails where reptiles were recently spotted. She soon is on her way to identifying wildlife, plants, trees and other aspects of nature, which she can share with an online community.
User Flow #3
Jessica is using Darwin for the first time and needs to access to running trails. She can access them easily and on the way she identifies some birds and amphibians.
User Flow #4
Jessica is using Darwin for the first time and needs to access to hiking trails. She can access them effortlessly and on the way she identifies mammals and reptiles.
User Flow #5
Jessica is using Darwin for the first time and is interested in finding specific wildlife. She can find trails where fish were recently spotted. Soon she is on her way to identifying wildlife, plants, trees and other aspects of nature, which she can share with an online community.
Site Map
Just like a user flow map, a site map can allow a UX designer to better understand a user’s basic needs. Also, it can help designers understand how users might navigate the entire application.
With this site map, I had grand intensions of having a shop where I could show off my love for industrial design and branding. However, it is mostly designed to help people find particular hiking, running and mountain biking trails without getting lost during navigation.
Information Architecture
Minimal viable product. The MVP for any UX designer is vital for truly understanding client goals. To see how I determined my MVP, take a look at my user stories, wireframe sketches, digital wireframes and user tested tasks. These show me how people really interact when using my mobile application.
User Stories
Journey maps help us understand a typical day in the life of someone’s shoes. In this case, we have Hudson who just got done with a client website. He has some free time and wants to spend the rest of the day hiking at his favorite spot in El Dorado Canyon.
He picks his trail using Darwin and is notified about a black bear sighting, he chooses another trail and is soon at his favorite waterfall wear he is notified about a rare salamander that was seen yesterday.
Wireframe User Flow Sketch #1
User flow sketches often showcase the application in stages. Here, I am working with a rough idea on how to plan for easy attainment of MVP for my user. This quick sketch allows for me to work with developers and other designers quickly without having to open any software to make corrections.
Wireframe User Flow Sketch #2
User flow sketches are also fun ways to inspect existing technology and work on ideas that can be potentially used at a later point in time. Here, I am sketching out ideas for the Apple watch and how it can work in tandem with a user’s iPhone when operating Darwin.
Wireframe User Flow Sketch #3
User flow sketches can sometimes help me think through ideas that I cannot yet understand how to accomplish. With this sketch, I am formulating the possibilities of developing AR technology with Apple Glasses and the iPad Pro for future use with Darwin.
Wireframes
With digital wireframes, I can begin to create a skeletal structure that allows me to see spacial relationships that elements have inside the predetermined dimensions of my screen. Much of this stage is about blocking out and framing work for prototyping.
In-Person Usability Testing
With in-person user testing, I can see people’s reactions and hear instant feedback. It is the most valuable form of testing that can be done, in my opinion.
Branding
Content and branding are crucial for showcasing impact in design. With elements of design, I can showcase imagery or specific design styles that describe the mood and feel of a brand.
Brand Development
This product is for anyone who can operate a mobile device. The age range for the average customer for Darwin is 26 to 34 years old, according to Google survey data. The majority of them were Caucasian. See how I developed this brand further by coming up with designs that represent the target audience and market towards a potential shift in demographic data.
Sketches: Logo Design
Darwin is a potential mobile application for National Geographic, which is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world. Using sketching in the early stages of design I am able to better understand my goals for concepts. See how sketching allowed me to create ideas that form design decisions.
Sketches: Product Design
Sketching helps me create concepts, ideas and logos. It is a valuable tool that gives me visual cues inspiration for further stages of the design process. This is a product design concept I have for a Nike x Bob Ross x National Geographic clothing collection that could be marketed on Darwin’s web store.
Moodboard
With a moodboard, I can play around with color, fonts, icons and images. This allows me to have a good understanding of what my design aspirations look like for Darwin.
I chose complementary design scheme for this project. By using cool greens, bright yellows and burnt oranges I give the viewer the resemblance of a digital version of a Golden Guide book or a National Geographic magazine. With simple and easily legible icons, I can increase efficiency and enhance usability.
Typography
Typography is sometimes referred to as the most important tool a designer can use. See how adhering to Apple mobile application guidelines influenced me on this project. This design method helps designers and developers to create intuitive, user-friendly design that focuses on legibility and ease of use.
Color Palette
Understanding user psychology unlocks decisions about how to utilize color theory. How we associate colors often will lead to a pleasurable or unenjoyable experience. See how color impacts my design.
I use a cool green to give sense of calm. I also allow the exact golden yellow of National Geographic to encase all frames of my design. Burnt orange is used for call to action, as it pops off the page without being too loud.
Logo Design
Darwin aims at being an extension of National Geographic. To do that I needed to make a strong logo to help their nonprofit organization stand out and at the same time allow people to recognize a connection with quick glance.
Style Guide
Creating style guides allows me to reference typography, color hex codes, specific sized buttons, text and more. With these best practices, I can work alongside the largest workforce without having to stop and miss a single ounce of efficiency. See how style guides helped my concept get out of draft, into prototype mode and ready to be white labeled.
Paper Prototyping
With more iterations comes more understanding. By creating simple paper prototypes, a UX designer can start to generate ideas and responses quickly without having to utilize any software. See how these simple and unassuming designs can help create groundbreaking ideas for later work.
Prototyping
My user interface design concept allows for people to feel comfortable and safe when they are exercising and exploring nature. With notifications and alerts they can easily be aware of their surroundings. Also, with the ability to track hikes, runs and bike trails, fitness in nature is exciting and personally challenging.
Usability: Outcomes & Results
The solution to this problem was clear from the start. A mobile application like Darwin could help people feel safe and increase people’s confidence to get outside and enjoy nature. With Darwin the average person can become a great explorer who contributes and protects the natural world around them.
Feedback: Social Interaction
Summary Of Feedback: The first revision came from my mentor Mike Dekker. He noticed that my mobile app needed to have more continuity. He said that my onboarding looked different than the rest of my app.
Rationale: Law of Proximity
Rationale and Process: My original idea for this project was to design for the MVP. To do that I thought about using big buttons and low and accessible search bar that would allow people to click easily. I realized that Mike was correct and that my app could still utilize these design strategy, while still mimicking the shape of the onboarding procedure.
Darwin: Revised Iteration
Revision Made: I created several screens showcasing various forms of wildlife, I included more white space and I made sure continuity and ease of use was the main focus of my design.
I also changed my icons color to reflect web content accessibility guidelines. By changing my burnt orange color, (D95E32), to a creamsicle orange color, (FAE8E0), people can now search and respond to alerts with the use of one hand.
By utilizing the law of proximity and adhering to WCAG protocol, users can still sense cohesion throughout the app and easily recognize symbols and icons without eyestrain or having to learn a new mental model.
Final Thoughts
Now, more than ever, people need to enjoy the wonders of nature. But to do that they should feel safe and also be respectful of the wilderness they explore.
I learned that people are interested in nature, but may be too scared to journey out on a trail by themselves. I also learned that people are interested in AR and VR. This technology is being built at Apple and is expected to be released very soon.
With my idea, I could perfect this app and pitch to someone at National Geographic, Apple or Nike and possibly impress someone with my concepts about emerging technology.
Ready To Explore?
To achieve my MVP, I focused on quick access to hiking, running and mountain biking trials. However, there is much more that can be done with this application. I learned so much about wildlife and nature with this project.
By using Gestalt theory, doing user research, conducting surveys and creating multiple design iterations, I have begun to make a mobile application prototype that I feel is ready to become operational.
“With the Darwin. I can hike to my favorite waterfall and notify someone if something goes wrong, to me that’s invaluable.”
— Kim Price., Biologist
Contact
Feel free to contact me with any questions.
Email
wrketcha@gmail.com
Phone
(252) 619-9561