Hack Your Hike with Hike On!

Process

I first hypothesized a problem statement that was tested against user interview takeaways via affinity mapping. I developed a revised problem statement with the interview synthesis to narrow my persona and journey map. Next, I created rough sketches, wireframes, and my first prototype, which I then used to conduct usability tests. Finally, I made iterations with my usability test results to curate my final prototype.

Problem Statement

Hikers need a reliable way to find a trail based on their location and hike with others so they may increase the frequency at which they hike

• How might we create an app that allows hikers easily locate trails near them?

• How might we make the journey to the trail an exciting part of the hiking journey?

• How might we encourage hikers to go hiking despite the journey to the trail?

DISCOVER

Goal

I wanted to test the validity of my problem statement against the experiences of my interviewees, who all enjoy and have experience hiking. In order to continue with the development of Hike On! I wanted to understand the problems that were shared amongst frequent hikers, and what needed change.

Recruitment

Interviewees were recruited from my peer network based on their shared interest and experience in hiking.

During my interviews, I found that all of my users enjoyed hiking and agree that the weather and location of the trail determine if they will go hiking. Most of my interviewees also agreed that they prefer to go hiking with others.

Takeaways

• Hikers want to be able to find a trail near them

• Hikers often go hiking with other people

• The weather is a major determining factor for hikers

User Flow

Users began with one option to choose their date and time was more simplistic and visually appealing with a calendar for both options.

I liked the idea of keeping the option to enter a location and using location services on the app so that users can plan a hike in another state or find a trail within a 10-mile radius.

BIO

Jamie is a 27-year-old full-time student who often has little time to take long hikes but uses her weekends away from studying to hike and enjoy nature. She hikes along with her friends and boyfriend and uses this time to socialize and exercise. She usually hikes trails that are closest to her because they are convenient to get to, and the weather often determines if she goes hiking or not.

Persona

“I would love to hike more with my family and friends but can’t find many trails near me.”

Needs & Goals

• Wants to find a trail near her current location

• View the trail path she’s going on to ensure she’s going on the right path

• The weather must be good for her to be able to hike

• She would prefer to hike with other people

Frustrations

• Her hikes are not always predictable due to weather and trail intensity

• Currently finds hiking difficult to do often because there are not many trails she has found near her

• Hesitates to go hiking when she has no one else to go with

Journey Map

Scenario: Jamie is planning to hike at a trail nearest to her location and wants to go with a group of hikers.

DESIGN PHASE

Sketches → Mid-Fidelity Prototype

Features

• Easily find a trail near their current location » Trail finder feature that allows users to put in a location or connect location services from their phone

• Plans hikes ahead of time » Date and time input

• Information about trails » Can click on the trail and expand information about the selected trail

• Go with other hikers » Profile feature that can be shared with hikers and option to join or create hiking groups

• Monitor the weather » Upper right corner features weather and chance of rain based on location

TESTING PHASE

Goal

This study assesses first-time users’ learnability when using the Hike On! app. I would like to assess how new users flow through the app, from logging in to confirming their preferred hike. I would also like to know the users’ understanding of app functions and the underlying purpose of the app.

Test Objectives

• Observe how users log in to the app (are they able to understand where to input their credentials)

• Determine if users can understand the flow of the app and its purpose (ie., allow hikers to find trails based on location and filter through their preferences to make hiking accessible)

• Observe how users filter preferences — can they understand the difference between the offered preferences

• Determine if users can understand the group vs. solo hike option

I used quantitative and qualitative metrics to measure how users felt about completing the task and how it coincided with their ability to complete it within certain limits.

Results

Quantitative:

• Time taken to complete tasks

• Errors made until task completed/failed

User Errors in Completing Tasks

Seconds Taken to Complete Tasks

Qualitative:

• Users' thoughts about the app during the task and post-task completion

Takeaways

1. All of my users could complete the tasks within the time I had for the goal, but they had more errors than anticipated

2. Users were clicking on drop-down menus and trying to input a username and password

3. They also spent more time choosing a group option because it was hard to see which one to choose from

4. My users did not know if users had profiles and how they would actually hike with their group members

REDESIGN PHASE

Iteration for V2

1. Users can now input their login by clicking on the username and password boxes

2. Eliminated the share button and added a button to connect with hikers in a joined group

3. Added a filtering option on the Group Hikes page so users can sort what is most important to them

4. Added a map icon to the right corner of the image, so users know what the image is on the Find a Trail page

5. Changed “Sign Up” to “Create a Profile” on the first screen and kept an icon of the user’s profile picture in the top right for quick access

6. Added more options to “add to calendar” and “plan another hike” on the last frame

Next Steps

In the next iteration of my prototype, I would explore:

• The solo hiking option and the trails offered to those users

• Adding a map that includes hikers registered for Hike On! in the preferred location of the user

• Creating a page for verified hikers with reviews on trails and group hiking experiences, so users are more comfortable hiking with other users

• Creating a group and how invites are sent to registered and unregistered users

Prototype