D'Aundre Pryce-Pierre

Digital
Portfolio

   

Beacon: AR-Based Indoor Navigation

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Project Overview

Navigating around campus as a brand new student can be a very overwhelming experience, especially for those who haven't been on site before. Following my own design thinking framework, I was able to utilize my skills in research/design to properly conceptualize and scope the problem space.

My Role

Product Designer - Interaction Design, Visual Design

Timeline

September 2018 - April 2019

The Team

Myself

context

Taking a look at the first year student experience.

primary research

Prior to starting my research, I wanted to know: How frequently do students use the maps and signage displayed around campus? & how long did it take to get familiar with the campus?

Sample survey questions

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starting off the research phase

To start this research phase off and to get a better understanding of the problem space, I had sent out a survey to around 80-90 students to learn how they operate within their first few weeks on campus and what methods/services they would use to help familiarize themselves with campus.

Campus familiarity happened within a few days

It took 46.5% of students to figure out the campus in a few days, 39.4% a few weeks, and 14.1% a couple months.

Many students chose to wander

68.2% had wandered around campus until they got to their destination whilst 31.8% relied on a map.

Problems with campus Navigation

Lack of maps

Across campus there was a total of 12 maps. For a decently sized campus, that is an absurdly low number.

Insufficient directional signage

The signage around campus to help students navigate was very hard to decipher as there is lots of other posters, student art work, etc. plastered everywhere which led to a lot of cognitive overload.

Taking all the insights from research and the participatory design workshops, I created a thorough user journey that highlights the average experience for new students.

User journey map

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How might we

How might we help students explore campus?

What can I do to make the process of exploring campus less intimidating and more intuitive?

With the insights I had gained from my research, I had more of a solid understanding of my users’ needs and what their pain points were. I have found that many students during their first year at Sheridan College managed to get their way around campus by wandering around and/or by asking fellow students for directions. Some students who had utilized these methods had varying degrees of success and lack the confidence in traveling the campus by themselves weeks and sometimes months later. My primary goal moving forward is to reduce the process of trial and error when exploring and to help them gain the confidence to explore campus on their own.

Issue #1

How do we streamline the experience of navigating campus as a new student whilst making it fun and interactive?

Issue #2

How do we eliminate external distractions for students whilst they are making their way to their next class?

I/A

Laying out the information architecture.

Streamlining the potential experience

To help me navigate how students can have a more reliable travelling experience whilst on campus, I have decided that a navigation based app would help alleviate the issues highlighted. I developed an interaction flow that would help users navigate the app and explore some its features.

Application architecture

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Creating some initial sketches of what the experience looks like.

Once the interaction flow was laid out, I began with roughly sketching out the user interface. This was done so that I could quickly get my ideas down without having to worry about the high-fidelity. I started with low-fi prototypes and tested them quickly with some willing users to hash out and refine the overall experience of the application.

Example wireframes

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Sample user testing feedback

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Improve usability & accessibility

A few users had issues with the verbiage and how the experience would handle certain features such as starting up the AR experience and utilizing the object scanning feature.

branding

Memorable & fun with a bit of "POP"

Building up a visual identity

To help bring this concept to life, I had spent some time developing a brand identity. I went through many iterations of logo designs, colours, typography, voice. Finally, I had settled on the name 'Beacon' as beacons are used to help people identify where they need to be (duh).

Logo explorations

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Brand style guide

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Sample design library

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final designs

An effortless experience

Time to delve into the designs

Below is a brief walkthrough of the different features that users are able to experience whilst using the application.

Onboarding screens

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The homepage

The homepage is very minimal as it can allow users to easily navigate through the app without disrupting the AR experience.

Homepage

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Destination selection

The destination page is where students can select where they would like to go on campus, it could either be a classroom, restaurant or a service. Users will be prompted to select a wing followed by a room number or name of a service or on campus restaurant.

Classroom selection

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AR Experience

Once students have finished inputting their destination info, they will then be prompted to scan their environment to launch the AR experience. The purpose of this is to determine if the environment is suitable enough for the experience.

The AR experience

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conclusion

Key takeaways

What I learned from this project

End to End Processes

With this project I learned a lot about what it takes to design a product from the initial conceptualization to the final prototype.

Next Project

Men's Luxury Retailer E-Commerce Audit

Enhancing the e-commerce experience for one of Canada's largest men's luxury retailers.

(2022)

View Work