Pathfinder | Google Maps
UX Design, Augmented Reality
Problem:
Immigrants face a range of difficulties coming into a new country. These challenges are not limited to having a language barrier, understanding a complex navigation and transportation system, and overcoming cultural shock.
Solution:
A Google maps add-on that provides real-time translation and informational guidance via AR camera technology.
“How might we ease the cultural transition for immigrants adjusting to a foreign country?”
Background
Over three weeks, our 5-person team did background research, defined our goals, built wireframes, and developed hi-fi mockups of our AR solution.
Research
Personas
Using a combination of firsthand experience and background research, we developed three personas for our user group:
Li
Li, a 19 year old international student who moved to Seattle from China to study. She feels intimidated by the language and cultural barriers, but she is also excited and wants to go out and familiarize herself with the area.
Mario
Mario, a 25 year old backpacker is currently traveling in Korea is having trouble finding a place to eat. He loves to experience new cultures and local cuisines, and he wishes to find the right spot in the area he is in.
Esin
Esin, a 46 year old mother from Afghanistan taking refuge at Iran is anxious about her family’s adaptation to the new place. She wishes to have more access to the information and resources necessary for the transition and survival.
Storyboard
Moving forward, we decided to focus on Li. We created a storyboard to highlight some of the pain points she might experience when navigating an unfamiliar country for the first time.
Plan
Design Requirements
To better focus our project we developed a set of design requirements to keep in mind. Moving forward, we referenced back to these requirements to make sure we were keeping on track.
Approachable
—intuitive, helpful, and easy to use, avoids confusions or frustrations on the users end.
Flexible
—should still be useful to users even when they have adapted to the new environment.
Universal
—accounts for people of all abilities, available for a large and diverse audience.
Safe
—detects speed and angle via gyroscope, only activates when users are in a safe position to use AR technology.
User Flows
Before moving onto our mockups, we sketched out user flows.
