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Transform your walks with an adventure at your fingertips.
Scout tackles the challenge families and friends encounter in discovering enjoyable and healthy activities. With engaging riddles and challenges, Scout brings people closer through shared outdoor adventures, promoting a fun and healthy lifestyle for all.
Role
UX/UI Designer
Team
Solo
Timeline
2 months (September - October 2023)
Project Links
The app enables users in a family or friend to monitor each other's fitness status. Presently, there is no messaging feature in the application, and the company aims to incorporate messaging functionality.
Problem
Families and friends often struggle to incorporate both enjoyable and healthy activities into their routines.
Research
Secondary
A 2022 Singaporean study explores perceived barriers to physical activity in adults, identifying common obstacles such as lack of time and fatigue. The findings suggest interventions, including social support for internal barriers and infrastructure awareness for external barriers, to enhance physical activity and reduce sedentary behavior.
Competitive Analysis
Scout distinguishes itself by seizing the opportunity to engage a diverse audience and integrating social aspects, areas where Pokemon Go and Geocaching fall short.
Primary
“What are the activities family and friends looking for?” From 10+ survey responses and interviewed 5, I organized their responses into affinity maps with 2 categories -
Key Takeaway
Finding a group activity that's both enjoyable and healthy is challenging, especially when trying to cater to everyone's diverse interests.
User Personas
How might we design a platform with physical & social benefits for individuals or groups?
Design
Concept
An app offering a unique social & physical adventure for individuals and groups.
This concept integrates features that bridge the gap between physical movement and social interaction. Key features are:
Tailored Challenges: Enjoy personalized challenges that align with individual interests and preferences.
Social Platform: Engage in conversations with friends, teammates, or fellow enthusiasts.
Virtual Collaboration: Enable users to participate in activities remotely, breaking down geographical barriers for a truly inclusive experience.
AR
Augmented Reality (AR): Integrate AR into challenges, creating unique and engaging scenarios that blend the digital and physical realms.
Site Map
This user-friendly site map ensures a straightforward structure, catering to users of all age ranges. The layout is designed for simplicity, allowing players to easily navigate, communicate, and play together.
Sketches & Lofi
The lo-fi wireframes and sketch iterations focus on creating seamless and well-integrated gameplay when flipping between the physical and digital worlds (AR functions).
Design System
For visual accessibility, I incorporated customizable font sizes and colors catering to diverse visual abilities. The app's visual elements feature minimalistic and friendly designs, using simple shapes and colors, creating a universally accessible and user-friendly experience.
Testing
After numerous revisions, I implemented 3 improvements, guided by feedback collected from 5 users and 3 designers in the field.
Refined Navigation
During design iterations, prioritizing effective user navigation was key. Insights from usability testing and interviews guided the selection of shortcuts and filters, refining designs to offer quicker access to desired adventures.
AR Integration
Feedback from game designers highlighted a disconnect between default and AR gameplay, where activities didn't utilize the AR function effectively. To enhance this feature, I incorporated games that leverage the AR space & environment for a more engaging experience.
Accessibility
Recognizing the growing importance of accessibility in gaming discussions, I integrated tools to enhance this app's accessibility. This includes features like font size adjustments, customizable color palettes, and level modifications, ensuring a more inclusive and user-friendly gameplay experience for all.
Solution
Scout, the solution to enhancing social and physical health through gaming.
Gamification
Turning walks into enjoyable adventures with personalized challenges and rewards.
Remote Play
Connecting players across states, enabling shared adventures and collaborative quests for seamless social interaction.
Social Integrations
Join shared adventures, build connections, and celebrate the joy of exploration together.
Reflection
The art of balancing challenging gameplay with polished UX/UI.
Designing Scout taught me to seamlessly integrate accessibility with game design complexities. Features like adjustable fonts and color palettes ensure inclusivity, while usability testing led to intuitive design for a user-friendly and engaging experience. Scout stands as a benchmark for inclusive app design, harmonizing accessibility and outdoor exploration enjoyment.
Next Steps
To further enrich the user experience and promote a sense of personalization and accomplishment, I plan to include:
Personalize Avatars - create and customizable virtual avatars to add a touch of fun and individuality to your experience.
Real-Life Rewards - as you achieve fitness challenges, unlock tangible rewards that extend beyond the virtual realm.
Tech Wearables - syncing with popular fitness trackers and smartwatches, users can effortlessly track their physical activity and gameplay.
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