POCket Tour
UI/UX Designer
01/2019 - 03/2019
Role
I worked with a project manager, developer, and three other UX designers to develop an educational augmented reality app to help people learn more about the culture, history, and possible hardships of people of color. I was the main designer for the high-fidelity wireframes and collaborated with the team for the entire design process, from research to final implementation.
Overview
Our team saw an opportunity to leverage augmented reality technology to deliver a unique way of learning history. Therefore, through augmented reality, Pocket Tour provides an immersive and meaningful experience to help people visualize the culture and history of people of color living in Seattle’s International District rather than learning it by listening to lectures.
History of the International District in Seattle
Chinatown International District was granted federal status as "Seattle Chinatown Historic District" in 1986. Further, the International District comprises Chinatown, Japantown, Manilatown, and Little Saigon, with histories and historical architecture.
Harry & Tai Tung
Interview
During the research process, our group was able to interview Harry Chan and capture an important moment in the long history of Tai Tung and the whole of Chinatown.
Harry Chan is the third-generation owner of Tai Tung
Exploration
User Flow
Incorporated augmented reality visuals, UI screen elements, and auditory feedback to elevate the experience of the space. To ensure the application is accessible, audio was added to enable users with assistive needs to be included in the experience. We've also added a flow where users can share their experiences by entering or recording their reviews. Pocket Tour cares about user experience. Thus adding a share experience screen within the augmented reality app would help us to improve Pocket Tour.
Color Palette
I used a gradient of pink/ coral, orange, and red to symbolize Pocket Tour. In my design vision, our AR app should provide a fun and memorable experience to educate the history of Chinatown International District. Therefore, I tried to work with the color palette my group originally wanted, but it did not turn out well.
As a result, I came up with something relatively close to the original color palette in hopes of evoking an exciting atmosphere in user experience and applying aesthetic usability to stimulate users to want to learn more about the history of Chinatown International District.
Caring
Enthusiasm, Stimulation
Excitement, Energy, Desire, Passion
Starting the Tour
The launch page begins with the background knowledge of the app and how it works
Choose Location
The recommended tours are customizable. Add or remove any locations that are catered to your needs. Once the tour is finalized, the estimated travel time will be provided
Entering Location
When arriving at a location, tap "Enter a location" to fully utilize the AR tour feature for an immersed experience.
Touring through AR
Historical information will be shown and demonstrated through augmented reality assets. Historical moments become life as well as guiding you through this enhanced experience
Ending the tour with reviews
Once the tour ended, users can provide reviews by typing or recording feedback to POCKet Tour at their geographical location for others to see
Visual Design
Through the use of augmented reality, Pocket Tour provides a meaningful experience that visualizes the culture and history of people of color who are existing in Seattle’s International District.
Start
Share Experience
Edit Tour
Finish Editing Tour + Touring
Next Steps
Suppose Pocket Tour is further developed in the future. In that case, we want to incorporate auditory guidance as users navigate through the sites to elevate the experience of the space to include users who need additional assistive technology to ensure they are also included in the experience. Also, we would like to expand the locations more than just exploring the International District in Seattle.
Reflection
After receiving feedback during the product review, more ideas have come to my mind to improve Pocket Tour. Some ideas such as adding pop-up notifications to recommend the most popular food for different locations as a contribution to local stores. I see potentials in this project. Hence, developing it further and completing the app would be a great opportunity.