Arizona Parks and Trails

Overview

Arizona State Parks and Trails is seeking a new mobile application (app) with hosting services that will enhance the visitor experience in all state parks across Arizona.

Problem Statement

The goal for this mobile app will be to add value to a visitor’s experience in a park or bring attention to a park that may otherwise have been missed. specifically, Arizona State Parks and Trails is seeking new ways to encourage visitors to spend time in parks they may not visit, the historic parks, and to draw more millennials and Gen Z to the parks in general, as well as a convenient way for visitors to get information on-the-go or receive notifications about parks when they are in the area.

Usability Testing/User Insights

Based on the interviews and heuristic evaluation, I crafted a research plan with the objective of assessing how users search for info on a specific state park, and how easy it is to do so.

Findings

Park experiences are packages of downloadable content that users will access through a button on each of the corresponding main park landing pages. Customers that do not download the experiences will not have access to the features found within them.

With this data I was able to spot common groupings and similar themes/categories, which I then used to create a new user flow to navigate and check park attractions while earing rewards while using the app.

Style Guide/Visual Brand

With new navigation created, I then designed wireframes for desktop and mobile for the primary and secondary pages.

As a next step I created a style guide to give the aesthetic of the site a bit of a makeover. The idea for the rebranding was to create a visual language that communicated more clearly the themes of “Nature,” and “Outdoors,” giving the site more depth and less of a stark appearance.

Hi-Fi Mockups/Prototype

User Reports Screen. Pedestal area showcases Most visited and Least Visited Park or screens. The user is able to view, click, and edit activities. Redirects to Bird Viewing page where the user can edit information like the activity info and view new or added achievements.

I applied it to the wireframes to create high-fidelity mockups. I made the mockups into clickable prototypes that could be used for user testing.

Overarching Landing page. Overall Park screen, includes Park Info, Description, Experience, & Nearby Parks. Redirects users to Park Media screen where they can see Images and Videos of the Park and also redirects users to park description where they can learn more about the Park History.

Conclusion

One was the importance of Information Architecture. It’s a crucial component for creating an enjoyable user experience. Info should be organized and structured in a way that is intuitive and easy for users to navigate. all the pieces are there, but they’re laid out in a way that makes things a bit more work than they should be. By carefully considering the organization of content, which leads to increased engagement, satisfaction, and improved business outcomes.