The Problem
Planning group camping trips can be difficult, especially when you’re in charge of coordinating supplies and overall logistics for a large group.
How might we improve the camping trip planning process so that group members are better able to connect, coordinate and stay organized?
The Solution
CoordiNature is an app that creates a one-stop-shop for all things camp-related. Regardless of size or destination, a group of campers can coordinate, discuss, and split costs within the app, providing more time in nature and less time planning.
Research and concepting for this project was completed as a part of a User Experience Design course at Minneapolis College of Art and Design
The Process
DISCOVER
Competitive Analysis: What are the strengths and weaknesses of the competition and where can our solution differentiate itself within the landscape of existing products? Our team created a Spheres of Influence diagram to understand the primary, secondary and peripheral market places that are currently frequented by our users. In addition to downloading and using competitive services to comprehend their functionality, our team analyzed their customer reviews and created a features list to define “table-stakes” for our app.
1:1 User Interviews: Six interviews were conducted to better understand pain points in the current camping trip planning experience and to reveal opportunities for innovation. Careful consideration was used to ensure that a variety of user behavioral habits were covered (i.e. trip planner, trip attendee, etc.). Our interviews were used to confirm table-stakes feature sets, define potential differentiators, and create user types.
“The hardest part of going on a trip is getting everyone on board. Everyone loves the initial idea, but it usually breaks down during the coordination phase.”
DESIGN
Journey Flows: UI Flows were created for several of the differentiating features, including a Shared Packing List & Activities List, Shared Reservation Information, Carpool Sign-up, Discussion Board, and Split-Cost Payment System. In addition, journeys were created for the trip planner as well as the trip attendees.
Wireframes: UI Flows evolved into wireframes, and paper prototypes were created to validate the user journeys and processes from the coordinator and attendees’ perspectives.
TEST
Usability Testing: The MVP was tested with 5 users by giving them the scenario to set up a trip as the coordinator and share it with their group. They were asked to talk out loud throughout the process, specifically paying attention to any confusion, any surprises and anything they enjoyed.
“I’d have no idea what city the campsite is located in. I’d probably need to search for the location in Google Maps in order to find it.”
— Erica
Feedback: Users found the set up process to be relatively streamlined, but had difficulties when asked to enter the “Campsite Location.“ Several users found it complicated to search for a specific campsite, as cities and campground names are not typically known when searching for campgrounds. Finding directions to the campgrounds was fairly easy with little confusion around the feature, though they found it unnecessary to share the location specifically, and would rather be able to share the full landing page with the attendees.
The Next Steps
Iterate: More work will need to be done around understanding how users think about campground locations. For the next iteration, instead of asking for the City & State during the set up, I would create a searchable map with navigation pins for each campground so the user can search locations without needing to know the campground name.