Increasing traffic for New York State Parks
WAM Equity Partners
Mobile, B2C, Generative AI, AR/VR, Social Impact
2024
Overview
Project
Parkle is an AI-powered park recommendation app that incentivizes users to visit parks more often through an AR gamification system
Scope
Competitive analysis, user research, user research analysis, persona, low-fidelity design, high-fidelity design, usability testing
Timeline
2024.01 ~ 2024.08 (8 months)
Team
UX Lead, 2 Product Designers, 2 Researchers, 1 Product Manager
Background
Social problem
NY State aims to alleviate overcrowding in NYC parks and promote mental well-being by encouraging city dwellers to visit New York State parks.
Problem statement
How might we design an accessible digital product that motivates NYC residents to visit New York State parks to relieve stress?
How is this problem real?
Urban dwellers have a 20% higher chance of having depression than rural residents [1]
NYC Parks such as Central Park, the High Line, and Bryant Park alone attract 62 million visitors yearly [2]
Activities related to nature facilitate collective restoration processes for people [3]
Sources
[1] Sundquist, K., et al. (2004).
[2] Jo, H., Song, C., & Miyazaki, Y. (2019).
[3] Ventriglio, et al. (2021).
Defining deliverables
Discover
Survey on 35 city-dwelling participants / Conducted via Google Forms
User interviews with 8 city-dwelling participants / Conducted via Zoom
Define
Defined a list of functional and non-functional requirements
Created a target persona based on user research
Created a stakeholder map to capture an overview of the potential input and output expected by relevant parties
Iterate and testing
Develop
Created 10+ iterations of the flow in 3+ phases
A/B testing with 10 city-dwelling participants to refine direction / Conducted via Eyedid
Deliver
Created a component library
Developed a visual brand identity
Created features and high-fidelity flows
AI recommendation iteration
Before
Too much focus on chat with unnecessary steps
After
Voice-activated personalized AI recommendation
Park guide iteration
Before
Users unfamiliar with the egg hunting concept
After
Personalized trail with special spots and missions shown
AR game iteration
Before
Pet seems irrelevant and limited AR interaction
After
Interactive AR features that raise environmental awareness
Coupons iteration
Before
Limited user control related to coupons
After
Use coins from AR to get coupons for local small businesses
Final design
Smart discover
Users can get voice-activated personalized AI recommendations for parks with special missions hidden for users to enjoy
Adventure view
Lightweight VR overview of the park to decide which park to visit and also see an overview of great spots to explore and where special missions to earn coins are located
Park guide
Users can get personalized trail recommendations while they are at the park and also choose to complete special missions throughout their visit
AR game
Users can complete special missions in an AR game format to learn about local wildlife, have fun, and earn coins to use at local shops nearby
SMB shop
Users can use the coins collected from AR games to purchase discount coupons for nearby Small to Medium Businesses (SMBs) to revitalize the local economy
Impact
Anticipated outcomes
Increased visitors to New York State Parks
Revitalized local economy surrounding New York State Parks
Stress relief for park visitors
Adoption of features to other parks around the world for increased traffic