UX | UI Designer
Citizen:
Out of Bounds
This research project studies the behaviors and experiences of tourists visiting New York City to develop an app that values safety, education and efficiency to help them navigate areas, inform them of events, provide background on landmarks and certain areas and aid them in planning their trip.
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Origin Story
During my daily commute to college, I heavily rely on the LIRR and the subway. Along the way, I frequently encounter a stream of tourists fresh from the airport, each hauling a plethora of suitcases and attempting to decipher the confusing terminal signs. Often, they congregate on the platform or stand perplexed before the turnstiles, seeking guidance from passing commuters. Most commonly, their inquiries revolve around directions to Manhattan.
This recurring scene prompts me to wonder if they have a firm grasp of their current surroundings.
New York City attracts millions of tourists from around the globe every year. Yet, many confine their exploration to just Manhattan, neglecting the opportunity to delve into the city's other vibrant boroughs. Various factors such as concerns about safety, limited local knowledge, misinformation, and apprehensions about crime, influence their choice to remain within the confines of the city.
Additionally, the intricacies of NYC's unique culture, terminology, and social norms can pose challenges for tourists when it comes to navigating the city's intricate transportation systems and urban landscape.
Project Overview
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My mission is to develop an app designed to enlighten and guide tourists around the captivating regions beyond New York City's bustling city. In addition to offering valuable insights into the area's historical context, the app offers a personal narratives from locals, providing visitors with an authentic connection to the region. This immersive experience not only fosters a deeper appreciation for the area's rich history but also instills a sense of security, replacing any initial discomfort with a feeling of genuine belonging and understanding.
Goals
To foster a brighter perspective on the diverse boroughs enveloping New York City, by developing an innovative app tailored for visitors. This application not only offers insightful overviews of each neighborhood but also serves as a cultural compass, enlightening users about the unique values and customs that characterize these rich communities. By providing this immersive experience, it will help dispel ingrained stereotypes and biases that may exist about these boroughs, fostering a more inclusive and open-minded approach.
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Furthermore, my app ensures that tourists can confidently and securely navigate local areas and transportation networks, enhancing their overall sense of safety and comfort during their exploration of the city.
Opportunity
Tourists are becoming increasingly open to exploring areas beyond Manhattan, a shift that promises to drive greater tourism to these diverse boroughs and would subsequently boost local businesses while enhancing their visibility. In addition, the Citizens App stands to gain valuable exposure to a fresh audience: tourists. Currently, the app grapples with an unfortunate reputation, often associated with negative connotations such as crime and police activity.
By introducing innovative features that align the Citizens App with the needs and expectations of this new audience, I aim to transform its perception. This will foster a more optimistic reception willingness among users to embrace and utilize the app's features.
Requirements
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Be a feature that is among the Citizen App
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Use Citizens App’s interface but with my own design and information
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Must be user friendly for tourists
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Must include sections for safe travel times
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Must be quick information that users can read on the go
Competition
Wildfire
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Local news app that covers real-time information. Offers instant notifications when significant events unfold in your area. Users flock to Wildfire for its diverse range of coverage, spanning from pressing political developments to celebrity sightings.
Ring
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Home security app designed to integrate a camera system on your property. Users gain access to their home's security at their fingertips. Homeowners trust Ring as a vital security feature, offering round-the-clock surveillance and two-way communication, ensuring peace of mind and real-time engagement with their property.
Research Demographics
Primarily catering to the dynamic demographic of individuals aged 18-35, the target audience includes:
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Tourists: Seeking an immersive and informative experience during their stay in the city.
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International Students: Eager to explore the diverse cultural landscape of the region through their friends and family.
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Guests in Queens Hotels: Providing convenient access to valuable insights and local attractions.
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Commuters on Subway Platforms Enroute to the City: Offering real-time updates and engaging content during their daily journeys.
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Travelers Arriving via the Air Train: Enhancing their arrival experience with relevant information and guidance.
Leah, TX
" What else can you do in the area when you just go there for one thing.....some way to help me map things out when I go places​"
Claudia, Italy
"I think having a platform specific to this city since it is filled with so many little gemstones could be very helpful for people trying to explore or tourists"
Brandon, Spain
"want to take the subway but not sure how safe it is...there are pickpockets and crime on the subway... also considering taking taxis or Ubers, but I'm not sure how expensive that would be."
Research Methods
The key research approaches include:
Field Study
Used to measure the different behaviors and approaches of people in a public environment.
Interviews
Used to gather information on tourists transportation methods, thought process and overall mindset while navigating around New York.
Surveys
Used to quickly gather information on challenges, personal experiences and changes people would like to be introduced.
Key Issues
Safety
Direction
Visibility Issues
Language Barrier
Safety
They prioritize safety above all when exploring new areas, particularly when traveling with their family. Their approach involves thorough research before venturing into unfamiliar territories. They express a willingness to explore various places if they had more information about them but are hesitant due to concerns about safety in unknown areas.
While they desire to visit locations beyond Manhattan, their sense of security remains a barrier, primarily stemming from their lack of knowledge about these places. Walking around at night makes them uneasy, as they fear encountering individuals with guns or other weapons that could pose a threat.
For their first visit, they would likely stick to the more familiar parts of the city, avoiding certain boroughs or neighborhoods. Extensive research is deemed essential before embarking on any new adventure, and taking the subway at night is something they do not feel comfortable doing.
Directions
Navigating the subway system can be a challenge for them as they often don't know which platform to head to or the direction in which trains run, making it confusing to exit at the right stop.
Similarly, they struggle with deciphering street signs and determining the correct direction to take on the streets. Their knowledge of new places often comes from sources like social media, particularly Instagram, where they discover trendy spots.
Recommendations from friends or local acquaintances also play a significant role in their choice of destinations. Despite their eagerness to explore new areas, safety concerns persist due to their limited knowledge about these places.
They express a strong desire to broaden their horizons beyond Manhattan, provided they can gather sufficient information through research. Interestingly, many tourists opt to stay in Manhattan, drawn by the allure of being at the heart of all the action.
Visibility Issues
Street signs, often in a different language, pose a significant hurdle in determining directions on the city's streets. Subway signs can also be confusing, leaving them uncertain about which platform to choose or the direction in which trains run. The colors of signs, a crucial element for wayfinding, may not always convey universal meanings to them.
Additionally, deciphering traffic signs can be a perplexing endeavor. The presence of various languages adds an extra layer of complexity to their navigation efforts. Moreover, their lack of familiarity with new buildings and areas compounds their navigational struggles, making extensive research and local insights indispensable for a smoother exploration experience.
Language Barrier
They often encounter challenges in comprehending signs and language in unfamiliar places. Street signs can be particularly perplexing, as they struggle to interpret differences in colors and languages, which may not align with their accustomed visual cues.
Moreover, they encounter terminology that varies from what they are accustomed to. Navigating in such environments can be a perplexing experience, emphasizing the importance of clear and universally understandable signage for travelers from diverse backgrounds.
User Needs
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Help with planning trips to other areas
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Such as using an itinerary that they can use to plan out their day briefly so that they can get an idea of what they are going to do
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Wants to be able to see other events going on in the area if they travel all the way out to other boroughs
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What else can they do in the area
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Wants to be able to understand the subway signs and street signs
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Understand where to go when they get out of the train or car
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Which direction to go
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Something similar to Google where they can see working hours and busy times
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A way that they can interact with local people and find out more about the area from their perspective
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Local spots and recommendations
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Tourist Persona
Steve Walker, 35
Demographics​
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From London
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Travelling alone
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Goal:
Steve is visiting New York as a tourist who has never visited the city before. He has done extensive research on his trip using Google but has only researched Manhattan. He plans on visiting a lot of the tourist attractions in the city. However, during his stay he is informed by locals that there are some restaurants worth visiting in Queens. He really wants to go but he does not understand the street signs and subway maps due to the language and terminology. Therefore, he decides not to go and misses the opportunity.
Tourist User Journey Map
Tourist User Mental Model
Student Persona
Alex West, 22
Demographics:
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Student attending college
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Lives in Manhattan
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Goal:
Alex is an international student that is studying abroad in college. She lives in the city and primarily only goes from college to her apartment and vice versa. Unless a friend invites her out, she would not visit other boroughs or explore them because she is afraid that she might be targeted with a weapon. She insists that she would be willing to visit other areas if she was more informed on the background and knew someone there.
Student User Journey Map
Student User Mental Model
Product Concept
Citizen: Out of Bounds is an application designed to enhance the tourist experience in various neighborhoods outside of New York City. It offers educational insights and recommendations, providing tourists with valuable background information about different areas culture and ethics. Moreover, the app shares authentic local experiences and stories, enriching visitors' understanding of the region. With a better outlook, users are able to plan out their trips and gain a new insight into the metropolitan area. By doing so, it not only fosters a deeper appreciation of the area's history but also promotes a sense of security, mitigating any potential discomfort or apprehension tourists may feel while exploring these neighborhoods.
Why the Citizen App?
The Citizens App's current audience are primarily locals who live in major U.S cities such as New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Detroit. Currently, the app is often associated with negative perceptions, with many automatically linking it to thoughts of crime and police activity. By rebranding, introducing new features and adapting the Citizens App's interface and mission to cater to a fresh audience: tourists, we can anticipate a more favorable reception and increased willingness among users to embrace it and bring a more positive outlook to the app.
Reference App
Mobile app that send users location based safety alerts in real time. It provides users with live reports , broadcasts and open discussion boards.
My Product
An enhanced version of Citizens, specifically dedicated to tourists that values safety, education and connecting local residents preferences with visitors so they are more likely to visit.
Screens from App
Select Location Screen
Flushing Background Screen from Background Section
Best Travel Times for Flushing Screen
Flushing
Itinerary Screen
Background on Citi Field Screen
Latest Events Section Screen
Explore Resteraunts Section Screen
App Prototype
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User Testing Results
In recent user testing results, all five participants successfully completed each task in under 30 seconds, demonstrating the app's efficiency and user-friendly interface.
Notably, participants easily located the Map and Itinerary icons on the menu bar, highlighting the app's intuitive design. They found features like Local's Favorites, Safe Travel Times, Demographic & Background information to be highly beneficial, enhancing their overall experience. Navigating through different locations in Flushing was easy for them.
Additionally, participants expressed a desire for a customizable itinerary feature, showing their interest in personalization. The safety aspect of the app was also valued, reflecting its importance to users. Furthermore, participants grasped the scroll function within the Overview section, further confirming the app's user-friendliness and effectiveness.
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After using the app, all five participants expressed a strong willingness to visit Flushing, emphasizing the app's appeal in inspiring travel plans. They particularly appreciated the safety section, deeming it highly beneficial, especially for nighttime activities.
Moreover, the participants were eager to continue using the app if further developed. Notably, two participants expressed increased excitement about the Citizen App thanks to the new features, finding them to be refreshingly clean and exceptionally helpful in enhancing their overall experience.