Zoo Adventurer App
Zoo Adventurer App
User research, experience design and visual design, 2019
A proprietary experience planning app for the Oakland Zoo, which allows families to select educational and experiential goals for their visit, as well as customize a walking route through the zoo based on related exhibits. This app provides interaction prompts to galvanize direct engagement with ecological topics and zookeeper professionals.
Brief:
Create an app that allows families to customize and facilitate rich, conservation-related experiences for their kids at the Oakland Zoo, including the planing their visit ahead of time.
Duration: 1 week design challenge
Specialist Interviews
““Young kids are figuring out how to play with others. This could mean playing next to someone without interacting at all, playing together without a prescribed game structure, or cooperating o play collectively.””
““When I was feeding the alligators, mothers would lift up their babies and hold them right up to the window to watch! They were fascinated! I interacted most with the public while feeding the animals.””
I conducted interviews with specialists to discover existing interactive experiences at the Oakland Museum, and the behavioral development and play styles of young kids. Based on these interviews, I gleaned the following actionable insights:
Kids respond most to animal feedings, play structures, and informational skits by experts. Surface these experiences most.
Provide prompts for kids to discuss their own experiences, and to connect them to present conservation themes and exhibits at the zoo
Personas
I created two user personas relating to emergent themes from my interviews
Primary Persona: Peter, a single dad and housing justice activist who wants to engage with his young daughter on her own terms, while introducing the topic of conservation to her.
Secondary Persona: Lila, an introverted and artistic first grader who is becoming interested in science
Scenario: Weekend Playdate
I framed a use case to give context for my two personas as they experience the app
“Peter has arranged a playdate for Lila and her new friend from school. He has a free day this weekend and wants to take them to the zoo, since Lila’s been interested in their nature walks together and he’s looking forward to introducing her to ideas about environmental justice. He thinks a visit to the California Trails exhibits at the Oakland zoo could be a great start to this conversation, and a great way to give Lila and her friend a structured way to interact with one another. He wants to plan their activities together at the zoo in a way that caters to Lila’s proclivity for independent exploration, while encouraging her to play cooperatively with her friend.
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Case Study: San Diego Zoo App
I analyzed an existing zoo app to determine how the Oakland Zoo app might optimize its features in order to showcase its unique conservation-focused content
Interactive Touchpoints & Wireframes
I framed a use case to give context to my two personas as they experience the app. I made sure that my wireframes specifically addressed each touchpoint.
Key Screens
Home screen / Start a new adventure / Determine itinerary / Discover facts
Next Steps
If I were to develop this project further, I would….
Key Takeaways
Interviewing the right stakeholders grounds your design and gives it nuance.
Continuously re-evaluate your product concept until it concretely and concisely describes an interaction model.
Avoid scope creep: focus on the minimum viable set of features that underscore your experiential goal.
