Haud GO!
Haud Go! is an educational app that allows users in Brantford to learn about important Indigenous communities and cultures.
The Brief
Given by an external client, our task was to use our semester to create a prototype that educates people about various indigenous nations, their land, and their history. We wanted to approach this project with respect and accuracy, as our client expressed the need for this app to benefit her community in a positive way.
The Direction
As a team we chose to create an AR experience inspired by Pokemon Go, the experience would allow users to visit and scan location markers to gain information about the land's past, and earn rewards in the process.
Role: UI Designer, UX Researcher, Copywriter
Tools: Google Docs, Google Forms, Canva, Figma
Timeline: 3 Months
UX Plan
The Research
Research Goal: To identify the target audience, develop an understanding of their behaviours and user journey, and discover potential competitors.
UX Research Plan
Research Methods
Primary Research
Interviews
Usability Testing
Wizard of Oz Test
Secondary Research
Literature Analysis
Competitive Analysis
Interviews
We conducted interviews with participants about their experience living in Brantford with questions like "What does a day in the life of a person living in Brantford look like for you?". We also asked which apps they use most commonly, how they go about searching for information, how they like their information presented, and their knowledge on local indigenous communities.
Competitive Analysis
With the aim of creating something that can stand out in the market, we conducted some market research to gain insight on competitors.
Products like IndigiTRAILS and AR in the Village of Islington, each have defining features to make them unique, but ultimately all have the user follow a trail to learn about their environment through stories and/or art. Sweetgrass AR on the other hand, allows users to visit art installations to gain information.
We found that each product product is specific to the area they were developed in, so we decided we can consider none of the products we researched as competitors.
We decided to move forward with gamifying the experience, but made sure to include it in a way that was appropriate and not interfering with the overall objective of education.
The Synthesis
Empathy & Journey Map
After analyzing the data, we synthesised the findings from our interviews and observational analysis into an empathy map. We then created a hypothetical user journey map using our findings and past interview participants for rationale.
Personas
We then formed a couple user personas using our synthesised data, helping us get a better understanding of who our users are, and their goals, pains, and needs.
The Design
Low Fidelity Prototype
Based off of our goals and our synthesized data we created an early prototype of our client's proposed vision, alongside an early mockup of our physical scanning station.
Medium Fidelity Prototype
Building off of our low fidelity prototype, we moved on to the medium. We wanted to expand on our main ideas by adding things like an avatars and items and test if those features were desirable for our users. Our first medium fidelity prototype looked like this:
Feedback
After getting feedback from usability test participants, we made some changes to certain features and added more quality of life changes. Things like a more informative map, better labels, replacing badges with collectable animals with local indigenous significance, and quizzes before receiving their prize were included to add to the overall experience of adventuring, learning and collecting.
We also split up "Help/Support Page" into two distinct screens, keeping the "Help" page and adding a "What do I do" page to keep users from losing interest due to a lack of direction, and a gallery for the collected animals:
UI & Branding
Using the client's provided examples of the Wampum Belt (A physical representation of an Indigenous treaty/agreement), we started to design what the logo and other UI and branding elements could look like.
High Fidelity Prototype
Our high fidelity prototype features a stand in for our "AR" station. We felt it wasn't our place to create an art piece that represents a community that isn't ours and preferred to let our client fill the design with art at their discretion.
The Final Design
For our presentation, we created a video demonstrating the product alongside a slideshow presentation of the entire process. You can check out the video and button to check out the prototype we came up with!
Prototype
The Retrospective
Overall, I learned a lot and had fun working on this project with my teammates over the course of the semester. I'm extremely proud of the work we did, and glad I had the opportunity to work on something that could potentially benefit communities around the area of Brantford.
Should Have Dones
It would have been nice to recruit a local artist to create a 3D render for us to take the place of the placeholder we have currently, as well as art for the QR stations, and throughout the app.
We should have dedicated more time and effort on the design language of the app, spending more time coming up with components, standard sizes for our typefaces, and organizing icons and buttons in a separate page on Figma.
I would have liked more time testing the final version of the prototype to make sure our target audience was completely satisfied, as well as to make sure it was usable for all individuals.
Want to chat about this project?
You can contact me to learn more or check out my other work!