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Yiru Liu

User Experience and Service Design MA

A great storyteller. A person with childlike curiosity. A passionate advocate for electronic technology. A designer fuelled by both passion and reason. That’s me.

Final Project

WildWander-Outdoor Hiking Application

“Shouldn’t we learn more from nature?”

Initial UX Vision Statement

I believe we can design a solution to help hikers cope with the complexities and dangers of outdoor adventures. This solution would enhance the safety of hikers during their outdoor treks, improve their hiking experience, and increase the completion rate of hiking trails.

This would enable hikers to grow and gain a sense of accomplishment upon completing their routes, helping them to participate more confidently in hiking activities and strengthen their connection with nature.

Meaning of the title

What is WildWander?

WildWander – an outdoor hiking navigation app. WildWander enhances hikers’ experience and safety by offering features such as AR spatial comment, WildWander AI chatbots, hike route tracking, and a hiker assistance system.

Key Feature 1 AR Comments

When hikers complete or begin a challenging trail, or encounter a breathtaking view, they can leave AR comments. These comments will remain at the location, waiting for the next hiker to discover and read.



When hikers use this feature, their phone collects the user’s spatial orientation data from five different directions for positioning, along with the user’s GPS location and time information. These are essential elements for displaying AR comments.

Key Feature 2 WildWander AI

Hikers can ask questions while hiking, such as ‘What is the name of this tree?’ After the hike, they can view the chat history along with a map of their hiking route.

Key Feature 3 Safety Functions

Efficient updates on trial conditions can effectively ensure hikers’ safety. When the system detects that a hiker’s speed has slowed down on a particular section of the trail, it will send a notification asking about the road conditions. Additionally, users can proactively upload information about the passability of the road.

Users can utilize the one-click help feature to seek assistance from other hikers on the same trail after an incident occurs. The help request will be prioritized and sent to certified hikers who are nearby on the same route.

Part of the Design Process

Pre-research, Co-design

Based on the Vision Statement and initial insights, organize a co-design session and invite four designers to use the Crazy 8 method to brainstorm and generate ideas within a limited time.

Prioritization

Invite five participants to prioritize the existing features, focusing on the two modules identified in the initial phase: “Safety” and “Information Access.” Afterward, conduct one-on-one interviews to inquire about the reasons behind their prioritization.

Navigation Experiments

To investigate the effectiveness of voice navigation and smartwatch navigation during actual hiking scenarios, I designed an experiment for exploration. I selected a route that simulates conditions users might encounter during a hike and provided three navigation methods: smartphone navigation interface, voice navigation through headphones, and smartwatch navigation interface. The experiment will simulate delays in voice navigation during the hike, focusing on the decisions users make when approaching intersections after experiencing navigation delays.

Site Map, Service Blueprint

The main structure of WildWander is divided into four parts: GO, Map, Saved, and Profile. The service blueprint is categorized into three phases: pre-hiking, during hiking, and post-hiking.

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