WANDERLORE
For the Brisbane 2032 Olympics, I designed a smartwatch interface for the “during the trip” phase. This interactive concept showcases Indigenous Australian culture, helping international audiences discover Indigenous history, art, and stories. My design focuses on delivering educational and engaging cultural content that respects and highlights the Indigenous community, aligning with the Olympics’ goal of cultural inclusivity.
Team
Manman Zhang
My Role
Research
UI/ UX Design
Testing
Tool
Figma
Balsamiq
Timeline
Sep 23 - Nov 5 2023
Individual Project
User Interface Design
User Experience Design
Design Brief
Indigenous Culture Integration and Recognition
The Brisbane 2032 Olympic Organising Committee aims to make the upcoming Olympic Games a celebration of Australia’s vibrant culture and a showcase of Indigenous heritage.
Recognizing the importance of integrating digital technologies to create an engaging and inclusive experience, the Committee requested innovative concepts that would highlight Indigenous Australian culture authentically.
The objective is to design a digital solution that educates and involves international audiences, offering a meaningful encounter with Indigenous history, art, and stories.
Background
Heritage Preservation
Kakadu Cultural Tours, Kakadu National Park, Northern Territory
© Tourism Australia
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There is a growing sense of respect and appreciation for indigenous cultures in current society, and the government needs to keep indigenous cultural heritage alive. (Ngunnawal Elder, n.d.)
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The main thing overseas tourists want to experience is Aboriginal culture, and people are starting to be more interested in local cultural ways." (Buffy Warlapinni, 2015)
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Tourism is an important force to promote and preserve culture (FANG, 2021)
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Aboriginal culture is holistic and contributes to the diversity of Australian culture. (Tourism Australia, n.d.)
User Research
Insights from Ethnographic Research
Research Sources: RED, Reddit, Ctrip, Zhihu
46%
Travel Plans
34%
Culture
8%
Safety
7%
Expenses
5%
Others
Findings
Most people are primarily concerned with planning their trip. The design should prioritize this aspect
Travelers show a strong interest in experiencing local culture during their visit
International tourists are curious about Aboriginal culture, but have difficulty accessing them
International tourists fear of offending Aboriginal people
International tourists looking to gain deeper knowledge about local culture
International tourists want to experience local customs in a more engaging way
User Journey Map
My Focus: During the Trip
analyzed the overall structure of the user journey by dividing it into five stages:
Search, Prepare, Arrival, During the Trip, and After the Trip.
I was responsible for designing the During the Trip phase, which is the core stage where users directly engage with Indigenous culture.
My design objective was to provide an immersive, culturally rich experience through a smartwatch, helping tourists gain a deeper understanding and respect for Indigenous culture.
Key Insights
Based on Comprehensive Research
Envisioned Design Solution
The design encourages travelers to explore Indigenous places, discovering their Art, Stories, and History. As users arrive at specific cultural locations and complete interactive challenges, they can collect badges, which can be exchanged for souvenirs. Enhancing the joy of exploration and promoting visitor engagement in the community through these interactive elements. Moreover, users can take the souvenir back to their home country, preserving the memories forever. They can also choose to gift it to friends, contributing to the promotion of indigenous culture.
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Small Screen Limitations
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Interface Design Usability
Challenges
Wireframe
Testing Process and Iteration
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Testing Method 1: User Testing
1. Badge Icon Confusion
Issue:
Solution:
Testers were confused about the function of the badge icon.
Added a page with the text 'Accept challenges to win badges!' as a quick guide. This page is displayed when users click the badge icon for the first time, and they haven't got any badges yet.
2. Souvenir Selection Interaction
Issue:
I observed that users found the left-to-right swipe for souvenir selection more intuitive than the previous center-to-left/right swipe.
Solution:
Modified to be left-to-right swipe, minimizing redundant actions during souvenir picking.
3. Discoverability of Souvenir Page Interaction
Issue:
Solution:
Some users were unaware of the left-right swipe interaction on the souvenir page.
Introduced a swipe-right button for user comprehension.
4. Scroll Progress Bar Interaction
Issue:
Solution:
Users tried to drag the scroll bar for vertical scrolling, but this interaction wasn't set up.
Added vertical scrolling to the prototype when dragging the scroll bar for an improved user experience.
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Iteration 2
Relying solely on a souvenir image and a badge icon might not be sufficient to guide users toward the correct rules.
Therefore, I added a "Souvenir" title and instructive text: "Collect badge to get this." Clicking the badge icon leads to a page with the text: "Accept challenges to get badges."
This design maintains simplicity within the constraints of the small-screen limitation.
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Iteration 4
When designing wireframes, I focused on creativity and novelty, but in practice, I found it to be complex for users, especially considering the limited screen on the Watch.
So, I iterated it to a simpler vertical scrolling.
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Testing Method 2: Heuristic Evaluation
1. Badge Redemption Clarity
Heuristic Principle: Understandability
Finding:
Improvement:
Lack of information on how many badges are needed for souvenir redemption.
Lack of information on how many badges are needed for souvenir redemption.
2. Visual Feedback
Heuristic Principle: Feedback and Interaction
Finding:
Improvement:
Lack of strong visual feedback during souvenir page swipe interaction.
Amplified the size changes of images during swiping to create a more exaggerated effect.
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Iteration 1
I deleted redundant icons to enhance simplicity and emphasize text.
Enlarged the central "Receive" button to encourage challenge acceptance, while the smaller "Refuse" button on the left minimizes accidental taps.
These changes follow watch design conventions, emphasizing icons for clearer, more intuitive interaction.
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Iteration 3
Clarified badge redemption by introducing 3 states:
[Owned], [Eligible for Redemption], and [Not Eligible for Redemption], ensuring information completeness.
Changed the interaction from swiping left and right from the center to swiping from left to right for better user intuition. Added a swipe-right icon to ensure users understand the swipe function.
Reflections
1. User-Centered Design Process
Through multiple iterations and user testing, I realized the crucial role of user feedback in shaping an effective design. I learned to capture subtle details from user feedback and apply them effectively, ensuring that each iteration brought the design closer to user expectations.
2. Balancing Aesthetics and Functionality
I faced the challenge of balancing visual appeal with functionality. This experience reinforced the importance of creating an interface that is both visually engaging and easy to use.
3. Personal Growth as a Designer
. It enhanced my skills in handling user feedback, making informed design adjustments, and managing priorities. These experiences have prepared me to tackle similar challenges in future projects, with a stronger ability to balance creativity and practicality.
References
Apple Inc. (n.d.). Designing for watchOS - Apple Developer. Retrieved from https://developer.apple.com/design/human-interface-guidelines/designing-for-watchos
Australian Government Publishing Service for the Australian National Commission for UNESCO. (1983). Australian Aboriginal culture. Canberra.
China Tourism Academy. (n.d.-d). Retrieved from https://www.ctaweb.org.cn/cta/ztyj/202103/d0dc17fb133b4ccc96ecc106d3bb45cd.shtml
China Tourism Academy. (n.d.-e). Retrieved from https://www.ctaweb.org.cn/cta/ztyj/202103/d0dc17fb133b4ccc96ecc106d3bb45cd.shtml
Ctrip. (n.d.-a). Retrieved from https://you.ctrip.com/
Fang, W.-T. (2021). Tourism in emerging economies: The way we green, sustainable, and healthy. Singapore: Springer Verlag.
Reddit. (n.d.-b). Travel advisory in different countries. Retrieved from https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/15kh611/travel_advisory_in_different_countries
Tourism Australia. (n.d.-f). Culture. Retrieved from https://www.australia.com/en/things-to-do/aboriginal-australia/culture.html
Xiaohongshu. (n.d.-c). Retrieved from https://www.xiaohongshu.com/explore/63f5efc4000000001303fdc7