TrailFlow
Project Overview
Role: Design, Research, Testing
Duration: 6 months
Project Website:
TrailFlow is a project developed over a 6-month period, where we worked through the research, interview, design, and testing processes.
Objective: Design a solution to increase hydration accessibility for athletes and other users of the Burke-Gilman Trail.
Problem
Dehydration
This issue arose from my long distance runs on the Burke-Gilman Trail while training for a marathon.
16 Miles
I ran north on the trail for 16 of the trail's 20 miles and found one functional water fountain, forcing me to detour off the trail twice for hydration.
Research
Consistency
Organized interviews and user personas for trail users to clarify our problem in order to help shape our design process.
Ideation
3 Design Options
An App, Increased Trail Signage, and Improved Physical Fountain Design were our solutions.
App with a Map
Due to time constraints, we decided to design an app to help users locate fountains, view fountain updates, and request fountain maintenance.
Design
Usability Testing
After 3 rounds of usability testing with low/mid/high fidelity, we came away with our final prototype to present in front of professionals.
Learnings & Takeaways
This project challenged me to collaborate with a team while designing a product I was passionate about. Conducting interviews and observational research on the Burke-Gilman Trail helped validate that the problem I identified was widely shared among other trail users.
I learned to balance my individual ideas with group priorities, adapting my designs based on feedback from my teammates.
Communication, collaboration, and ideation were essential to ensure the product reflected user needs and team goals.
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