Rambl. Skip the obvious, travel with Rambl. Problem and Solution Overview: Tasks and Final Interface Scenarios:

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Ethelbert Simpson
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1 CS 147: Final Report, Augmented Humans Rambl. Skip the obvious, travel with Rambl Amanda Zwarenstein, Clare Chen, Kally Zheng, Tevon Strand-Brown Problem and Solution Overview: In our needfinding we noticed a theme of various stressors caused by a drive to have the best trip possible. We realized the problem that people have a hard time finding unique experiences when they travel, and stress about spending their time wisely. This mentality darkens the travel experience. In order to address this we explored ways to take out the anxiety of decision making and the tedious research necessary for a great trip. In our solution we gamify the discovery of nearby out-of-the-ordinary places when you need them, called footprints. We do this by suggesting Rambls, a sequence of footprints based on the user s time availability. Users can collect points for betting on the success of footprints! Our solution removes the anxiety and pressure of researching a travel destination to plan out a day. Tasks and Final Interface Scenarios: 1. Place a Stomp on a Recently Visited Footprint (Complex) : The next task is complex and not required to complete a Rambl, and will not be used as frequently. We chose this task because it is one of our key differentiators from other travel apps: the ability to bet on how popular a location will be. After the user visits a footprint they click the I Just Visited! button. From here the User can Rates and Stomps the footprint using the interactive star rating and the scroll point system. The user then presses the Stomp! button. The success of this is reflected in the stomp page, which can be navigated to through the bottom navigation bar. O O O o

2 2. Choose a Rambl to follow (Medium): We chose this task as it represents the most common use of the app, and is our main value proposition: the ability to find a Rambl and follow it! In order to do this, a user must first navigate to Rambl page by clicking Rambl on the bottom bar navigation. From there, a user can choose to either find a new Rambl or follow one of their friends Rambles in their location. By choosing Discover New The user will the input the time they are available for and a list of rambl s that fit this time constraint are shown. Once the user chooses a Rambl they have completed the task. Alternatively, A user may choose to follow their Friend s Rambl s which will bring them to a page with Rambl s in the user s current location. 0 Task 1 confirmation feedback for user visibility of status

3. View Your Rambl History (Simple): The final task

as a way to track your past trips which users enjoy.

O Design Evolution: Task 1: Choose a Rambl to Follow

testing with 3 different volunteers we found that

Fidelity (Figma) We kept the screen flow from the

However, we gave more feedback as to the users

Task 2: Rate/Stomp a Footprint Low Fidelity (Paper

3 3. View Your Rambl History (Simple): The final task we chose both enables social validation and serves as a way to track your past trips which users enjoy. User views their past Rambls by navigating to their profile page then clicking on History in the top navigation bar. O Design Evolution: Task 1: Choose a Rambl to Follow Low Fidelity (Paper Prototype) Through prototype testing with 3 different volunteers we found that this task was the easiest to complete Medium Fidelity (Figma) We kept the screen flow from the LoFI prototype because users found it intuitive. However, we gave more feedback as to the users status and more freedom to cancel a process and return to previous pages. We also included distance and duration to the Rambl Task 2: Rate/Stomp a Footprint Low Fidelity (Paper Prototype) Testers had a hard time of understanding what staking a prop or boosting one meant. They couldn t differentiate footprints and stakes.

Medium Fidelity (Figma) We tried simplifying the concept by naming places to

We separated the initial stomp from the boosting task flow.

Task 3: Follow a Friend s Rambl Low Fidelity (Paper Prototype) Participants

They found this task simple and intuitive.

more freedom to cancel a process through adding yes no buttons to the follow

We added back buttons to each page so that users could return to home menu.

4 Medium Fidelity (Figma) We tried simplifying the concept by naming places to go footprints rather than the ratings. We separated the initial stomp from the boosting task flow. The boosting stomp pages are in Extra Functionality pages below. Task 3: Follow a Friend s Rambl Low Fidelity (Paper Prototype) Participants really liked the ability to see and follow a friend s footprints. They found this task simple and intuitive. Medium Fidelity (Figma) We gave more feedback as to the users status and more freedom to cancel a process through adding yes no buttons to the follow a rambl page. We added back buttons to each page so that users could return to home menu. Extra Functionality: Task flow for LoFi and MedFi for user to view their own rambl history 1. Users can add friends 2. The hamburger menu page 3. Users can check on the progress of their stomps 4. From stomp progress page users can boost their stomps

5 Major Usability Problems Addressed : Level 3 Heuristic Violations 1.) On the Plan a Rambl page, Rambl is listed as a category, alongside Lunch and Dinner which might confuse users. - Listing Rambl in the options is a conscious choice because this is our definition of we ll choose your adventure. Lunch or Dinner are focal points of a Rambl, but Rambl is a random adventure that you can choose. We may add (random) into that button if we feel it is necessary. However, we made the decision to take all the categories out and have the Rambls filtered by time. If the user wants more information as to the activities in the rambl. They can click on it and further explore the footprints within a rambl which now all contain descriptions. Medium Fidelity: Rambls can be chosen but user can t find detailed information on the footprints within a Rambl. High Fidelity: Categories are removed but individual footprints have additional detailing including location and a description of of what the footprint is. Ex.) Dishoom: Indian street food with an Iranian twist, from Bombay with love. 2.) Information about the business such as open and closed hours is left out. - Ignored: The app does not report open and closed hours of each business to the user because the app has selected adventures in each rambl that respect open and closed hours of each destination. To reduce clutter in the UI, unneeded business details are removed. If the footprint shows up the user can assume it is open 3.) On the page to leave a footprint or review, the app asks the user, What type of activity was it?. The system should already have registered the activity type. - Fix: This question was removed to prevent user error. In addition as explained above we removed the entire specifying category of activity functionality.

6 Medium Fidelity: Category Rambl causes confusion and users are forced to decide on specific category which is already chosen in Rambl. High Fidelity: Users rate the footprint and can choose to stomp it or not. If they choose to stomp it this will be reflected in stomps. If they don t want to stomp then the user will be returned to their ongoing Rambl 4.) To change user settings, the user is required to click one of the home buttons and then the hamburger icon. There are also redundant features, such as rambl history. - We removed the home screen and hamburger menu, adding a navigation bar at the bottom that will always be exposed to the user. Navigation bar includes: Rambls, Stomps. Profile, FAQ. Medium Fidelity: This prototype limited the navigation freedom of users. Most of the time and action was initiated by the main menu which was hard to return to. In addition there were repeats between the navigation in the hamburger menu (the purple and blue gradient page) and the main menu(the grey page with gradient buttons). High Fidelity: There is no main menu or hamburger menu. The Friend s Rambls and Discover Rambl are combined into on functionality Rambl, where the user can choose to follow a friend s rambl in their current location or to discover a new one through the app. The profile includes information on the user including their past Rambls and friends through an additional top tab navigator.. The stops page allows users to easily view the progress and history of their stomps through an additional top tab navigator.

7 5.) The user cannot cancel a Rambl that is in progress. - Fix: Cancel button with a clear confirmation screens provided on Rambl progress pages. Medium Fidelity: Only one cancel/ exit from a Raml. But once you commit to a Rambl you can t leave it High Fidelity: At each stage you can cancel you Rambl. While exiting an ongoing Rambl it makes sure that you actually want to leave with a modal pop-up. Level 4 Heuristic Violations 1.) The user is unable to return to the previous page after clicking the hamburger menu. - Fix: We removed the hamburger navigation as Backward and forward navigation between different screens will be secure and clear. In addition the entire menu system has been restructured as noted above. High Fidelity: We made sure that the user could always return to previous pages throughout the app. One of the most important backwards functionalities is in task 1 where we made sure that users could return to the map page which would allow them to switch between discovering a new Rambl and following a friend s past Rambl

2.) On the Stomp Progress page, it is unclear what 7 out of 10 footprints is referring to.

work in the FAQ. Additionally we clearly differentiate the time limitation of stomps in their success by representing them on two separate screens, Active and Complete.

) The function of Add friends button is not clear. - Fix: Remove the add friends button. For now the Friends page is a list of the User s current friends.

8 2.) On the Stomp Progress page, it is unclear what 7 out of 10 footprints is referring to. Medium Fidelity: We don t clearly explain the concept of stomps or give an idea what the end goal and reward is for stomping a footprint High Fidelity: We explain what a stomp is and how they work in the FAQ. Additionally we clearly differentiate the time limitation of stomps in their success by representing them on two separate screens, Active and Complete. Another thing we do is give a message as to incentive for stomps. With the modal on the last screen the user can get money for the quality of their stomps. 3.) The function of Add friends button is not clear. - Fix: Remove the add friends button. For now the Friends page is a list of the User s current friends. A Next step is to build functionality to the app that would allow a user to remove and add more friends. Prototype Implementation: Tools: To develop our prototype we are using React Native, with Expo for rapid emulation. We are using a shared github repo to collaborate on the code. For the app design, we are using Material Design stylesheets as the base of our styles to make our app visually consistent.

9 The tools helped us build a beautiful app quickly - react-native makes it easy to set states and carry them over to different pages of the app, and update pages automatically based on changes. None of the tools helped us with component placement or design: while we used the same CSS style sheet across the app, every page needed to be styled individually. Wizard of Oz: We applied a few of Wizard-of-Oz techniques throughout our app. We simulated time passing when loading a selected Rambl by displaying a loading screen to confirmation screen sequence. Furthermore, we simulated the process of visiting a footprint on a Rambl with a modal, giving the user the option to rate and stomp. We also simulated generating a list of recommended Rambls and a set of sample footprints on the main map page. Ordinarily, this would be accomplished by a Machine Learning algorithm which takes in user preferences, user behaviors, and characteristics of other similar Ramblrs as inputs. Similarly, we simulated the number of Ramblrs and amount of time a newly generated Stomp would require to be successful. Finally, we simulated the completion of converting Rambl points to dollars and transferring them to a linked account by using a pop-up modal confirmation screen. Hardcoded Data: We hard-coded a number of portions of the prototype that would rely on user unsupported inputs or machine learning algorithms, by navigation tab: 1. Rambl: a. Sample list of footprints displayed on the main map b. Sample list of friends past Rambls in current location to choose from c. Sample list of new Rambls to discover, based on amount of time d. Footprint ratings displayed on all Rambls 2. Stomps: a. Sample active stomps are generated, including amount, time left, and progress. Any new generated stomp by the user will populate in this list. b. Similarly, sample list of completed stomps are generated, including their outcome 3. Profile: a. Current location is set to London, and does not pull from GPS and cannot be changed b. Number of Rambl points and Rambl status, which does not allow footprint submission c. List of completed Rambls. Note, any Rambl the user completes while the app is open will be added to this list. d. Sample friend list with photos and usernames Next Steps:

10 There are a number of additional features we would implement for the final, market-ready version of the app, in addition to the algorithms needed for the current Wizard-of-Oz features mentioned above. By category: 1. User Admin a. App log-in page b. Profile editing and location editing c. Mechanism to add new friends, and view friend profiles d. Account linking/editing for point transfers 2. Rambls a. Ability to rate/stomp an old visited footprint anytime from history page b. Flow to support submitting a new footprint location c. AI Web-scraper to generate more footprint and Rambl options d. Ability to request Rambls from specific categories in addition to time limit e. Navigation to footprints 3. Stretch a. Associate photos with completed Rambls, and view them from your history b. Send/suggest Rambls to friends c. Ability to chat with listed friends in any location, or unknown Rambl users in the same location to Rambl with Summary We took a step back as we finished our hi-fi prototype to remember where this process started: a group discussion on what our interests are, and which of those interests are primed to help make humans better. We began by interviewing travelers to learn about their experiences and identify the good and the bad, created POVs, brainstormed how might we statements and solutions, and iterated on our idea from feedback from a number of sources. We took this idea from a Travelmon Go concept to the Rambl it is today. In a real-world setting, we would spend more time involving the user in each of the design stages: more need-finding interviews, more experience prototypes, more user testing of each of the prototypes. We found this concept of keeping the user front of mind to be invaluable, and it often helped us as we made decisions of what to include, and why. We are proud of Rambl and believe it has the potential to enable easier, better, and stress-free travel experiences.

CS Equalizing Society - Assignment 8. Interactive Hi-fi Prototype

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