Next Door
Next Door is a digital product that aims to support small shops in New York City. While more and more franchises are moving in, local shops are closing their doors permanently. Many of these stores have a history that is intertwined in the very fabric of the city. When these shops close, that history is lost. Next Door is a platform that provides a curated tour of this history for it's users. After entering some information about the neighborhood you want to visit, the activities you are interested in, and the time of day; the application creates a walking tour displayed on the user's digital map. At each stop, the user's smart phone, tablet, and/or smart watch sends a notification, indicating that they are near a location. Through the use of visuals and audio, the rich history and background story of the establishment is revealed. There is also a feature that uses augmented reality to show a "window into the past" of many of these stores. This application is being created in hopes that it will encourage more support of local shops.
User Personas
My initial approach to this project was to meet a diverse group people around New York City and interview them about their experiences with the local shops around town. While trying to create a user persona, I collected personal data from each individual I made contact with and displayed it out in a way that was easy to reference. Name, gender, age, place of residence, occupation, income, personal values, their experience with tech, and the devices that they use were all taken as part of the survey.
User Stories
Based on the interviews and surveys, I created 5 personas of the possible users of Next Door, and decided that I would keep these personalities in mind while creating the user experience of the product. Each person had a story of what type of person they are, and what purpose they have for using the Next Door application.
Mood Board
Based on the idea and user personas I decided to create a mood board that would set the tone for the entire project. Next Door is an application that supports local shops, and educates it's users through a curated tour through actual New York City neighborhoods. Through the use of a smart device the user can receive information about each destination through audio, visual, and augmented reality, to learn the rich stories of the many local shops throughout the city.
User Flow
The user flow was created to try and figure out the architecture and the interaction with the product.
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Launch the app when the user is ready to start their tour
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The user then enters the number of people that will participate with them
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The time of day is then input to begin the filtering process of activities available
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On a map, the neighborhood for the tour is then chosen.
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The user then enters the the activities that they are more interested in for a more personalized tour
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The app provides a list of places visit, and then the user can choose the ones they are most interested in.
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The app creates the tour through the neighborhood
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At each stop, the smart device gives a notification, and information about the destination is provided interactively
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At the end of the tour a suggested donation is requested to help continue funding the project
Site Map
A site map was then created based on the user flow. It is the screen architecture of the application. Social networking was added to increase the awareness of the product to other users and also make possible connections with local shops.
Low & High Fidelity Mockups
User launches app when they want to have an NYC local experience
Login screen to access the application and a loading screen which appears in between transitions.
The number of participants and budget is entered.
The activities that the tour suggests also depends on the time of day.
The user also enters the neighborhood they are most interested in touring.
People unfamiliar with the city can also select the neighborhood they are interested in by using a map.
It also filters the user's interests to offer a more personalized tour.
The app then provides an itinerary with multiple choices, and the user can choose the places they want to go.
A route is then created for the user to follow for the curated tour through the city.
The user then receives information through, text, video, audio, and augmented reality. The app is free, although a suggested donation is requested to fund the project.
Poster
A summary of what Next Door is all about is represented visually through a poster. The users, the local shops, the activities, and the technology are all active participants that make this digital application possible. The original idea is specifically tailored for New York City, but it is possible for it to scale up and include other cities all over the world.