The Project
This project aimed to bridge the gap between foreigners and locals hiking in South Korea. As a team, we explored ways to connect foreigners and local hikers through simple technology that removed communication barriers. We wanted to find a fun and exciting way to make foreigners feel less isolated in Korea by being able to engage with other people during an activity that is enjoyed by a large range of Korean people.
Completed over a semester during our time at KAIST in Daejeon, South Korea
Affinity Diagrams
Our first challenge was to try and solve a way to bridge the gap between locals and tourists coming to South Korea. We identified a lot of pain points from our own experiences as new visitors to Korea and mapped this out with photographs and experiences in an affinity diagram exercise. This is how we determined the focus of our project and aimed to use hiking as a means to connect locals and tourists in South Korea.
User Journey Map - Hiking in South Korea
We mapped the user journey of tourists hiking in South Korea to identify the pain points they experience. We used our own personal experiences of hiking in Korea and also asked our peers about what struggles they had. The biggest pain points involved being confused about where the best places for hiking were and tourists feeling like they were missing out on further cultural experiences due to language barriers.
Prototyping
We made prototypes of Hike Five using paper cups and clothes pegs. We wanted to test the interaction of having two strangers tapping two objects together to see what would happen.
Testing
Using the experience prototyping testing method, we were able to ask people about our product and get their feedback on the interactions they had while testing. This process was documented in the video below.
Final Outcome
Final user scenario video for Hike Five. This video was filmed and edited by me and won our class's prize for the best user scenario video!
Inside the final prototype of Hike Five. Made with LEDs, a magnet sensor and a speaker.
User Experience Design Studio with Professor Lim Yun Kyung, 2017
Developed at the Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology with Elisabeth Morris (US), Anna Heidtmann (DK), Cagli Torun (TR) and Johanna Quinn (AU)
