READYCAMP

Lead Designer
Lead Researcher
80 Hours

Camping is restorative, fun, and challenging! I’ve been camping a few times and had a blast, but I haven’t gone camping in years and I’m not entirely sure why. It always seemed like I didn’t have the right gear, or none of the campgrounds near me looked quite like what I wanted.

I suspected I wasn’t the only one who struggled to go camping as much as they’d like. I decided to see if others felt the same way, and if I could design something that might help people get out there!

Background

Getting out there can be challenging for new and less experienced campers due to convenience, equipment, and expertise.

The Problem

Solution

A mobile app that helps users:

  • Find campsites

  • Bring the right gear

  • Learn how to camp

Key

Features

1.

2.

3.

Users can find campsites suited to their level of expertise. Users can learn about amenities, get directions, trail maps, and heads up about unexpected variables like fire bans and inclement weather.

Campsite Search

After users make a reservation, Readycamp provides users with a personalized, customizable equipment checklist for their adventure.

Users can modify the list or ignore it completely if they’re already a pro!

Gear Recommendations

Handy How-To’s

Users can learn more about camping essentials before and during their trip with Handy How-To’s, which include downloadable instructions and videos for use without a Wifi connection.

The Process

Research & Defining the User

My research would provide an overview of what apps were available to campers currently and identify areas of opportunity. User interviews were used to validate my hypothesis, identify pain points, and guide my potential solutions.

Objectives

  1. Learn more about what challenges campers face when planning and being on a camping trip

  2. Learn what prevents newer and inexperienced campers from getting out there more often

  3. Understand the competition

Methods

  • Market Research

  • Interviews

  • Affinity Map

  • Persona

Inexperienced and experienced campers had different problems and pain points, although there were some shared themes.

New camper hesitation was based around equipment and expertise.

I used these insights to develop a persona based on an inexperienced camper - Laura!

Interviews

“I just feel like I haven’t found someone to go with and I get overwhelmed with what I need and what sort of tent to buy.”
— Adina
“The first time we went camping we didn’t know there was a fire ban so we couldn’t cook our food!”
— Matt
“We didn’t know what to bring, didn’t know what was necessary.”
— Becky

Competitive Analysis

Most camping apps help users find and rent campsites, but few are related to the new camper experience or provide any guidance or personalization for the trip.

Ideation

I used insights gathered from research and the persona of Laura to begin the process of ideating a solution to address our user’s needs. I used divergent thinking to imagine a range of options, some more improbable than others- like an Uber style app that would allow users to hire an expert to accompany them on trips, but decided that might be a bit…scary.

Instead I decided on a mobile app to help users find campsites, bring the right gear, and learn how to camp; covering each phase of a new and experienced camper’s journey.

Methods

  • Brainstorming

  • Storyboarding

  • Task Flows

  • Sitemap & Feature Roadmap

  • Style Guide

  • Low Fi Wireframes

Sketches, Inspiration, Branding

Storyboard showing a new camper’s journey with the help of Readycamp!

Architecture and Wireframes

Testing

I recruited 6 more campers of varied experience levels to test Readycamp by completing 4 tasks in a moderated usability test. Users gave feedback on their experience, which I would incorporate into priority revisions.

Objectives

  • Asses users ability to complete 4 tasks

  • Identify blocks and pain points

  • Prioritize revisions

Methods

  • Hi-Fi Prototype

  • Moderated usability test

  • Prioritization matrix

Usability test screens

Test Feedback

“Oh yeah I’d for sure use this on my next camping trip, I like that there are ratings and if its broken down into easy, high rated, Id want to cross reference my gear.”

  • 6/6 users felt completing a category could be made clearer

  • 3/6 users felt that the alert category should have its own header

  • 4/6 users felt the trip details/reservation process could be improved

“I was confused and not totally sure I had completed the list, I don’t have a strong indication that its complete”
“I liked it, there were small things.  I use Airbnb and it reminds me of that .  I appreciate the gear and the how -to’s because it feels necessary for something like this”

Priority revisions

Before

After

Quick filters touched up and made less prominent

Horizontal scrolling now more visible

Wordmark and app name added to explore page

Nav bar active element now green to improve accessibility

Visual elements adjusted to highlight expanded and unchecked states

"Add item" centered and color changed for readability

  • Refine touch controls for mobile devices

  • Expand user generated content to provide more useful feedback, ie: user tags

  • Brainstorm ways of building more robust connections between features

  • Visual and UI tweaks

Next Steps

Reflection

This was a great way to work on a wide range of features and their associated screens. Although I believe I addressed the needs of the user, I think that I took a very straight-forward approach in order to do so. Consequently, while the app “has everything you might need”, there are likely ways to bolster the connections between its features, and provide a more comprehensive and innovative experience for campers of all experience levels. For example, providing how-to’s that are specific to each camping trip, and perhaps providing more a framework for other user’s input and suggestions.

It would be interesting to explore how the Readycamp app and its features could being integrated into a larger business’s platform such as REI’s.