Project 1

Echo Park Embark

A mobile app for budget-conscious travelers exploring Echo Park

Final Screen of a learning activity within Phonics Friends.

background

Over sixteen weeks, I collaborated with three other designers to create a mobile app that addresses the challenges new visitors face when exploring the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles. Our app aims to assist budget-conscious visitors by providing information about local attractions, including prices, and enabling them to create personalized itineraries for easier navigation. We developed a high-fidelity prototype of the app and conducted user testing with three individuals.

see the prototype

project type

Academic Project

role

Product Designer — Responsible for conducting research, and creating prototypes, logos, brand and identity, and high-fidelity screens.

timeline

Fall 2023 (16 Weeks)

team

Arthur Jensen (Me)
Isabel Bautista Lois Kim Sammy Schreier

problem

Unfamiliarity, financial barriers and misconceptions about Echo Park create further obstacles for low-income individuals and families to explore.

solution

Developed a mobile app that helps visitors discover new places and plan activities in Echo Park while saving money.

impact

Produced a comprehensive set of over 20 wireframes and mockups, which culminated in a functional prototype that we presented and tested with our target demographic.

introduction

Getting to Know Echo Park

Located just above Downtown Los Angeles, Echo Park is a vibrant neighborhood known for its unique shops, restaurants, green spaces, and public events.
With its rich history and diverse offerings, it attracts foodies, thrifters, artists, and musicians seeking a creative community.
Echo Park has gained a reputation for being expensive and exclusive, which can intimidate newcomers, so my team aims to promote the area as welcoming and accessible to all.

Images showcasing Echo Park, including nearby stores, people, and the park itself.

interviews

Interviews Reveal Safety Concerns & A Sense of Unfamiliarity That Hinders Exploration

I conducted five interviews with visitors and conducted a netnography analysis to gauge public perception of Echo Park.
The findings revealed that visitors lack awareness of the neighborhood and feel unsafe, which discourages them from exploring it.

"It's a beautiful lake but it gets a bad reputation."

Lieutenant Garcia

Department of Fish and Wildlife

"I love exploring, but I would not come here by myself."

Jennifer A.

Resident of Los Angeles

"There were parts of town I have never been to at all, including Echo Park."

Scott Listfield

Resident of Los Angeles

ethnographic research

Echo Park's Gentrification Impacts Community Accessibility & Comfortability

To gain an ethnographic perspective, I researched Echo Park's history and found a scholarly article on its gentrification.
The article noted that Echo Park's shift from a predominantly Latino and Filipino community to one with more white residents has created discomfort, discouraging many people of color from visiting.

“When a business does not represent the community and only carries high-end services, the community will feel as if there is no trust.”

Kimberly M. Soriano

Author of "Getting Up: Gentrification, Gang Injunctions and Graffiti in Echo Park, Los Angeles"

user research

Identifying Financial Barriers that Limit Exploration for Low-Income Individuals

I gathered and analyzed quantitative research that illustrated the demographics and psychographics of our target audience.
This research revealed that low-income households were disproportionately excluded from enjoying the neighborhood's offerings due to financial constraints.

Bar graph showing the rise of goods and services in the U.S., 2023.

Transportation And Food Costs Soar Over 25% In The Last 4 Years

The high cost of goods and services can significantly strain our users' budgets, with everyday expenses being the priority.

Circle graph showcasing how a majority of funds goes to purchases for basic needs.

Chart depicting allocation of funds for families in Los Angeles.

Our Users Have Limited Funds for Leisurely Activities

Research indicated that our users have limited budgets, necessitating our app to highlight low-cost or free attractions.

problem statement

Defining the Challenges That Prevent People From Exploring Echo Park

In discussions, I highlighted key research findings that identified major user pain points such as the unfamiliarity and misconceptions with Echo Park, along with financial barriers that our users face.
Considering these obstacles, my team questioned:

How might we provide budget-conscious people methods to prepare a fun and customizable trip to and around Echo Park?

user persona & Journey

Discovering the Need for Tools to Help Plan Routes within our App

I assisted in synthesizing research insights into creating a user persona, depicting a low-income mother looking for affordable and fun experiences for her family in LA.
By empathizing with our user persona, I wanted to address her anxiety about traveling, specifically her unfamiliarity and fear of visiting a new place.
Our user's stress and anxiety about commuting underscored the importance of providing clear informational and navigational guidance before, during, and after her journey to Echo Park.

User Journey Map depicting the goals and challenges that our user persona faces.

User Journey Map depicting the challenges our user persona faces before entering Echo Park.

prototyping

Creating Mid-Fidelity Prototypes to Test Our Physical and Digital Learning Experience

We divided our design process into three phases: the first phase focused on establishing the app's key features such as a personal itinerary builder.
The second phase focused on enhancing personalization by adding elements like search filters and a premade itinerary based on selected interests.
The third phase refined the designs from the earlier phases while adding features like deals and coupons, helping budget-conscious users save money at shops, restaurants, and stores in Echo Park.

The functionality of one of the features on this screen is unclear to users.

The wording on this prototype screen is unclear for users.

Orthographic sketches, informational sketches and physical prototypes of book.

phase 1

Addressing Icon Clarity, Localization, and Feature Confusion

Key insights:

Icon clarity: Users find some icons confusing and want clarity.
Echo Park focus: Users want the app to feel more specific to Echo Park, with unique features and content.
“Make My Day” feature: Button is not noticeable and its function is unclear.
Category Confusion: Some categories like the “Upcoming Adventures" caused confusion.

Screen where users select what their interested in.

Screen with accessible details about attractions.

Users prefer using a map for directions while navigating between locations.

Orthographic sketches, informational sketches and physical prototypes of pen.

phase 2

Improving Personalized Experiences with Clear Attractions and Navigation

Key insights:

Customization: Enable personalized itinerary creation based on interests and budget.
More Attraction Details: Provide clear information (pricing, hours, photos) about attractions.
Navigation & Progress Tracking: Ensure intuitive navigation and clear progress indication within the app.
Pre-made itineraries: Users want to easily explore, customize and differentiate between them.

The app highlights deals to attract budget-conscious users.

Users can redeem deals at these businesses.

Users can see businesses within their budgets.

Low and mid-fidelity screens of the digital application.

phase 3

Prioritizing Affordability and Safety for an Inclusive Experience

Key insights:

Showcase Deals & Coupons: Low-income individuals value deals.
Clarify Language: Simplify the UI and clarify instructions, as audio navigation transitions were confusing.
Highlight Affordable Businesses: Double down on small businesses that are more affordable
Safety and Practicality: Address safety concerns and ensure audio features are practical.

style guide

Rebranding to Reflect Echo Park's Creative Spirit

To better capture Echo Park's creative spirit, I led a rebranding effort that began with ethnographic visual research. I took photos of the area's typography and colors, using these elements as inspiration for the new brand identity.
My proposed logo, typography color palette were used in our final designs. I established a style guide to guide the final designs.

Echo Park Embark Style Guide.

High-fidelity prototype

Echo Park Embark: Digital App

A video showcasing the use case and user flow for the Echo Park Embark app.

Echo Park Embark is your personalized guide to affordable fun! Discover hidden gems, browse attractions, plan custom itineraries, and enjoy special offers for local businesses.

see it live

Screen that gives a brief overview of the app's functionalities.

Screen that asks users for their email and password.

Screen that prompts users to create an account.

Screen that asks users to create an account.

Screen that prompts users to select their interests to create a personalized experience.

Screen that prompts users to select their interests for a more personalized experience.

Screen that showcases a premade itinerary.

Screen that features a premade itinerary.

Screens showcasing the app's onboarding experience, where users can select their interests.

onboard

Personalize Your Experience in Echo Park

The app's onboarding experience reflects Echo Park's vibrant atmosphere. Users personalize their feeds by selecting categories of interest.

Screen that allows users to quickly search for businesses.

Screen where users can explore recommended activites.

Screen where users can see all types of businesses in the Echo Park area.

Screen where users can view local businesses based on food, activities and events.

Screen that features a category system for quick browsing.

Screens showcasing attractions, with cards organized by categories such as food, activities, and events.

explore

Discover Attractions Using the Explore View

The explore page displays activity cards for browsing, including personalized recommendations in the "You Might Like These" section. Cards are organized into categories: food, activities, and events.

Screen that depicts price indicators for the business.

Screen where users can view coupons and special offers from a business.

Screen that showcases business hours, ratings, and other essential information.

Screen where users can see photos of popular items from a business.

Screens showcasing detailed business information and exclusive coupons.

discover

View Business and Attraction Details at a Glance

Each card provides essential attraction details: price, hours of operation, address, phone number, rating, website, and photos. Special coupons for partnering businesses are also included to appeal to budget-conscious users.

Screen where users can create and customize their itineraries.

Itinerary customization screen with a notes feature.

Screen where users can add more to their itineraries.

Screen where users can choose to navigate their itineraries.

Screens where users can personalize their experience by creating itineraries and navigating through them.

navigate

Create, Save and Navigate an Itinerary

Users can customize their Echo Park experience by creating itineraries, adding attractions, and ordering them. Itineraries can be labeled and dated, with space for notes. Upon completion, users can connect their itineraries to maps for navigation.

Map screen with an enhanced visual layout of businesses.

Map screen with quick view of activities.

Screens displaying a map of all attractions, helping users visualize the distances between locations.

map view

View Attraction Distances on the Map

We wanted to give users the ability to explore Echo Park attractions on an interactive map, allowing them to visualize distances between locations and facilitating the planning of multi-stop itineraries.

reflection

Prioritizing Problem-Solving in Design Versus Just Focusing on Visual Design

This 16-week project allowed me to collaborate with a talented team to design a mobile app that addresses the challenges faced by budget-conscious travelers exploring Echo Park. Through extensive user research, including interviews and ethnographic analysis, we identified key pain points such as financial barriers, safety concerns, and unfamiliarity with the area. Our solution—Echo Park Embark—aimed to provide an affordable and personalized experience, offering features like customized itineraries, local deals, and clear navigation. I was responsible for conducting research, creating prototypes, and establishing the app's branding and visual identity. Testing with real users allowed us to refine the app's functionality, ensuring it was both user-friendly and accessible. This project reinforced the importance of empathy in design, as we focused on making Echo Park more inviting for everyone, especially those with limited budgets.

Let’s make something great together!

Let’s make something great together!