Neighborhood Explorer
Neighborhood Explorer provides users with a list of small local business in their area in a gamified format. Our purpose is to increase regional awareness of the non-chain stores that make a locality unique and encourage users to support small businesses.
​
The Problem
Sheridan, MN has had an influx of new residents but yet many local businesses have had to close their doors in recent years as they struggle to stand out from larger competition.
In general, folks new to an area can also be unsure where to start exploring their community.
The Solution
An app that provides users with a list of small local business in Sheridan in a gamified format which makes each store visit an adventure.
Application Concept
Gamifying Local Business Engagement
Scope
App Conception, Research, Design, Prototype, and Coding
Tools
Figma, Miro, Github, VS Code
Team
Elise Mary Lanigan
Malinda Carisch
Sara Hudis
USER RESEARCH
Proto-Persona
We envisioned our proto-persona as a gen-z adult, new to the Sheridan neighborhood and eager to get to know the area.
Competitor Analysis
We completed research on two direct and three indirect competitors.
While we didn’t have as large of scope as other apps, we did end up incorporating filtering into our final design from this exercise.
User Interviews
We interviewed three subsets of users:
-
residents within Sheridan
-
a local business owner in Sheridan and the Sheridan Neighborhood Organization
-
people who have had experience moving to a new neighborhood for the first time
From our user interviews, we learned our users are hesitant about in-app currency and our business owner stakeholder was concerned about the added workload involved in promotions or upkeep of the app. As a result, we aimed to steer away from these concepts in our final design.
​
We instead aimed to focus on raising awareness of local businesses, incentivizing residents to explore their neighborhood, and creating a fun experience for users that feels authentic in its mission of supporting local business.
User Persona
Our final user persona included a passion for similar “cozy” games, such as Animal Crossing.
Maya’s goals however stayed mostly the same:
-
supporting local business
-
feeling connected to the community
-
enjoying the mobile game experience.
DEFINITION
User Insight Statement
People moving to a new area want to support local business and find cool new spots to frequent, but are hesitant to download apps with in-app currency as they seem a bit predatory in their monetization methods.
Problem Statement
Local business can struggle to find new client bases within their community because it is difficult to stand out from larger competition. New residents and even sometimes longtime locals can be unsure where to start when it comes to exploring their community.
How can we ensure that our users will be able to find and support local business in a fun, engaging way?
UX Hypothesis
By showcasing local businesses with an engaging user interface, we will increase user awareness among locals so they will be more likely to visit and purchase items locally.
The app will also encourage users to become more involved with their community as they become more familiar with the town, businesses, and people they meet by engaging with the app and visiting local stores.
Feature Prioritization
-
Cartoon map with local businesses highlighted
-
Character customization
-
Scavenger hunt to unlock stores
-
Mini games for different businesses with virtual prizes
-
Progress bar for visiting new stores and completing the map
Storyboard
We focused in on our "new to Sheridan" user base to highlight how our application would help residents find and engage with local businesses and feel more like a part of the community.
WIREFRAMING
Moodboard
Before beginning wireframing, Malinda, Sara, and I collaborated on a moodboard to determine how we wanted our app to look and feel. We took inspiration from apps like Animal Crossing and children’s picture books for our app.
We wanted to achieve a “cozy” feel, with colors reminiscent of nature..
User Flow
We completed multiple iterations of our user flow, as we added a filtered journal and backpack of items for our users to utilize.
We also adjusted how the mini-game unlocking and prizes functioned so it was clearer to our users how to progress within the app.
Style Tile
Our style tile incorporates a similar color scheme from our moodboard, through we shied away from darker browns for a brighter look.
It also includes a retro gaming-like font and original artwork to make our app stand out.
Sketches
Malinda, Sara, and I each created a set of sketches and we chose aspects from each to incorporate into our final design. We determined our prototype would include the following flows:
-
Onboarding/Picking a Character
-
Accessing a Map/Going in Store
-
Playing a store specific game
-
Customizing Character
-
Filtering and Viewing Adventure Journal
Lo-Fi Prototype
In our first prototype, we determined we would need to guide our user through:
-
Picking a character
-
Accessing the map
-
Visiting a store and completing the associated scavenger hunt
-
Playing a minigame
-
Customizing their character
-
Accessing and filtering their adventure journal
_gif.gif)
Mid-Fi Prototype
After our initial round of testing, we added detail and some animations/components for our next iteration.
We also discussed and planned out further artwork and animations that would be necessary for a working prototype.
TESTING
Testing Plan and Results
We decided to test our users’ understanding of the app and navigation through each stage of our prototype by conducting and recording user tests. With each test, we were able to add notes on what was further needed to guide the user, what was extraneous explanation, and what additional features would be beneficial. After creating a list, we assigned out each note to work complete for our final prototype.
Style Guide
We wanted our colors and font choices to convey an adventurous playfulness that is reminiscent of vintage arcade games.
However, we still wanted to keep the key cartoon elements that were in our moodboard.
Final Prototype
For our final prototype, we aimed to provide further guidance for the user through tooltips and updated copy, added color, created several animated features and components, and made it possible to select multiple characters
​
Coded Desktop Landing Page
We also decided to code a separate webpage so that business owners in Sheridan would be able to learn about the app and how they can get involved.
The page showcases the app, and the games and prizes available for their business.
Final Thoughts and Next Steps
Malinda, Sara, and I greatly enjoyed working together on such a creative project. We especially felt grateful to be able to work with Scott VanKoughnett, owner of Eat My Words Bookstore, and the Sheridan Neighborhood Organization to ensure Neighborhood Explorer was the best possible product to the residents and businesses of Sheridan.
​
Our future goals for this project are to:
-
Connect with other small businesses in Sheridan to get their input and ideas for improvement.
-
Continue iterations on visual and interaction design.
-
Eventually expand the application out to other communities who could benefit from local business exposure