Role: UX Research, Product designer, visual design, prototyping, and testing

Constraints: Location- bound, diverse appeal

Keywords: Education, Entertainment, Attraction Design

Timeline: June 2024

User Research and Design

Enhancing the connection between guests and the Indianapolis Zoo, inspiring people to care for our world

A companion app designed for use in and around the Indianapolis Zoo.

The goal of this project was to discover a way to enhance the experience of guests visiting the Indianapolis Zoo and allow for exploration and education at the zoo and around the world.

Mission and Values

“We believe in a world where nature and people thrive.”

“The mission of the Indianapolis Zoo is to protect nature and inspire people to care for our world.”

Given the Zoo's expansive goals, defining the main issues for the app was challenging. Aligning with the Zoo’s mission helped guide these initial decisions.

Ethnographic Observations and Interviews

I needed to determine what value an app would bring to the guests at the zoo and what role it could play.

I quickly discovered that nothing a visitor could tell me would be as valuable as observing their actual experiences in real time.

In order to understand guests on a large scale, I headed to the zoo for Ethnographic Observations. While I was there, I also interviewed a few visitors for more in-depth insights.

Through my research, I observed:

  • 50 groups with children

  • 33 groups with children under the age of 5 years old

  • 20 adult only groups

I divided these 73 observed groups into categories determined by the interactions they were having with the environment around them

32/73

Wanderer Groups

Calmly moving about, reading/ watching most provided material around exhibits, observing slowly or methodically, meandering

38/73

Explorer Groups

Moving rapidly, pointing out things of interest, speaking aloud and sharing thoughts/ information

7/73

Photographers

Looking for opportunities or actively taking photos of animals, group members, or exhibits

3/73

Relaxers

Taking a break, sitting down, relaxing

In interviews, guests suggested:

  • Adding digital directories and more animal info on digital billboards

  • Adding QR codes for schedules, photos, and audio information. They also recommended real-time navigation to assist those who struggle with maps.

  • Adding a map and schedule to help with orientation and activity planning.

Main Need/ Opportunity

With this information I researched what other companies and businesses were doing to address similar needs of their consumers.

Interactive maps with the ability to filter for specific needs i.e. bathrooms, first aid, food, etc

Integrated abilities to purchase tickets

Educational resources for general species and resident animal information

I then considered what the Indianapolis Zoo could do to help their guests

  • Location based interactive maps with the ability to filter for specific needs i.e. bathrooms, first aid, food, etc

  • Additional educational resources and information for the species and specific resident animals

  • Daily Schedule (chats, presentations, interactive experiences, etc)

  • Itinerary creation for guests to plan their upcoming trip

  • QR code integrations throughout the zoo

  • FAQ’s

  • Ticket purchasing for daily tickets but also tickets to be utilized through the day for things like ride and feeds and special experiences

Problem Statements

Not only are current guests unaware of activities or experiences that would enhance their trip, but they can become frustrated trying to navigate without straightforward access to a map and schedule.

More than half of the groups during observations had at least one phone in hand already, this would be an easy transition to quickly accessible navigation, schedules, and additional resources

Insight

“It would be nice if you could scan a QR code and get a schedule of events for that day.  We had to go to the website and look for the dolphin show times.”

Need

Users need simple access to information they may need one or many times through their visit, such as the daily schedule.

POV

“As someone who wants to attend many of the day’s events, I need simple access to the daily schedule so I can attend as many of these special events as possible throughout my day.”

HMW

How might we provide a daily schedule to guests, helping them manage their day more effectively?

Insight

“I was trying to find a map, or like they have in the mall- those directories.  I never found one.  There is a child with us that has been to the zoo many times and kind of knew where he was going, so he helped lead us around.  I did look for a directory or pamphlets and could not find one.”

Need

Users need assistance navigating when visiting the zoo.

POV

“As someone who has not been to the zoo many times, I need help knowing what exhibits exist, and how to get to them, so that I can avoid confusion and frustration as I explore and learn.”

HMW

Help guests navigate from where they currently are to where they want to go independently?

  • Eliminate struggles and frustrations associated with not having straightforward access to schedules, maps, and the inherent resources they provide

  • Create a more adventurous, immersive experience

  • Enhanced engagement with the zoo as a whole and individual exhibits/ activities

  • Inspire environmental stewardship and foster deeper connections

  • Personalized information and additional accessibility options

How would this impact guests?

Project Goals & User Personas

Design Choices

By pursuing the insights from the research and exploration thus far, I began the process of isolating our final product through the exploration of a feature set and comprehensive user flows

Mock Ups

I started with low and mid fidelity mock ups for design and overall aesthetics, and continued on with more design work and user testing.

High Fidelity Prototypes

Join the adventure

Guests are invited to join an exploration to the Indianapolis Zoo with interaction for every type of user.

Discover a detailed schedule

Schedules sorted by category and date to ensure guests don’t miss a thing!

Learn more about a species

Approachable education for users of any age.

Customized itinerary creation

Create a personalized itinerary for an upcoming trip.

Maps

Live, interactive, GPS based map to help with navigation and itinerary completion during a visit.

Next Steps?

When prioritizing features for this product, I specifically detailed features that had too high of an up-front cost to include in the MVP, but would be beneficial in future releases, including:

  • Notification system to allow push notifications as users are approaching an exhibit for more information, and reminders when it’s time to head to another event on the itinerary

  • Ticket purchases and tracking for daily passes, memberships, ride tickets, and animal feed tickets which will display remaining credits as they are used

  • Animal exploration expansion so users can learn more about resident animals, behavioral and training information, and live streams

In addition to developing future releases, I’d also encourage further user testing to develop an engaging and sustainable “green at home” program for sustainability tips, games, and projects for users to bring a part of the zoo home with them.

Project Takeaway

Creating a focused and effective final product means making sure every design choice lines up with the main goals. This clear direction streamlined my workflow and cut down on wasted effort. By keeping inter-generational users in mind and aiming for very specific outcomes, I was able to create an intuitive and satisfying experience that really meets user needs. In the end, setting clear objectives not only made the process more efficient, but also led to a more cohesive, impactful, and user-friendly product.