Milestone | 2021 Portfolio

Milestone
Walk & Discover Your World

Student Project

(BA) Hons Visual Communications, IADT, Dun Laoghaire, 2013

Milestone is a concept for an iphone application designed to enhance the experience of hiking and exploring. Milestone provides the user with up-to-date information, while en-route using GPS mapping and location-specific information.

As part of the project, I developed the UX and UI of the application, the identity design and the brand campaign, which included short promo videos, posters and branded merchandise.

Challenge

This project proposes to provide the hiker or rambler with access to mapping and route information while en-route through a designed interactive walking experience based on GPS technology, which could be a smartphone application or an audio based experience.

Overview

The aim of this application is to make it easier and more accessible to have new and engaging walking experiences. The idea is that it will encourage people to get out and walk as it provides easy access to safe routes that best suit your ability. It also acts as a tool for tourists interesting in walking holidays or just walking in general.

Research & Analysis

Key Considerations

Creating a Visual Language specifically for ramblers and hikers.
Taking into consideration people with different walking abilities, including people who are visually or hearing impaired and wheelchair accessible routes.
The promotion and application of the brand identity specifically for the target audience.

My Role:

UX Design: Research, Flow Diagram, Prototype & Wireframes

UI Design: Pattern Library, Copywriting & Custom Icon Set

Build: Native App Concept

Identity Design & Marketing Campaign Concept

En-route, Wexford

Participatory Art Project by Aileen Lambert, 2010. The project invited local people to re-discover old public-access laneways.

Caint Cheard

Book design project focusing on use of language, words, sayings & folklore by Patrick Mullen, IADT, 2009

The Umbrella Project, Dublin

Participatory Art Project by Rhona Byrne, 2006. The project investigates human behaviour and relationship to environments. People could choose one of six walking tours in Dublin’s North East Inner City.

Maps

In the 1990s, Paula Scher began painting colorful typographic maps of the world, its continents, countries, islands, oceans, cities, streets and neighborhoods.

The Laneway Project, Dublin

Temporary Installation on Dame Lane created by me&you&him as part of the Dublin Fringe Fest 2010. It was designed to encourage interaction and activity between the community.

If These Walls Could Talk

An exhibition of Bill and Miriam Crawford's dining room by the Philadelphia Folklore Project, 2005.

Secondary Research

When conducting research, I focused on art and design projects that explore different places, the relationship between people and environments, community, discovery, history and folklore. Both The Umbrella Project and En-Route encouraged people to walk through their local area, see it with new eyes and engage with it in a new way. Paula Scher's maps seek to visually capture the personality of a place through language and colour. The Laneway Project by me&you&him re-invents and re-imagines a public space, inviting local people to gather and socialise.

1. Choosing walk locations

E.g. Map of Tomnafinogue Woodland Walk, Co. Wicklow

2. Researching unknown public tracks

E.g. Little-used public access lane, Co. Wexford

3. Including obscure points of interest

E.g. Ruins of famine settlements, Co. Wexford

4. Including well-known landmarks

E.g. Enniscorthy Castle, Co. Wexford

5. Identifying local flora

E.g. White Campion

6. Identifying local fauna

E.g. Sika Deer

Primary Research

I gathered all of the information, copy and imagery of the application through extensive research. First, I selected locations that would be suitable for walk routes. For the purpose of the project the locations included the town of Enniscorthy, Courtown woods and strand and the old Tinahely railway track. Next, I began identifying public access lanes for these locations. Finally, I gathered information about the flora, fauna and different points-of-interest for each place.

UX Design

Flow Diagram

User Flow

The user's main goal on the app is to search for walking routes in their current location. As such, they are immediately encouraged to 'Begin Walk' with a secondary option to view previously saved routes. Once the user has entered their location, the app provides a list of routes in up to six different environments: coastal, forest, hill, river, urban or rural. Once the user selects a route they are brought directly to the map interface, where they can primarily navigate, but also access information on points-of-interest / objects of historical relevance, flora and fauna.

Wireframes

Once I was happy with the user flow and basic interactions of the application, I started to create schematics for each screen.

UI Design

Map Interface

I developed a simple, elegant map interface with an unobtrusive colour palette. Each type of terrain is indicated by a different colour. No text is visible on the map itself.

The map icons indicate the following:

Natural Features such as forests, marshes, hills
Man-made Structures: bridges, walls, churches
Points-of-interest: standing stones, raths, crosses

The user accesses information about these features by tapping on the relevant icons.

Navigation Icons

Map

Details

Legend

Flora

Fauna

Walking Route Icons

Hill Walk

Forest Walk

Rural Walk

Urban Walk

River Walk

Coastal Walk

Milestone Walk & Discover Your World