Exploring through Experiences: Storytelling

In order to explore and consider HIKEO’s users’ experiences in more detail, our team used the design method: storytelling, to verbally express and dive into the “experience story” from the perspective of our main user persona: Bailey.

Through this design process, our team made sure to note all essential design features and functions from each story variation, how the features of HIKEO could be modified so that it could be more focused on our users’ needs, and how additional value could be incorporated into HIKEO so that the user experience of the application was amplified.

The following five scenarios were created based on our main persona, Bailey, and follows her journey in using HIKEO to help her hiking experience from beginning to end.

Scenario #1: IMPROMPTU Trip to Snoqualmie Falls

It’s been raining all day and the clouds don’t seem to want to disappear in Seattle. After finishing up a client project earlier than expected, Bailey jumps online and checks out the weather forecast for the upcoming long weekend—she’s been cooped up for way too long indoors! She notices that the weekend forecast is actually going to be sunny and warm, and in that split second, decides that she’s going to take advantage of the perfect timing! Since it’s so last minute and she already has something she committed to on Sunday with her friends, she decides that she has to go somewhere that is relatively well-charted and the general travel time should be short to maximize her time outdoors. The trail should definitely be quiet and scenic; there’s been too many distractions in the city the past few weeks.

Having trouble deciding exactly where she should go, she goes onto Hikeo.com to find direction and get herself organized. She quickly updates her hiking preferences and the web application directs her to a few trails suggestions, and from that list, she chooses Snoqualmie Falls. HIKEO then recognizes that Bailey has chosen to take an overnight trip near Snoqualmie Falls and so helps synthesizes what other equipment and gear she will need to pack based on what she already has. HIKEO’s systems also helps Bailey book a cabin on Airbnb nearby the trail since she specified that she didn’t want to camp so much this weekend. HIKEO informs Bailey that she already has all the necessary hiking equipment and gear she will need for her trip but creates a checklist for her as she goes home to pack her overnight bag/pack. The system also reminds Bailey that she does need a pass for the area, however, you need a parking permit to park anywhere near Snoqualmie Falls and so, she uses HIKEO to buy a parking pass and register her vehicle’s license plate for the two days.

Wanting to catch the sunset, Bailey leaves for the trailhead and drives down I-90 with all her gear. When she arrives, she checks in quickly at the cabin and drops off her things. Then she drives to the trailhead, doesn’t have to waste any time with parking and permit logistics, and goes on the trails to complete her hike. After watching the sunset, she comes back to the car and drives to her cabin to spend the night. The next day, she checks out of the cabin and goes out to hike around the surrounding area as well since HIKEO suggests other close trails Bailey would enjoy based on her individual preferences and skill levels.

After a whole day outside, she calls it a day, heads back to her car and drives back home. When she’s home, she starts sharing pictures she took throughout her trip on HIKEO and shares with other hikers about her journey.

Scenario #2: GROUP PLANNING Trip to Rattlesnake Ledge

Bailey has been talking about her summer hiking adventures a lot at work and some of her coworkers have been very keen to join her one weekend! However, the group of people who are interested continues to change and everyone seems to have an opinion/preference to what they want or can do. Bailey, as the unofficial elected leader, wants to accommodate everyone’s needs and preferences but is getting overwhelmed. To help her, she asks everyone that is interested in going on a hike together to go on HIKEO and create an account for themselves. That way, everyone who wants to be included can use HIKEO to synthesize the group needs and wants and help them plan everything out on a single system.

Once everyone has set up their profiles on HIKEO, the system synthesizes the group’s individual ability levels, expectations, interests, preferences, etc. in order to figure out where they should be heading. Of the suggestions, Rattlesnake Ledge was the group’s consensus in the end. From there, HIKEO helped coordinate and create a communication basis for the group prior to the trip. Through HIKEO’s shared inventory feature, each member of the group’s personal inventory lists is compiled together to help simply figuring out what is needed for the trip. For everything the group still lacks, they have the option to borrow from other friends, rent or directly buy from HIKEO’s suggested items. Everyone decides to use HIKEO’s food feature to simply the pre-process and orders healthy hiking food to be picked up at the trailhead. The costs are evenly split amongst the whole group and no additional steps are needed. The platform also provides the space for the group to communicate, coordinate, and plan their hiking adventure together.

When the day arrives for the hiking trip, everyone arrives at the hub to pick up their individual food packages and some equipment a few members of the group had ordered. No one has forgotten anything or has the too late realization they needed something else during the hike. The whole group goes on their hike and has a great time walking through the forest and up to the viewpoint. Rattlesnake Ledge was a perfect spot for everyone to relax and enjoy the sweeping views of the

Cascade Mountains and I-90 pass during lunch! After everyone finishes their delicious meal and takes enough pictures from every angle on the summit, the group decides to head back down to the mountain. On their way, some of the group decides to upload and mark some of their experiences on the group forum page.

Once everyone gets back to the trailhead, the group makes plans to share pictures and swap stories from their adventure on HIKEO, promise to do another hiking trip together again soon, and says their goodbyes. Those who had rented or borrowed equipment returned their gear at the HIKEO hub and then, departs and heads their separate ways after a memory-filled day outdoors! There definitely will be a lot of water-cooler-talk on Monday in the office about everyone’s experiences!

Scenario #3: EXPERIMENTATION to Maple Pass Loop in the North Cascades

Bailey has been hiking a lot around the immediate Seattle region throughout the summer. She even went to longer hikes with her friends near Leavenworth! Now that the colder weather is starting to settle back in, she really wants to take advantage of her weekends now more than ever! Bailey really wants to challenge herself with a new hiking trail that still caters to her specific preferences and her abilities so she uses HIKEO to help her find those news trails. Bailey inputs into HIKEO that she wants to see some lark trees since the seasonal change has been happening all over Washington now. HIKEO, based on her capabilities and updated interests, gives her the suggestion of going to the North Cascades to hike Maple Pass Loop Trail.

Recognizing that this trail would be completely new terrain for Bailey since HIKEO has collecting her hiking history, it presents her with some of the necessary pre-hike information so Bailey will know what can expect. HIKEO presents sequential information that Bailey will need to know prior to the hike (i.e. such as permits, passes, parking, etc.) as well as compiling her specific checklist of gear and supplies she will need for the hike. HIKEO even reminds her that she will need a full-tank of gas to get to and from Seattle to the North Cascades. Since it’s already Autumn already, HIKEO reminds Bailey that she will need to have micro-spikes, trekking poles, and gaiters to help her reach the summit of most trails in the North Cascades due to the higher elevation points. Bailey already has basic trekking poles but no snow baskets for those trekking poles, gaiters or micro-spikes. She is really excited to go on this hike but she doesn’t really want to shell out a couple hundred dollars for getting the necessities she will need to complete the hike so she decides to use the renting option to order the specialized equipment to the trailhead.

This is a great option for Bailey to also try out some of the gear as well to see if it’s a good fit for her before she commits to a certain model or brand. Thanks to HIKEO, all the information she needs in figuring out what gear she wants to rent is aggregated together so she can carefully review and shop through all the gear recommendations! She even splurges and rents a satellite locator beacon for emergencies in case!

Once Bailey has all her gear and equipment and preparations all set for her upcoming trip, she is still a bit anxious leading up to the hike. Bailey has never really been to the North Cascades and she’s a bit nervous being in such a remote area with little or no reception by herself. Though she has prepped all the material things for the hike, Bailey is still nervous and so she goes on HIKEO’s shared community space and shares her decision to go to Maple Loop Pass. Through community engagement and feedback from other hikers, Bailey gets the encouragement and support she wants prior to the hike from other’s first-hand accounts and experiences.

The morning of, Bailey is already and set to the go. The drive to the trailhead hub was smooth drive because HIKEO provided her with everything she needed to take into consideration (i.e. forecast, travel time, travel advisories, etc.) on her trip, and all her rented gear was ready for her when she arrived at the hub. Once she grabs everything at the hub, she goes on her hike. During her hike, Bailey references HIKEO’s real-time location trail-map to make sure she’s on the right path and she doesn’t miss any viewpoints are terrain changes since she’s not as familiar with the trail.

After Bailey completes the hike and returns all her rented gear, she uses HIKEO to record all the setbacks she faced, surprises she found, and all the pictures she took while on the trail! She shares her story onto HIKEO’s forum to encourage others to try the trail themselves!

Scenario #4: OVERNIGHT HIKE to Cady Ridge Loop in the Central Cascades

Bailey has a long-weekend coming up and she wants to take advantage and plan an overnight hike! She has been itching to take out her new backpacking Big Agnes Cooper Spur tent she got during a REI garage sale! She takes out HIKEO to see what overnight hikes it suggests for her based on her capabilities and specified preferences. She only wants to be out for two days and wants to see wildflowers on her hike (it is the season for them!). HIKEO filters through all her custom specifications and aggregates a list for Bailey to choose from. The synthesized list HIKEO produces for Bailey is actually quite long so she then uses the first-hand reviews from other hikers to help her make her make a decision. In the end, she chose Cady Ridge Loop in the Central Cascades!

HIKEO helps Bailey prepare for her backpacking trip by making sure all the equipment and gear she will need is considered. The personalized check-list of everything she will need also includes all the backpacking equipment/gear, camping passes/permits, notices and travel advisories she needs to consider as she specified in HIKEO that she will be taking an overnight trip. Although she has her backpacking tent and general day-hike gear ready, she notices that she doesn’t have yet a camp stove or water purification system set for her trip. She then quickly reaches out to borrow a friend’s camp stove she’s used before and rent a platypus water filter system on HIKEO. Using HIKEO’s personalized checklist for this specific trip, Bailey then goes over again everything she will need for this overnight hike. She goes through her pack to make sure she isn’t over-packing anything that will be dead weight and leaves some room for the camp stove and water filter system she will be picking up. Aside from the packing and preparations Bailey is making, she also uses HIKEO to help gauge how she will need to pace her trip based on when she wants to arrive at the campsite and return to the trailhead. It’s been a while since she’s done a backpacking trip by herself and she wants to keep herself on pace.

Right before she leaves, she prints out some of the references notes she wants with her physically on the trail and leaves a note to her friends and family groups on HIKEO, letting them know she is heading out for an overnight hike at Cady Ridge Loop. Sending out the note also reminds her to start her first digital journal entry for this trip. She really wants to document this experience as it will be her first backpacking trip in 2018! Since she already picked up her camp stove from her friend, Bailey drives directly to the trailhead and hub. At the hub, she picks up the platypus filtration system and her hike-optimized food bento-box for the journey (she didn’t want to fuss over what she would needed for the trip). She quickly fits everything into her backpacking pack and doesn’t have to worry about disposal issues since HIKEO’s pre-packed box uses compostable containers. Bailey then begins her trip and maintains her digital journal throughout the trip. She takes a lot of pictures and add them into her journey throughout the trail—which also documents them at the location she captures the contextual reflections. After arriving at the Little Wenatchee Ford Campground and setting up camp, Bailey has an amazing night watching the stars from the comfort of her tent. She has never felt so at peace!

The next morning, Bailey, clears up her campsite and packs everything back up, and starts her hike back to the trailhead. During the journey back, she adds more notes and journal entries about the trip, everything from the difficulty in finding the viewpoint her friend mentioned to seeing elk near the campground in the morning. When Bailey has returned all her rented/borrowed gear and arrives home, she reminisces her experience and feels a sense of accomplishment when going back through her journal entries and photographs. She shares her experiences with other hikers who reached out to see how her journey went and she feels connected with the hiking community through HIKEO.

Scenario #5: PRE-PLANNED EXPERIENCED HIKE in Olympic National Park

Bailey has seen so many photographs of the picturesque Ruby Beach and other famous sites from Olympic National Park that she can’t wait to go on a trip there over the summer. Being in Seattle, she feels so fortunate to be steps away from such natural wonders! Since the whole region of the National Park is so expansive and she wants to go to a lot of the areas, Bailey goes on HIKEO and reaches out to other hikers she’s either met on previous trips or just through the digital community platform.

She connects with those hikers based on their shared interests, ability levels, and just personal preferences. Once the group members are all formed and connected with one another, HIKEO’s shared platforms allows everyone to consolidate, share, and inspire one another prior to their planned expedition to the national park. Based on a combination of friend groups and their recommendations, reviews, and discussion amongst the group members, they create an itinerary of their journey through the park together. HIKEO’s hiking trail details and trail maps helps everyone gain a holistic view of their trip and know what they can expect on the trail prior to going. One leg of the trip will actually include a last-minute addition of a trail guide who lives in the area. Bailey found through HIKEO’s guide reviews of a local hiker in the area who was willing to lead the rest of the group through a very dense rainforest region in the park. The guide will be able to show Bailey and the rest of the group some local and “secret” spots in the region as they are hiking through. Bailey’s really hoping to get some really nice photographs of the dense fog through the walls of Sitka spruce trees and wester hemlocks at first light.

HIKEO also helps Bailey’s group figure out and share amongst themselves the pack responsibilities to minimize over-packing. Many of the group members have large enough tents and camp stoves that can be shared amongst the group and HIKEO helps to synthesize the group’s equipment and gear inventory to consolidate and simply the packing efforts. For the items the group doesn’t have, HIKEO provides the option to borrow from friends, rent or buy from its partners so that all the gear and equipment the group needs will be available to pick up at the hub before they begin at the trailhead. The guide actually recommends to the group that once they are on the coastline, there is a HIKEO hub near one of the beaches and it’s a great spot to go surfing. Bailey and the rest of the group thinks that it would be a fantastic idea to take advantage of and since they wouldn’t need to carry any of the gear and equipment, they order everything they will need for a day of surfing through HIKEO’s rental service.

After the group has met up at the hub to pick up all their ordered rental equipment, they start off together on their backpacking expedition. Bailey makes so many new friends and real-life connections on this hiking trip! Every night, there are fun stories to tell, a warm camp-fire to sit around, delicious home-made camp meals are shared, and of course star-gazing and night photography of the beautiful Milky Way! Bailey is constantly adding journal entries and photographs along the trail to track her memories and experiences in real-time. HIKEO’s real-time trail map helps the group stay on track, trail, and comprehend their position in the park. They use HIKEO to meet-up with the guide as well and he showed them all the spots they all were all wanted to see and then some! The surfing park of the trip was just another added bonus for the group!

Bailey surprised herself and was a master of the longboard by the end of day! When the group finishes their journey together and returns all the rented and borrowed gear, they all reminisce and reconnect with each other on HIKEO to stay in contact with one another!