User Analysis

We have two classes of users: locals and tourists.  

Characteristics

Tourists:

• Ages: 15+ 
• Education: Literate 
• Language: English (for now)
• Physical Limitations: Mobility
• Technological experience:  Familiar with smart phone applications and Google Maps interface  
• Motivation: Explore the city, sample fine dining, see famous attractions, shop, and adventure
• Attitude: adventurous, hungry, bored, lost
• Communication patterns: either by themselves or in a small group

Locals:

• Ages: 15+
• Education: Literate 
• Language: English (for now)
• Physical Limitations: Mobility
• Technological experience: Familiar with smart phone applications and Google Maps interface
• Motivation: Show friends around, discover pub crawls, exploring new options, celebrating special occasions in addition to tourist motivations  
• Attitude: bored, proud of their city (and want to show off), celebratory, familiar with the area in addition to tourist attitudes
• Communication patterns: social, likely in a group

Use Cases 

Tourist Tom is on his way home to London with a layover in Boston. He has eight hours to kill, but he refuses to invest money in a map or a duck tour. He pulls out his smartphone and uses the handy-dandy application Torch in order to locate a tour that equally satisfies his love of revolutionary memorabilia and his desire for authentic Italian cannolis. Along the way, he discovers another point of interest, Frog Pond in Boston Commons, and learns to ice skate: a hobby he never knew he had. Tom ends a perfect day by having a drink at the premiere Irish pub in Boston, Crossroads, before heading back to the airport.

Local Linda wants to have a girl's night after a long and stressful work week. She has her list of favorite hangouts, but she and her friends want to try something new. Using Torch and user-reviews, Linda and her gal pals assemble the finest night of drinking and debauchery possible on a Friday night. They end their night at the finest, local bar Crossroads, where Linda ends up meeting the love of her life, a beautiful, wealthy englishman by the name of Tom. Tourist Tom cancels his flight to London due to his newfound loves Linda and the city of Boston, all thanks to Torch.

Interview Results

Tourists that we interviewed enjoy going on tours and exploring the cities that they travel to and often acquire their information from maps, tour-guides, word-of-mouth, and the internet. Maps and tour books can cost anywhere from $2 to $20 and are a one-time investment and never used again. Using the internet and word-of-mouth are cheaper alternatives but can be unreliable, inefficient, and overwhelming. One tourist stated that "using the internet is great, but only if you already know what you are looking for." Regardless of the source of the information, users still value ratings and reviews from websites, other users, and experts. Example points of interest among our potential users are museums, parks, restaurants, celebrity hot-spots, shopping districts, and other "touristy" spots. Locals also remarked on the importance of being able to find great restaurants and bars. One interviewee stated that he had attempted to find a mobile application that would help him explore new areas in his hometown but failed!

Features requested by interviewees included integrated maps with clickable landmarks, time estimate on routes, featured routes with reviews, and a rating system. Interviewees remarked that they would appreciate seeing user submitted routes as well, but they may not take the time to submit their own routes. 

Task Analysis 

Find Tours: Based on user needs and interests, find pre-made tours in your area. 

Subtasks:

• Entering user preferences, such as   
  • location
  • destination types (Museums, restaurants, etc.)
  • duration
  • mode of transportation
• Viewing search results in summary or detail form
• Narrowing down possibilities and choosing a tour based on the characteristics of the results, such as
  • time
  • end destination
  • proximity
  • rating

Follow Tours: After deciding on a tour, go to points of interest. 

Subtasks:

• Follow directions
• View detailed information about points of interest along the way
• Provide feedback for tour as a whole and individual points

Form Tours: Design custom tour routes and share with others.

Subtasks:

• Select points of interest that make tour route
• Classify and describe tour in order to facilitate searching of tour
• Receive feedback from other users
• Edit tour route