Designing and validating hybrid mobile GPS Navigation based on OpenStreetMap.
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Skobbler was founded to develop crowdsourced navigation software for mobile phones. Skobbler strives to offer smart products that provide orientation and fun using the OpenStreetMap platform. I worked on bringing the Beta version to market as the first generation of the product. User Research I took part of conducting the initial focus group supervised by the client, defining the scope of the project, using the GPS offline/online map technology provided by Navigon. On the basis of market research and focus groups, personas were made to describe use cases and humanize the target groups Prototyping and usabilty testing Fast prototyping was mixed with usability tests, where the results of the tests were used to adjust the next iteration of prototypes until the requirements were met and a viable product was made. Interaction design was then improved to meet mobile requirements and sent to implementation. Client did not consider visual design at this point, as they were waiting for the agency to create a brand. Heuristic evaluation and design for user experience After the brand was created and a second iteration of product had been developed, I was asked to validate the product and conduct a heuristic evaluation along with recommendations for improvement of the user experience of the product. A report was made and presented to the client who took recommendations to create a third iteration of the product. Skobbler has since then been taken to iPad and Apps platforms and is currently being used by more than a million users in Europe, offering the most advanced offline mapping solution available on iOS. It offers fully interactive city and country maps that cover almost all of Europe. OUTCOME: The project helped define the business model by adding social to the equation, improved the user experience and carried the company across the difficult threshold from being an off-line service provided by pre-installed map, to become an on-line service with live update. SKILLS IN ACTION:
www.skobbler.com Reference: Oliver Kühn, Board Member at OpenStreetMap Foundation, Köln, Germany. E-mail: [email protected] |