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An end-to-end project investigating how casual explorers engage with local features and supporting learning during exploration.
Role: Solo UX designerScope: Student project to mid-fidelity + independent continuation
Overview
Urban walkers often move through their environment on autopilot, missing the rich details of their surroundings. CityScout is an end-to-end, self-initiated project that explores how design can support more intentional, curiosity-driven exploration.
How might we help busy and distracted city-goers appreciate nature and local features a little more, so they can feel more connected to their surroundings and community?
Research & Opportunities
CityScout Research.pdfTruncated research document coming soon.
Literature review findings reinforced that even 15 minutes of “noticing” practices can measurably improve mood and connection. Interviews and user surveys further indicated patterns that most urban residents are interested in learning more but face various attention barriers, the biggest being time pressure.
There was a clear opportunity in the market. Walking games, wildlife ID tools, and wellness apps exist, but their non-overlapping focus leaves a gap for a userbase looking for intentional but casual noticing, learning, and exploration.
User Needs: The Curious Seeker
Achilles represents our primary user persona: an urban walker who wants to notice more but often slips into autopilot. He values incidental discovery, and is frustrated when he misses details because of distractions.
Mapping this persona's experience highlighted a major intervention moment: noticing something interesting during a walk and wanting to learn more.
Product Highlights
Effortless Discovery
The app sends prompts when something is nearby and automatically makes notes for later.
Log Memories
Scrapbook & Discovery Log features to revisit adventures and review progress.
Autologging
Choose levels for autologging (from fully manual to fully AI-automated), prompts, and memories.
Learning Flow
The prototype focuses on the learning flow, informed by objectives of prompted discovery and easy learning. The user notices a feature on a walk, identifies it, and explores contextual information, all while maintaining a curious and friendly visual and tonal identity. Screens outside the flow reinforce a sense of progress over time.
Outcome
This project progressed from an initial concept about urban noticing to an interactive prototype that demonstrates how lightweight learning and awareness cues can meaningfully shift a user’s experience of their neighbourhood. With CityScout, our Curious Seeker persona can become more comfortable with noticing and learning about what he encounters on his walks and feel more engaged with the world.
Through two rounds of user testing, I validated the main learning flow, refined language and interactions, and strengthened the app’s overall information architecture. Testers consistently reported that the app felt intuitive and enjoyable, aligning directly with the project goal of making everyday walks more curious and connected.
Next Steps
CityScout continues to receive updates whenever I have capacity for independent work. User testing surfaced areas for refinement, and while those adjustments were made, further iteration would benefit the overall experience. Upcoming updates include:
Further development on the Scrapbook feature (a tester favourite) + related flows
More learning epic functionality (autologging multiple photos, wildlife heatmaps, a context-first almanac, different information screens per type of local feature)
Flows for other non-learning epics: awareness, exploration, wellness, and community/sharing
Updating the homescreen to better reflect more flows & features
Refining iconography, potentially with custom illustrations + custom map visuals
Expand app to wearable devices
Other Projects
Pleihouse—Design system for a playful e‑commerce furniture brand.
Lululemon Audit & Redesign—Improving discoverability and personalization for the Lululemon experience.
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