The COMPASS concept is a novel, holistic approach to travel management. It provides support in planning, tourist advice, and navigation using Pervasive Computing and Augmented Reality.
Service
Design Concept
Collaboration
E. Krapp
C. Makam
A. Rahman
Year
2019
The COMPASS addresses cooperative travel management issues using new digital realities. Augmented Reality and location-based Pervasive Computing are used as a tool to enrich the traveler’s experience. The concept merges collective ideation, planning and coordination by creating a gaming solution for group travel management.
Methodology
Design Case Study
Because of time constraints, the project focused on the first two phases of the "Design Case Study" framework: 'Pre-Study' and 'Design'. These two phases supported the understanding of the existing practice by identifying problematic areas and applying technological-oriented solutions.
Phase 1
Pre-Study
The pre-study phase focused on understanding the existing practices within a defined context. The selected participants were individuals who either traveled at least once per year or worked in the travel industry. Through semi-structured interviews, issues and needs arising from the current process were identified.
Interview transcripts were analyzed using Thematic Analysis and open coding to explore themes emerging from the interview data. These themes were categorized into social aspects, trip management, conflicts or problems, and the use of technology while traveling.
Phase 2
Design Phase
The Design phase explored how technology could be applied to address the issues and needs discovered in the previous phase (pre-study). Accordingly, we designed a workshop to explore conceptual ideas and create low-fidelity prototype solutions in collaboration with potential users, providing a platform to delve into the problematic space. The design of the COMPASS incorporated participatory design workshops, internal ideation, and prototyping sessions.
Phase 2
2.1 Design Workshop
The participatory design workshop was created to ensure that the users' needs and wishes remained central to the further development of the concept. The workshop included regular travelers and travel enthusiasts as participants.
First, the participants defined a pool of problematic group travel situations to work on for ideation. In the next step, they verbalized their goals and wishes to generate creative ideas without any technical constraints. Finally, the participants were free to create low-fidelity prototypes of their dream technology to achieve their goals.
User Scenario
Phase 2
2.2 Design Ideation
The themes identified in the analysis of the interview data served as the foundation for internal ideation sessions. Using scenario-based design, two ideas were developed and prototyped as short storyboards to explore potential solutions.
This early approach of sketching and prototyping helped to establish possible directions for further product development. Finally, aspects from both ideas were incorporated into the final concept
User Scenarios
Created scenarios were used to evaluate the concerns of users and possible technology applications. These two scenarios served as inspiration for the design of the final concept idea.
Scenario 1
Scenario 2
Phase 3
Final Concept
The COMPASS is a portable and lightweight device designed to help members of a group cooperate in planning and executing a trip.
The small device can be attached to clothing or bags, and a private projection serves as an AR overlay to display customized information. It supports coordination and decision-making processes within a travel group, avoiding problematic situations and conflicts that may arise before and during the trip.
Concept Feature 1
Tourist Advice
During the trip, special functionalities will be available for each member. Using a location-based pervasive gaming approach, COMPASS enables users to view information on points of interest and receive advice on rules and appropriate behavior in culturally significant places, such as churches.
To ensure safety, the COMPASS will automatically display a warning screen accompanied by vibration to alert users when they are approaching a dangerous area
Concept Feature 2
Navigation
Navigation is a common issue among tourists and is frequently mentioned during interviews and workshops. It is a vital feature of COMPASS. A new approach was chosen to allow for a natural, unobtrusive, and safe alternative to traditional navigation, such as Google or Apple Maps.
The COMPASS keeps track of both the user and the next point on the itinerary. A route is automatically generated according to the user's preferences, such as quick routes or scenic routes. Upon the user's request, the route is shown as an AR overlay, thus avoiding the awareness issues that come with mobile phone navigation.
