Enhancing visitor engagement through immersive design
Over three months, I led the UX/UI design for a university‑sponsored Glacier National Park app. Using Figma, FigJam, Photoshop, Illustrator, and FXStudio, I crafted a fully interactive mobile prototype that guides visitors through trip planning, campsite booking, activity tracking, and social sharing—wrapped in light gamification to boost engagement.
The final deliverable was a polished Figma prototype complete with micro‑interactions (badge unlocks, animated park ranger guides) and an accompanying design system. User tests (n=5) confirmed the trip planner, badge system, and social feed met goals for clarity, fun, and ease of use. Stakeholders approved the hand‑off package—annotated specs, assets, and a component library—for immediate development.
I audited top outdoor‑recreation apps to find missing real‑time trail info and group planning tools. Through interviews with “Alex, the Avid Hiker,” and “Bella, the Social Camper,” I learned users crave seamless trip coordination and shareable experiences. These insights drove features that blend practical planning with playful rewards.
I built out a design system—Glacier Blue, cool grey, floral purple; Mada font; and reusable buttons, tabs, and badge cards—and applied it across interactive, high‑fidelity screens. After five rounds of moderated testing, I refined labeling, iconography, and onboarding cues, then delivered a fully annotated Figma file plus a hand‑off-ready component library.
This project—and the professor’s feedback—taught me to shift from building feature‑packed, multi‑functional apps toward designing goal‑oriented experiences with a clear core functionality. By prioritizing a single primary task and then supporting it with complementary features, I delivered a more focused, user‑centered product. Embracing this approach deepened my understanding of product design fundamentals and growth as a designer: I learned to define success by how effectively an app meets its core objective rather than by how many bells and whistles it offers.