desn420 – s001 vancouver€¦ · discover. vancouver. creative process. desn420 – s001. 2d core...

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

CREATIVE PROCESS

DESN420 – S001 2D Core Design Studio VII Tak Yukawa & Don Williams

HANNA STEFAN [email protected]

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

PART 1 PART 2 FINAL DESIGNS

INTRODUCTION INTRODUCTION

3

45 25

INITIAL BRAINSTORMINGBRAND EXPLORATION (REVISITED)

WEBSITE DESIGN

626

47

SECONDARY RESEARCH CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT (REVISITED)

MOBILE DESIGN

7 29

55

Primary RESEARCH WEBSITE DESIGN (REVISED)

POSTCARD DESIGN

10 31

60

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

MOBILE APP

CONCLUSION

POSTCARDS

16

41

61

44PART 1 CONCLUSION 23

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY 62

WEBSITE DESIGN 19

Executive Summary

Thesis Statement

Mind MapsVancouver Moodboard

Vancouver Brand Inspirations User-testing

Overview Detailed Wireframe

Literature ReviewExisting Examples

Mind Mapping Logo Iterations

Overview Detailed Wireframe

Co-Creation ActivityOnline Survey

Revised Concept 1: 5W’sRevised Concept 2: Pinterest revised Concept 3: Bucketlist

Testable PrototypeFinal Concept Development

Overview

Design Iterations

Design Iterations

Vancouver Brand Exploration Logo Iterations

User-Generated Content for TravelInterface Design

Existing ExamplesOther

Early DirectionsTestable Prototype

24 46

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This document describes the creative process for my undergraduate thesis project, Discover Vancouver. This project looks at the influence of online, user-generated content, specifically its implications on travel decisions. By applying what is successful about user-generated content, I have designed a website and mobile app that I believe will improve upon Vancouver’s current cultural experience for both travellers and local residents. The name of this website is ‘Discover Vancouver.’

Research and design for this project will take place from September 2012 until April 2013.

This project has been broken into two parts. The first part, taking place from September – December 2012, examines the influence of online, user-generated content on travel decisions. Through secondary research, I first explore whether people see this as a trustworthy and credible source. Through primary research, I then explore how Vancouverites’ make travel decisions both within and outside of the city.

The second part of this project took place from January – March 2013. It involved apply the above mentioned research to a website and mobile application design for Vancouver. I explored a Vancouver brand, as well as several iterations and basic prototypes of the website and mobile app, inevitably creating a final design.

INTRODUCTIONEXECUTIVE SUMMARY

PART 1

INTRODUCTIONTHESIS STATEMENT

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The term ‘Web 2.0’ refers to the second generation of web-based platforms, one in which data, information, and media are produced and shared by the general public; Mendes-Filho, Tan, and Milne, 455). It also refers to sites that contain user-generated content. User-generated content refers to the various types of media that are produced by end-users in an online environment. The information is then typically available to the other users of the site. In the case of this project, when I use the term user-generated content, I am referring to online written reviews, photos, ratings and rankings. Consumers are increasingly turning to such user-generated content to assist in their purchasing decisions (Burgess et al., 221), so it no surprise that many industries are having to adapt to the new technologies and trends of the internet. Travel and tourism is one such industry in which user-generated content is now playing a very powerful role. Indeed, the application of Web 2.0 within this industry has been coined ‘Travel 2.0’ (Miguéns, Baggio, and Costa, 1). Consumers are now able to easily access, share, and comment on user-generated travel reviews.

Some examples of Travel 2.0 websites are Expedia, Travelocity, Hotwire, or Virtual Tourist. These kinds of websites have no pre-

existing associations among their users; their only connections are based in the forums and reviews of other users. This is unlike ‘Friendship 2.0’ sites, such as Facebook or Twitter, that base their social networking on some kind of a former relationship or at least on similar interests (Miguéns, Baggio, and Costa, 2). The most popular travel website is TripAdvisor. It was founded on the idea that future travellers want to plan their trips based on the reviews of other travellers. As of July 2012, TripAdvisor, Inc. indicated it receives over 74 million monthly visits (60 million unique) and has more than 75 million travel reviews and opinions from travellers around the world (TripAdvisor, Inc.).

It has been argued that the proliferation of so many user-generated reviews on TripAdvisor

and other similar sites may in fact overwhelm a user and often complicates the decision-making process (Del Chiappa, 334). This presents an opportunity to create a much smaller niche market, one that promotes travel only in a certain city, for example.

This project will look at the influence of online user-generated content, specifically its implications for travel decisions. I will aim to explain why people see this as a trustworthy and credible source. And, by applying what is successful about user-generated content, I propose that a website that promotes Vancouver will be able to improve upon the city’s existing culture and experience for both travellers and local residents. The name of this website will be ‘Discover Vancouver.’

“Through the application of user-generated content on travel decisions, I intend to create a promotional website about Vancouver for locals and tourists.

INITIAL BRAINSTORMINGMIND MAPPING

6

Before I began any secondary or primary research, I brainstormed ideas of what I wanted my Vancouver website to achieve and what steps I needed to take in order for that to happen.

Photos of my initial brainstorming maps

SECONDARY RESEARCHLITERATURE REVIEW

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User-generated content has a great influence on generating the idea of travel and the actual planning process (Del Chiappa, 333). During the pre-travel phase, tourists can use Travel 2.0 websites to help with their decision-making. This has led to what the tourism industry calls the ‘independent traveller’ (Jeacle and Carter, 294). This is a traveller who is now playing the role of his or her own travel agent and takes a do-it-yourself approach to planning a holiday. According to Peter O’Connor in his article “User-Generated Content and Travel: A Case Study on Tripadvisor.com,” searching for travel-related information is now one of the most popular online activities. He writes:

Individual consumers are solicited to provide

both quantitative and qualitative feedback on

destinations, hotels or other travel experiences

that they have visited, which are then

amalgamated to generate overall satisfaction

scores. Thus instead of the expensive, glossy,

perfectly posed photos included in brochures

or adverts, a customer’s image of a hotel

may actually be determined by comments

or candid photos posted by prior guests

on social network sites. User-generated

reviews and scores are now routinely built

into online travel agency sites (see, for

example, Expedia or Priceline), impacting

display order and undoubtedly influencing

the potential customer’s choice (51).

Nevertheless, it has been argued that the proliferation of so many user-generated reviews on TripAdvisor and other similar sites may in fact overwhelm a user and often complicates the decision-making process (Del

User-generated reviews and scores are now routinely built into online travel agency sites, impacting display

order and undoubtedly influencing the potential customer’s choice.

“

Chiappa, 334). The anonymity in which any individual can post content onto these sites has led some commentators to question the legitimacy of such ratings (O’Connor, 50).

In such cases, the credibility and the trust of these reviews are even more important. Human beings normally use contextual clues (for example, a person’s facial expression) to help evaluate opinions (O’Connor, 50). But with Web 2.0, these clues are absent. Instead, sites will post other clues, such as the length of their membership or their geographic location. Other sites allow readers to provide feedback on the quality of the review. Even so, there is still a belief that reviews may not be genuine (O’Connor, 53). For example, the hotel itself might post a review to help improve its scores. TripAdvisor has attempted to minimize

SECONDARY RESEARCHLITERATURE REVIEW

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this problem by posting notices warning that “fake reviews will not be tolerated, and that hotels attempting to manipulate the system will be penalized in their rankings and have a notice posted indicating that they post fake reviews” (O’Connor, 53). Overall, comments and reviews are viewed as more reliable when there is relatively the same number of positive and negative reviews (Del Chiappa, 337).

Giacomo Del Chiappa looked at a different aspect of our trust perceptions in his 2011 article, “Trustworthiness of Travel 2.0.” Here, he looks at gender differences in the general usage of user-generated content. He used a snowball sampling technique that allowed the study to reach people in all regions of Italy. His analyses showed that there were significant differences in how male and female users consider comments and reviews to be trustworthy. He found that:

Female respondents are more likely

than male respondents to agree that

trustworthiness is greater when there is the

same proportion of positive and negative

comments (female respondents: 51.7%,

male respondents: 50.5%) or when the

latter are less than the former (female

respondents: 42%, male respondents: 37.1%).

Gender differences were also found in the

likelihood that male and female users change

their accommodation after having read reviews

and comments posted online. …Female

respondents do so more frequently (14.8%)

than male respondents (9.4%). (337-339)

These two points might have to do with the difference in which males and females express their personality, but that is a proposition that would require further research (Del Chiappa, 339). Overall, as the number of users and reviews grow, the consumer-generated content is believed to be more genuine, regardless of gender, and the number of fake reviews fall. There has been a shift in the perception of fake reviews, and it is now thought that user-generated sources are

“It is now thought that user-generated sources are considered more credible and trustworthy than market-provided information.

considered “more credible and trustworthy than market-provided information” (Del Chiappa, 333). As a result, these reviews have a more direct influence over our travel decisions.

SECONDARY RESEARCHEXISTING EXAMPLES

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I first came across the concept of user-generated content for travel with a popular Toronto blog called BlogTO. BlogTO helps their users ‘be in the know’ and define ‘what’s new in Toronto, what to do, where to eat and drink, and what to see” (BlogTO). I became intrigued by how much trust we place in user-generated content and I felt that there was an opportunity to create a similar site for Vancouver.

There are several popular Vancouver-based blogs: Vancouver is Awesome, Inside Vancouver, Vancity Buzz, and Miss604. However, when

Screenshots of popular Toronto Blog: BlogTO and popular Vancouver Blogs: Vancity Buzz, Vancouver is Awesome, and Inside Vancouver

examining these sites, I felt that there was a great deal of room for improvement.

My biggest concern regarding these sites is that there is a lot of content on each page, as well as on each website itself. This instantly made it overwhelming to navigate. Consumers often do not have the time or capability to examine all the data or compare all of the options (Del Chiappa, 334).

Unlike travel review sites such as TripAdvisor, these sites follow a blog format, placing the latest reviews first, and not necessarily the most relevant review. Assessing this further, I noticed that there is little detail on who posted a review, and there is no detail on how many people found that review relevant and helpful.

The blog format of these websites gives them an almost newspaper-like quality, as they only are updated when there is something new in the city. Thus, the sites could not necessarily be used as an efficient travel aid. Moreover, users face the problem that the item (hotel, restaurant, event, etc.) that they are looking for may not in fact have a review on the site. A key component of user-generated content is that there actually is content. Thus, a user-generated travel site specific to Vancouver is needed.

PRIMARY RESEARCHCO-CREATION ACTIVITY

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For my primary research I conducted a co-creation session as well as an online survey.

My co-creation kit was made up of four activities. The first activity was a simple activity so that I could learn more about the participants. It involved filling out information about yourself, such as your age, gender, occupation, the neighbourhood you live in, as well as how long you have lived in Vancouver. In the second activity, participants were asked to rank a list of ten items in terms of their priorities when planning a holiday. These included: affordable accommodation, conveniently-located accommodation, cheap drinks, cheap eats, fine dining, easy navigation, outdoor activities, romantic activities, family (kid-friendly) activities, and good nightlife. There were also two blank tiles in case they had any other priorities that I had not included. The third activity had the participants pretend that an out-of-town friend had emailed them saying that they were planning a trip to Vancouver. They were then supposed to write back with any helpful tips or places that they should check out. And the final activity asked the participants to map out a typical week of where they spent most of their time in Vancouver. These included things such as your home, work and/or school, friends

Photos of the four co-creation activities that I created in order to gain a Vancouverite’s perspective on the city

PRIMARY RESEARCHCO-CREATION ACTIVITY

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houses, favourite restaurants, favourite bar/pub/club, favourite beach, hidden gems, etc.

The mapping activity came back with very interesting results. Out of the those who participated, it showed that people tend to stay within their own neighbourhood. Everyone’s primary spots were home, work or school, and then a couple other places would be highlighted, such as a friend’s house or a restaurant. But everyone was really only staying to one portion of the map and no one was branching out and seeing what the rest of Vancouver had to offer.

Photos of the mapping co-creation activity that I created in order to see where Vancouverites’ spend their time in the city

PRIMARY RESEARCHONLINE SURVEY

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I saw a similar neighbourhood-based thinking with my online survey. In my survey, I asked people how familiar they were with the city. A lot of the answers came back saying that they only really knew their own neighbourhood. Some people even stated that they wished they new other areas and wanted to explore it but didn’t know where to go.

Screenshots of an online survey that looks at how Vancouverites’ make decisions when going about the city

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For this survey, I surveyed 100 local residents in Vancouver. Of the people who participated, 82% were aged 20-24, 69% were female, and 57% had lived in Vancouver for 20+ years.

With my survey I discovered that Vancouverites weren’t really into trying new things. 86% of people said that they decide what to do in the city based on previous experience.

Almost everyone (96%) said that they rely on their friends to help them discover new things in the city. I thought that this really touched on the idea of user-generated content and how people trust the opinions of


their peers. As I mentioned earlier, Giamaco Del Chiappa said that it is now thought that user-generated sources are considered

“more credible and trustworthy than market-provided information” (Del Chiappa, 333).

I also had people rank on a scale of one to five (five being the most important) of what they looked for when choosing a restaurant to dine at and what they looked for when choosing a bar, pub, or club. The top choices were rated slightly differently between the two, but overall people had similar priorities: atmosphere, price, service and value. For restaurants, the

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top priority was the quality of food, with 72% of people saying that this was very important. For bars, pubs, and clubs, the top priority was an affordable cover charge with 81%, followed by the atmosphere at 74%.

This type of information can be applied directly to the design of my website for when I’m choosing how to display the user-generated reviews.


CONCEPT DEVELOPMENTVANCOUVER BRAND EXPLORATION

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VVVANCOUVERCIT Y OF

VVVANCOUVERCIT Y OF

PROCESS AND DEVELOPMENT

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

CIT Y OF

VCIT Y OF

CIT

Y O

F V A NC OV E R

U

VANCOUVER

CITY OF

FINAL

FORMAL

INFORMAL

SECOND ITERATIONS

VVAN COUVE RC I T Y O F

VAN COUVE RC I T Y O F




VANCOUVERVAN COUVE R

VANCOUVER VANCOUVERVA NCOUVER VA NCOUVER

SECOND ITERATIONS








During the beginning of this project, there was a chance for a possible collaboration with a fellow designer, Fiona Samson. We were both working with the concept of locals and tourists in Vancouver. But as our projects developed, we realized that they were going in very different directions. That being said, early design iterations were shared between the two of us.

As the project moved forward, I focused less on developing a Vancouver identity and more on creating a brand for my Vancouver-based website.

SECOND ITERATIONS








Initial logo iterations created by Fiona Samson

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SAMPLE ONE: POSTCARDS

SAMPLE ONE: POSTCARDS

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENTVANCOUVER BRAND EXPLORATION

Early logo iterations and neighbourhood concepts created by myself and Fiona Samson

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7

V A N C O U V E RL O C A L S • T O U R I S T S

q w q w q w

8

V A N C O U V E RE A T • D R I N K • D O

9

V A N C O U V E RN E I G H B O U R H O O D S

VANCOUVER VANCOUVEREAT • DRINK • DO

VANCOUVEREAT•DRINK•DO




VANCOUVEREAT • DRINK • DO













CONCEPT DEVELOPMENTLOGO ITERATIONS

Early logo iterations incorporating the project’s original title: ‘Eat, Drink, Do, Vancouver.

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Eat

DoDrink

About Contribute Contact

ABOUT CONTRIBUTE CONTACT

EAT DRINK DOVANCOUVER

UBC

With my website, I really wanted to emphasize the different neighbourhoods that Vancouver has to offer. I thought that I could use these neighbourhoods as a key element to the navigation of the site. Instead of searching for content about the entire city, users would be able to break down their search into the different Vancouver districts, such as Gastown or Kitsilano. With my first iteration, you would select a different neighbourhood and the map would zoom in to show you what’s going on in that area. The different reviews of places would pop up on top of the map. Unfortunately, figuring out the navigation of the site was not straightforward and overall the design was not user-friendly.

A second concept focused more on the user-generated reviews and less on the map feature. The ranking system seen in this iteration was taken directly from what people listed as their top priorities in my online survey. However, what I discovered was that I really needed a combination of the map feature and the user-generated reviews. I could not have one overpowering the other.

WEBSITE DESIGNEARLY DIRECTIONS

The first and second directions of my website design that looked at using a map of Vancouver as the primary focus

GASTOWN

MEAT & BREAD370 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B1H7(604) 566-9003 meatandbread.ca$ Sandwiches/SubsREVIEWSRarafay Vancouver, BC

Meat & Bread is great. They add a level of dedication and fo-cus to each item they make that is very rare to find. I have had their salads, their soups, and their sandwiches. Whilst nothing is spectacular and nothing is outright innovative, there is such a dedication to making these items of the highest quality, that you have to... read more

Directions

OVERALLFOOD

SERVICEVALUE

ATMOSPHERE


GASTOWNMEAT & BREAD370 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B1H7(604) 566-9003 meatandbread.ca

$ Sandwiches/Subs

REVIEWSRarafay Vancouver, BC

Meat & Bread is great. They add a level of dedication and fo-cus to each item they make that is very rare to find. I have had their salads, their soups, and their sandwiches. Whilst nothing is spectacular and nothing is outright innovative, there is such a dedication to making these items of the highest quality, that you have to... read more

HOURSMon–Sat: 11-5

Directions

Helpful? yes no


OVERALLFOOD

SERVICEVALUE

ATMOSPHERE

8.8

WEBSITE DESIGNEARLY DIRECTIONS

20

EAT • DRINK • DO

VANCOUVER

Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012 Mainly Sun, 17°C GO



KITSILANO



EATLocal Public Eatery

DRINK DO

As I moved forward with the design, I looked for ways to combining the two features from the early designs. I still use Vancouver’s neighbourhoods as a navigation system, but now there is also an emphasis on the user-generated reviews.

VANCOUVER

KITSILANO


GO

EAT DRINK DO

370 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B1H7(604) 566-9003 meatandbread.ca

$ Sandwiches/Subs


Directions

OVERALLFOOD

SERVICEVALUE

ATMOSPHERE

MEAT & BREADEAT • DRINK • DO

KITSILANO



EAT DRINK DO

+

370 Cambie Street, Vancouver, BC, V6B1H7(604) 566-9003 meatandbread.ca

$ Sandwiches/Subs


Directions

OVERALLFOOD

SERVICEVALUE

ATMOSPHERE

MEAT & BREADVANCOUVER

Follow:Friday, Dec 13, 2012 Mainly Sun, 17°C GO



Eat (Restaurants & Cafés)

Drink (Bars & Clubs)

Do (Events & Activities)

Top RatedRecently ReviewedOpen Now

√√√

√


Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012 Partly Sun, 5°C

GO


KITSILANO

ROMER’S BURGER BAR

(604) 732-9545 romersburgerbar.com

ROCKY MOUNTAIN FLATBREAD CO.

(604) 730-0321 rockymountainflatbread.ca

JOE’S GRILL

(604) 736-6588 joesgrill.ca

LOCAL PUBLIC EATERY

(604) 734-3589 localpubliceatery.com

CORDUROY LOUNGE & BAR

(604) 733-0162 corduroyrestaurant.com

MANCHESTER PUBLIC EATERY

(604) 568-6867 manchesterpubliceatery.com

KITSILANO BEACH

9.2 vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/kitsilano-beach.aspx

HADDEN DOG PARK

8.97.38.4

5.19.1

7.28.1

vancouver.ca/parks-recreation-culture/hadden-park-dog-park.aspxkitsilano-beach.aspx

MUSEUM OF VANCOVUER

(604) 734-4431 museumofvancouver.ca6.8

Early iterations of my third design direction that looked at combining the map navigation system with user-generated reviews

WEBSITE DESIGNTESTABLE PROTOTYPE

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The first testable prototype that I have created uses a map of Vancouver at the top of the page. This is a similar idea as seen in my first direction. This would still be used as the main navigation tool for the site. You would scroll your mouse over the map and the different neighbourhoods would become highlighted. Once you have selected a specific neighbourhood, the user-generated reviews would appear below. This way when navigating the site you would not have to start from scratch or press the back button.

There are some options on the right hand side of the screen to help a user filter their choices. When testing this prototype, some

The homepage of the first testable prototype, as well as the different options a user can select to help filter their search



GO

Eat (Restaurants & Cafés)

Drink (Bars & Clubs)

Do (Events & Activities)

Top RatedRecently ReviewedOpen Now

√√√√

Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012 Partly Sun, 5°C


of the feedback I received was to include more filters such as the type of food, price, daily drink specials, or a key word search.

With user-testing, people also expressed interest in wanting the site to have a calendar feature. This would be used to help people plan what upcoming events they would want to attend, or to see highlights of what’s happening in the city right now. To incorporate the calendar, I was considering placing it where the map is currently located. There would then be two views: the map view and the calendar view.

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The user-generated reviews that appear would be based on the filters that you had selected earlier. If you only wanted to search for restaurants, you could adjust your search so that would not be distracted by all of the other information.

The site would be based on infinity scrolling, meaning that as you scroll down more and more reviews would appear.

If you were to see something that caught your eye, you simply click on it to get more information. Here, you would see ratings, rankings, user-generated photos, and written reviews.

The written reviews would be shown in the order of how many people found the reviews helpful. I mentioned in my secondary

An overview of the user-generated reviews

research that providing feedback on the quality of a review was shown to be the most effective tool when looking at the credibility of a review. By clicking ‘More Reviews’ the current window would expand with more written reviews of the selected restaurant.

In this prototype, the geographic location is shown with the user-generated reviews. With my user-testing, people said that they would find it more useful if this map was same map at the top of the screen. Going back to the earlier navigation, you would click a neighbourhood and it would zoom in to that neighbourhood. Then when you click a restaurant, it would zoom in again.

23


Users would also be given the option to submit their own reviews. The criteria for submitting a review would be again based on what people ranked as their top priorities during my primary research. This is also the same information as seen on the previous page: an overall rating, and then a rating on the food, service, value, atmosphere and price. You would also be able to write a written review of your experience and upload any photos of the location.

An overview of the user-generated reviews

PART 1 CONCLUSIONWHAT’S NEXT?

This first testable prototype was created for December 6, 2012. As you can see, the website design is still in the process of creating a new and engaging experience that does not yet exist within Vancouver. At this point in the design, I had accomplished what I had set out to do, which is use user-generated content to create a website about Vancouver for locals and tourists.

As I mentioned, I received a lot of feedback while user-testing. I will need to incorporate that feedback into the next design iteration. Part 2 of this project will involve creating more prototypes and refining the design.

TITLESUBHEADING

24

body text

PART 2

25

INTRODUCTION

BRAND» «CONCEPTDESIGN

At the beginning of Part 2 of this project, it was clear that I needed to put a concept behind my original intent, as well as create a brand for my website. This in turn would hopefully drive the design of my project.

Essentially, Part 1 of this project was based on Research and Development, where as Part 2 is focused largely on design.

My original intent for this project was to create a platform that would help people discover what Vancouver has to offer. I decided to strip this concept down to the simplest of forms and make my project “Discover Vancouver.”

BRAND EXPLORATION (REVISITED)VANCOUVER MOODBOARD

26VANCOUVER MOODBOARD

A Vancouver Moodboard showing images that I wanted my brand to represent

VANCOUVER BRAND INSPIRATIONS

27

VC O

U

UV

V

you should be here.

SAMPLE ONE: POSTCARDSSAMPLE ONE: POSTCARDS

VANCOUVER BRAND INSPIRATIONS

EAT•DRINK•DO VANCOVUER

VANCOUVER eat•drink•explore

WTFVANCOUVER

vancouvergram

vancouverology

vancouture

love vancouver

my vancouver

our vancouver

vancouverism

vanculture

VANCOUVER (show off)

this is vancouver

live local vancouver

invisible vancouver

west coast

art

culture

vibrant

alive

trendy

green

festive

tourism

young

laidback

yoga

local

community

hipster

yuppies

canucks

hockey

rain

beautiful

nature

fresh

ocean

mountains

unfriendly

cold

boring

expensive

repetitive

familiar

POSSIBLE NAMESKEY WORDS

BRAND & NAME DEVELOPMENT

BRAND EXPLORATION (REVISITED)

A look at inspirational projects and existing words for my Vancouver brand

28

body text

USER-TESTING

BRAND EXPLORATION (REVISITED)

BRAND USER TESTING

WEST COAST:

RAIN 77.3

MOUNTAINS

BEAUTIFUL

EXPENSIVE

OCEAN

CANUCKS

NATURE

GREEN

YOGA

TOURISM

FRESH

HIPSTER

LAIDBACK

LOCAL

HOCKEY

KEY WORDSKEY WORDSTRENDY

YOUNG

YUPPIES

FAMILIAR

COMMUNITY

CULTURE

COOL

ART

UNFRIENDLY

VIBRANT

ALIVE

COLD

BORING

REPETITIVE

FESTIVE

SCENIC

WELCOMING

88.7%

77.3

77.3

71.1

69.1

69.1

62.9

62.9

59.8

55.7

42.3

41.2

41.2

41.2

35.1

34.0

29.9

26.8

26.8

24.7

23.7

23.7

22.7

20.6

20.6

19.6

17.5

14.4

11.3

11.3

6.2

x2

x2

For developing my brand I did some user testing which involved asking people what words they felt best represented Vancouver. I surveyed 100 people and ranked the words from most popular to least popular. I was glad to see that words like ‘boring’ and ‘repetitive’ were near the bottom of the list. However, the majority of the first ten or so words are all about the scenic side of Vancouver. For example, words like west coast, mountains, beautiful and green.

With this user-testing, I realized that when people think of Vancouver, they think of its natural beauty. In fact, the best response I received from this survey is that “Vancouver is like a beautiful girl, with nothing important to say.” It just goes to show that people to not think that Vancouver has a culture beyond its scenery. What I wanted to do was make that invisible culture visible. The findings from this survey drove my revised concepts for my website design.

Results from my online survey that look at what words represent Vancouver

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT (REVISITED)MIND MAPPING

29A second take at mind-mapping several different concepts

30

WTFVANCOUVERWTFVANCOUVER

WTFVANCOUVERWTFVANCOUVER

EAT• DRINK• DO

EAT DRINK EXPLORE

EAT DRINK EXPLORE

EAT DRINK EXPLORE

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVEREAT DRINK EXPLORE

VANCOUVERSECOND LOGO DIRECTIONS

BUCKETLISTVANCOUVER

BUCKETLISTVANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVERBUCKET LIST

B U C K E T L I ST

BUCKET LISTVANCOUVER

VANCOUVERB U C K E T L I S TV A N C O U V E R

B U C K E T L I S TV A N C O U V E R

B U C K E T L I S TV A N C O U V E R

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER

EAT DRINK EXPLORE

VANCOUVER

VANCOUVERVANCOUVER

LIVE LOCAL


VANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

VANCOUVER DISCOVERVANCOUVER#DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVERDISCOVER

VANCOUVERDISCOVER

VANCOUVERVANCOUVER

VANCOUVERDISCOVER

DISCOVER


VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER



VANCOUVERDISCOVER

VANCOUVERVANCOUVER

VANCOUVERDISCOVER

DISCOVER


VANCOUVER

VANCOUVER



VANCOUVERDISCOVER

VANCOUVERVANCOUVER

VANCOUVERDISCOVER

DISCOVER


VANCOUVER

CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT (REVISITED)LOGO ITERATIONS

Logo iterations for several concept names

WEBSITE DESIGN (REVISED)REVISED CONCEPT 1: 5W’s

31

WTFVANCOUVERWTFVANCOUVERWTFVANCOUVER

fKITSILANOAbout section.Ibus mi, coria senda que rem qui conseque pore explis si optae. Henis qui re et quid ullorum sum non eaquo cus et mo omnimai oresti-sto mo blat perchici odipsandation.

explore this neighbourhood

WHOWHAT

WHEREWHENWHY

WHOEVER

KITSILANO

RIGHT NOW

WHY NOT

DRINK>>

>>

>>

>>

(604) 732-9545 romersburgerbar.com1873 West 4th Avenue, Vancouver, BC V6J 1M4

FOOD 9.0 SEVICE 8.1 VALUE 6.7 ATMOSPHERE 7.2

Romer’s Burgers is great. They add a level of dedication and focus to each item they make that is very rare to find. I have had their burgers and their poutine. Whilst nothing is spectacular and nothing is outright innovative, there is such a dedication to making these items of the highest quality, that you have to... read more

17

REVIEWS17 people

ROMER’S BURGER BAR

Rarafay Vancouver, BCPeople found this review helpful

8.1

WHAT WHERE WHENEATEATEATEAT NOW

DRINKTHIS THIS

WEEKENDWEEKEND

DODOCALENDARCALENDAR

DATES

Wednesday, Dec 12, 2012

Partly Sun, 5°C

Screenshots of a “Who-What-Where-When-Why” concept

During Part 1 of this project, my concept was entitled “Eat, Drink, Do, Vancouver.” The project name has since been changed to“Discover Vancouver.” However, several creative concepts were explored before settling on Discover Vancouver. This first concept looks at the 5W’s: Who-What-Where-When- and Why. Other explored concepts include “Eat, Drink, Explore, Vancouver,” as well as a “Vancouver Bucketlist” concept.

The further I developed these other concepts, it made me realize that this was not what I wanted my project to represent. Thus, I stripped that down to the simplest form and made it “Discover Vancouver.”

WEBSITE DESIGN (REVISED)

32

REVISED CONCEPT 2: PINTEREST

EAT/DRINK/EXPLOREEAT/DRINK/EXPLOREVANCOUVER

CaptionLikes Reposts

NAME via NAME onto BOARD CaptionLikes Reposts

NAME via NAME onto BOARD





Browns Social House Romer’s Burger Bar Local Public EareryLocal Public Eatery

ADD ABOUT HANNA STEFAN

BOARD



Romer’s Burger Bar Local Public EareryArbutus Ridge

Coal Harbour

Downtown Eastside

Dunbar-Southlands

East Hastings/ Hastings-Sunrise

Fairview

False Creek

Gastown

Grandview-Woodland

Kensignton-Cedar Cottage

Kerrisdale

Killarney

Kitsilano

Marpole

Mount Pleasant

Oakridge

Renfrew-Collingwood

Riley Park-Little Mountain

Shaughnessy

South Cambie

South Granville

South Main

Strathcona

Sunset

UBC

Victoria-Fraserview

West End

West Point Grey

Yaletown

WHATFOLLOWING POPULAR EAT DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD

WHERECaesars Kitsilano

EAT/DRINK/EXPLOREEAT/DRINK/EXPLOREVANCOUVERHANNA STEFAN

4 BOARDS 5 PHOTOS 50 POSTS 32 LIKES 153 FOLLOWERS 161 FOLLOWING


EDITEDITEDITEDIT

Drink Specials 14 pins Bucket List 23 pins Favourite Places 5 pinsGood Eats 8 pins

About section haritaspelis ad magnam, que ab ilitis dellest, sequam qet exped maiorenimus incias quatum et adit omnis maio.

West Point Greyhannastefan.com

Screenshots of “Eat, Drink, Explore, Vancouver” A concept based off of Pinterest


33

REVISED CONCEPT 3: BUCKETLIST

VANCOUVERFOLLOWING TOP TEN FOOD DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD

WHAT Caesars

WHERE Kitsilano


VANCOUVER VANCOUVERFOLLOWING TOP TEN FOOD DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD


NAME added this onto his Bucket List CaptionLikes Reposts

NAME added this onto his Bucket List






WHAT Caesars WHERE Kitsilano


VANCOUVER

VANCOUVERVANCOUVERWHAT WHERE

VANCOUVERVANCOUVERFOLLOWING POPULAR FOOD DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD










VANCOUVER

Screenshots of a Vancouver Bucketlist concept

34

TESTABLE PROTOTYPE

14/15FEATURES

VIEW PHOTOS

VIEW FOLLOWERS AND MORE

LIKE, COMMENT & REPOST DISCOVER NEW THINGS

GEOTAG 2-WAY SEARCH

UPLOAD YOUR OWN PHOTOS

PUBLIC/PRIVATE PROFILE PAGE


With the development of my different concepts, I kept coming back to the idea of showing off Vancouver with a photo-based platform. This is a different direction from my ‘Eat, Drink, Do, Vancouver’ concept from Part 1. However, it still touches on my original intent of using user-generated content. The main idea is about creating a platform to help individuals discover what Vancouver has to offer. And because this is done through

photography, I made the conscious decision in my designs to try and put a focus on the content. The idea behind this concept is that one would discover Vancouver through visually stimulating images. One would be able to like, comment on, and repost these photos.

With this concept, I did some user-testing which had participants interact with a basic prototype of the site. I looked at how user

A list of features explained during my user-testing

made decisions in navigating the site, as well as their experience with the site.

With earlier iterations, people said that they felt that it too closely resembled the popular bookmarking site, Pinterest. However, people did state that having a photography-based platform could potentially spark interest for them to go out, try something new, and discover something new about Vancouver.

35

WEBSITE DESIGN (REVISED)TESTABLE PROTOTYPE

VANCOUVERDISCOVER


NAME has completed this on their Bucket List








FOLLOWING POPULAR FOOD DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD WHAT WHERECaesars Kitsilano


Browns Social HouseLocal Public Eatery

Bucket List



Local Public Earery

Arbutus Ridge

Coal Harbour

Downtown Eastside

Dunbar-Southlands


Fairview

False Creek

Gastown

Grandview-Woodland


Kerrisdale

Killarney

Kitsilano

Marpole

Mount Pleasant

Oakridge

Renfrew-Collingwood


Shaughnessy

South Cambie

South Granville

South Main

Strathcona

Sunset

UBC

Victoria-Fraserview

West End

West Point Grey

Yaletown

FOLLOWING POPULAR FOOD DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD WHAT WHERECaesars Kitsilano








Browns Social House Romer’s Burger Bar Local Public EareryLocal Public Eatery FOLLOWING POPULAR FOOD DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD WHAT WHERECaesars Kitsilano


DISCOVER These CeasersLikes Reposts

Sara Madison onto Bucket List DISCOVER This Ceaser. Mm Bacon!Likes Reposts

Alex McGill via Max D onto Favourites

DISCOVER This Ceasar in a boot!Likes Reposts

Alex McGill via Local onto Favourites

DISCOVER These Local CeasersLikes Reposts

Ash Rosen onto Favourite Drinks

Browns Social House Romer’s Burger Bar Local Public Earery

Local Public Eatery

WHAT

WHERE

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

Caesar

Kitsilano

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

Screenshots of one of the prototypes used during my user-testing

36

ABOUT ADD HANNA STEFANDISCOVERVANCOUVERWHAT FOLLOWING FOODWHERE POPULAR DRINK EXPLORE NEIGHBOURHOOD

WHAT

WHERE

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

ABOUT w HANNA STEFANDISCOVERVANCOUVER

WHAT

WHERE

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

ABOUT ADD HANNA STEFAN

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

5 minutes ago via Local onto Favourites



5 minutes ago via VancouverIsAwesome onto Food

ASH ROSEN >>ASH ROSEN >>

CHATTY CAT >>

ASH ROSEN >>

Rumpus RoomRumpus Room

Rumpus Room

Rumpus Room

55

6

8

1010

15

19

2323

13

14

Flamingos at Rumpus Room!




I felt that one of the most unique features that the site offered was a two-way search. This means that there would be two search bars instead of one. Instead of searching for only a ‘what,’ a user also had the option to cross-reference their search with a ‘where.’ The ‘where’ can be specific locations, such as the ones that are geo-tagged, but they can also be more general, such as entire neighbourhoods.

With user-testing, this concept was not straightforward enough for a user to figure out. The two-way search was unfortunately taken out in later designs because the navigation of it was not clear. Instead, if one was searching for something more specific, they would be able to type in both words into a search bar.

Screenshots of one of the prototypes used during my user-testing

WEBSITE DESIGN (REVISED)TESTABLE PROTOTYPE

37

SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»


DISCOVER VANCOUVER

5 10 23

ASH ROSEN »

SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»


DISCOVER VANCOUVER

23

SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»


DISCOVERVANCOUVER ADD

Beta5 Hot Chocolate on a stick!

5 minutes ago via TOM CAT onto FAVOURITE DRINKS

This looks amazing!

Jealous! How was it?

ASH ROSEN »

CHATTY CATHY »

MADELINE OLVIA »

5 10 23

+3 More

Comment

ASH ROSEN onto

FAVOURITE DRINKS

Other posts by

ASH ROSEN

23 REPOSTS

Website Reviews DirectionsBeta5

WEBSITE DESIGN (REVISED)FINAL CONCEPT DEVELOPMENT

Early design iterations of the final concept for my website design

After my user-testing I was back to revising my design (again) based on the results. The concept of my website appeared to be clear to users, but the design still needed some tweaking. I worked on things such as creating a hierarchy of information or making the navigation more clear.

38

5 COLLECTIONS

12 PHOTOS

54 POSTS

32 LIKES

153 FOLLOWERS

161 FOLLOWING

HANNA STEFAN

FOOD FINDS »FANCY LIFE » FAVESIES » CULTURED SHIT »

BUCKET LIST »

12 PHOTOS8 PHOTOS 18 PHOTOS 10 PHOTOS

6 PHOTOS

SEARCH

DISCOVER VANCOUVER ABOUT ADD HANNA STEFANHANNA STEFAN

5 COLLECTIONS

12 PHOTOS

54 POSTS

32 LIKES

153 FOLLOWERS

161 FOLLOWING

HANNA STEFAN

SEARCH

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

0 19 13

HANNA STEFAN >>

12 PHOTOS ABOUT ADD HANNA STEFAN


Design iterations of the final concept for my website design

39

SEARCH FOLLOWING

POPULARFOOD

DRINKEXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

ABOUT ADD HANNA STEFAN DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

5 10 23ASH ROSEN »

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

SEARCH FOLLOWING

POPULARFOOD

DRINKEXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»


DISCOVER VANCOUVER

SEARCHFOLLOWING

POPULARFOOD

DRINKEXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

ABOUT ADD HANNA STEFAN DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER



This looks amazing!


ASH ROSEN »

CHATTY CATHY »

MADELINE OLIVIA »

5 10 23

+3 More

Comment

Other posts at

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

WEBSITE REVIEWS DIRECTIONSBETA5 CHOCOLATES

SEARCH FOLLOWING

POPULARFOOD

DRINKEXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»


DISCOVER VANCOUVER

SEARCHFOLLOWING

POPULARFOOD

DRINKEXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

ABOUT ADD HANNA STEFAN DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER



This looks amazing!


ASH ROSEN »

CHATTY CATHY »

MADELINE OLIVIA »

5 10 23

+3 More

Comment

Other posts at

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

WEBSITE REVIEWS DIRECTIONSBETA5 CHOCOLATESOther posts by

ASH ROSEN

23 REPOSTS

+17 More

MR. VANCOUVER onto HOMETOWN FAVOURITES

ALEX ROSS onto SUMMER DRINKS

COCO ET CHARLIE onto KITS BEACH

CHATTY CATHY onto KITS DRINKS

MADELINE OLIVIA onto BUCKET LIST

10 BALLOONS onto WANT

8 LIKES

+1 More



This looks amazing!


ASH ROSEN »

CHATTY CATHY »

MADELINE OLIVIA »

5 10 23

+3 More

Comment

Other posts at

BETA5 CHOCOLATES


SEARCH FOLLOWING

POPULARFOOD

DRINKEXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»


CAESARS



40

SEARCH 6 COLLECTIONS

18 PHOTOS84 DISCOVERIES

32 LIKES153 FOLLOWERS161 FOLLOWING


HANNA STEFAN

CULTURED SHIT »

12 PHOTOS

HANNA STEFAN EDIT

West Point Grey

About section. Lestorumquid mos quam sita volorum veriore, veni-hic iendic to dipsam, odit fugit aut rem re cuptatur, qui doluptur rae dem aligent idi toruptatur? Qui occus as dit, quosa doloritatem ut volo mi, non pa quis eum abo. Venemporem is rae molorroriaes arumquo temped quis reped qui idusam solene dus.

1264 FOLLOWERS • 110 FOLLOWING

FAVOURITE DRINKS »BUCKET LIST »FANCY FOOD »

WEST COAST » IDS WEST 2012 »

7 PHOTOS18 PHOTOS14 PHOTOS

15 PHOTOS 18 PHOTOS





BUCKETLIST

HANNA STEFAN EDIT

West Point Grey







HANNA STEFAN

HANNA STEFAN EDIT

West Point Grey







HANNA STEFAN

10 BALLOONS AARON

BETA5 CAROLYN @ VANCITY BUZZ

ADAM SUDS ALEX ROSS

CHATTY CATHY CLAIRE MARIE

ALEXANDRA ZANGE BEN PORTEOUS

COCO ET CHARLIE CRAIG FLOSHE

Grandview-Woodland Grandview-Woodland

East Hastings/Hastings-Sunrise East Hastings/Hastings-Sunrise

West Point Grey West Point Grey

Dunbar-Southlands Dunbar-Southlands


South Cambie South Cambie

1440 Discoveries 64 Discoveries






1264 FOLLOWERS • 110 FOLLOWING 1264 FOLLOWERS • 110 FOLLOWING






HANNA STEFAN EDIT

West Point Grey





MOBILE APPDESIGN ITERATIONS

41

DISCOVERVANCOUVERWHAT >>

WHERE >>

ACTIVITES >>

ARTS & CULTURE >>

DRINK >>

EVENTS >>

FOOD >>

HOTELS >> Browns Social House

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVER This Caesar in a boot!10 Likes 23 Reposts

Local Public Eatery

via Local onto FavouritesASH ROSEN

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVER This Caesar in a boot!23 10

Local Public Eatery

via Local onto FavouritesASH ROSEN

DISCOVER This Caesar in a boot!

Local Public Eatery

5minutes ago via Local onto FavouritesASH ROSEN >>

5 Comments 10 Likes 23 Reposts

DISCOVERVANCOUVER DISCOVERVANCOUVER

This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >> This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >> This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >>CHATTY CATHY


Beta5

5 minutes ago via Local onto FavouritesASH ROSEN >>


This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >>CHATTY CATHY This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHYCHATTY CATHY

This looks amazing!


Definitely gonna try the dark!

So good! Totally recommend it

They sell a dark chocolate too

CHATTY CATHY >>

MADELINE OLIVIA >>

MADELINE OLIVIA >>

ASH ROSEN >>

ASH ROSEN >>

Beta5 Hot Chocolate on a stick!5 Comments 10 Likes 23 Reposts

4 Boards 12 Photos 50 Posts 32 Likes

www.hannastefan.com

HANNA STEFAN

153 FOLLOWERS

4 Boards 12 Photos 50 Posts

161 FOLLOWING

32 Likes

www.hannastefan.com

HANNA STEFAN

>> >> 153 FOLLOWERS


161 FOLLOWING

32 Likes

www.hannastefan.com

HANNA STEFAN

>> >>

In addition to creating a website, I also developed a mobile application. During user-testing, participants expressed that they would find a mobile app more meaningful and relevant opposed to a website. With a mobile app, users would be able to upload photos and experience Vancouver in the moment.

The mobile app follows the same concept as the website, with only a few differences. For example, the mobile app has “Near Me” search option, which lets users discover nearby attractions.

Early design iterations of the mobile application

42

HOME

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >>


Beta5



This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >>


Beta5



This looks amazing!


Definitely gonna try the dark!

So good! Totally recommend it

They sell a dark chocolate too

CHATTY CATHY >>

MADELINE OLIVIA >>

MADELINE OLIVIA >>

ASH ROSEN >>

ASH ROSEN >>

Beta5 Hot Chocolate on a stick!5 Comments 10 Likes 23 Reposts

HOME

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >> This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >> This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >>CHATTY CATHY


Beta5



This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHY >>CHATTY CATHY This looks amazing!CHATTY CATHYCHATTY CATHY


161 Following

32 Likes

153 Followers

HANNA STEFAN>> >>

PROFILE


161 Following

32 Likes

153 Followers

HANNA STEFAN>> >>

PROFILE

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

DISCOVER


WHERE >>

ACTIVITES >>

ARTS & CULTURE >>

DRINK >>

EVENTS >>

FOOD >>

HOTELS >>


WHERE >>

ACTIVITES >>

ARTS & CULTURE >>

DRINK >>

EVENTS >>

FOOD >>

HOTELS >>

EVENTS

DRINK

FOOD >>

>>

>>

HOTELS >>

OUTDOORS >>

POPULAR >>

NEIGHBOURHOOD >>

NIGHTLIFE

RETAIL

>>

>>

ARBUTUS RIDGE

COAL HARBOUR

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE >>

>>

>>

DUNBAR-SOUTHLANDS >>

EAST HASTINGS/HASTINGS-SUNRISE >>

FAIRVIEW >>

FALSE CREEK >>

GASTOWN >>

NEIGHBOURHOOD>>

Arbutus Ridge

Coal Harbour

Downtown Eastside

Dunbar-Southlands


Fairview

False Creek

Gastown

Grandview-Woodland


Kerrisdale

Killarney

Kitsilano

Marpole

Mount Pleasant

Oakridge

Renfrew-Collingwood


Shaughnessy

South Cambie

South Granville

South Main

Strathcona

Sunset

UBC

Victoria-Fraserview

West End

West Point Grey

Yaletown

Greater Vancouver

EVENTS

DRINK

FOOD >>

>>

>>

HOTELS >>

OUTDOORS >>

POPULAR >>

NEIGHBOURHOOD >>

NIGHTLIFE

RETAIL

>>

>>

DISCOVER


WHERE >>

ACTIVITES >>

ARTS & CULTURE >>

DRINK >>

EVENTS >>

FOOD >>

HOTELS >>

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

ARBUTUS RIDGE

COAL HARBOUR

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE >>

>>

>>

DUNBAR-SOUTHLANDS >>

EAST HASTINGS/HASTINGS-SUNRISE >>

FAIRVIEW >>

FALSE CREEK >>

GASTOWN >>

NEIGHBOURHOODDISCOVERDISCOVERDISCOVERDISCOVERDISCOVERDISCOVER>>

UPLOAD

ALBUMS

>>

>>

CAMERA ROLL>> EDIT>>

Name this location...

Write a caption...

POST

SHARE

>>

FACEBOOK TWITTER

EMAIL TUMBLR

FLICKR INSTAGRAM

UPLOAD

ALBUMS

>>

>>

CANCELCANCELCANCEL CAMERA ROLLPHOTOSPHOTOSPHOTOS CANCELCANCELCANCEL>> EDITCAMERA ROLLCAMERA ROLLCAMERA ROLL CROPCROPCROPCROPCROPCROP>>


A wireframe showing an early design iteration of the mobile application

43

HOMEHOME

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

5 10 23ASH ROSEN »

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

Beta5 Hot Chocolate on a stick! 5 10 23


DISCOVER

Arbutus Ridge

Coal Harbour

Downtown Eastside

Dunbar-Southlands


Fairview

False Creek

Gastown

Grandview-Woodland


Kerrisdale

Killarney

Kitsilano

Marpole

Mount Pleasant

Oakridge

Renfrew-Collingwood


Shaughnessy

South Cambie

South Granville

South Main

Strathcona

Sunset

UBC

Victoria-Fraserview

West End

West Point Grey

Yaletown

Greater Vancouver

DISCOVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

SEARCH »

NEAR ME »

ACTIVITES »

ARTS & CULTURE »

DRINK »

EVENTS »

FOOD »

HOTELS »

OUTDOORS »

POPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULAR »

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

SEARCH »

NEAR ME »

ACTIVITES »

ARTS & CULTURE »

DRINK »

EVENTS »

FOOD »

HOTELS »

OUTDOORS »

POPULAR »

ACTIVITIESACTIVITES ACTIVITIESACTIVITES ACTIVITIES »

ARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTUREARTS & CULTURE ARTS & CULTURE »

DRINKDRINKDRINKDRINK »

EVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTS »

FOODFOODFOODFOOD »

HOTELSHOTELSHOTELSHOTELS »

OUTDOORSOUTDOORSOUTDOORSOUTDOORS »

POPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULAR »

NEIGHBOURHOOD

NIGHTLIFE

RETAIL

»

»

»

NEIGHBOURHOOD

ARBUTUS RIDGE »

COAL HARBOUR »

DOWNTOWN EASTSIDE »

DUNBAR-SOUTHLANDS »

EAST HASTINGS/HASTINGS-SUNRISE »

FAIRVIEW »

FALSE CREEK »

GASTOWN »

GRANDVIEW-WOODLAND »

KENSIGNTON-CEDAR COTTAGEKENSIGNTON-CEDAR COTTAGEKENSIGNTON-CEDAR COTTAGEKENSIGNTON-CEDAR COTTAGEKENSIGNTON-CEDAR COTTAGEKENSIGNTON-CEDAR COTTAGEKENSIGNTON-CEDAR COTTAGE »

« DISCOVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

UPLOADUPLOAD

ALBUMS

CAMERA ROLL »

INSTAGRAM »

CANCEL

»

»

ALBUMS CANCEL

CAMERA ROLL CANCEL« ALBUMS

EDIT CROP« CAMERA ROLL


Write a caption...

SHARE

FACEBOOK TWITTER

EMAIL TUMBLR

FLICKR INSTAGRAM

POST SHARE« EDIT


161 Following

32 Likes

153 Followers

HANNA STEFAN>> >>

PROFILE

HANNA STEFAN DISCOVER VANCOUVER

ABOUT »

ABOUT »

6 COLLECTIONS »

18 PHOTOS »

84 DISCOVERIES »

32 LIKES »

153 FOLLOWERS »

161 FOLLOWING »

OUTDOORS »

POPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULAR »


161 Following

32 Likes

153 Followers

HANNA STEFAN>> >>

PROFILE

Arbutus Ridge Oakridge


161 Following

32 Likes

153 Followers

HANNA STEFAN>> >>

PROFILE

HANNA STEFAN DISCOVER VANCOUVER

»

»

»

»

»

»

»

»

»

»


A wireframe showing a revised design iteration of the mobile application

POSTCARD ITERATIONSSUBHEADING

44

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVER/dis'k v r/e e

be the first to recognize the potential of (an actor, singer, or musician)be the first to recognize the potential of Verb

DISCOVER

find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a searchfind (something or someone) unexpectedly Verb

/dis'k v r/e eDISCOVER

VANCOUVER


DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

perceive the attractions of an activity (or subject) for the first timeperceive the attractions of an activity Verb


be the first to observe (a place, substance, or scientific phenomenon)be the first to observe (a place, substance, Verb

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER


DISCOVER VANCOUVER

become aware of (a fact or situation)become aware of (a fact or situation)Verb


DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

perceive the attractions of an activity (or subject) for the first timeperceive the attractions of an activity Verb

During the beginning of Part 2 of this project, I focused a lot on brand developing. However, that brand was not coming through in my website and mobile app design. Therefore, I create tangible assets as an exercise to help develop the brand of my website. The site target audience is both locals in Vancouver and tourists to the city. Thus, I felt that postcards were an appropriate asset to accompany my website.

Early postcard designs done in order to help brand development

TITLESUBHEADING

45

Revised postcard designs done in order to help brand development


be the first to observe (a place, substance, or scientific phenomenon)

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

Find out where this is

discovervancouver.com

TITLESUBHEADING

46

body text

FINAL DESIGNS

WEBSITE DESIGNOVERVIEW

47

The final design of the website uses a photo-based platform. The idea is that one would discover Vancouver through visually stimulating images. With this in mind, I used black in my design to help make the images pop. I also placed an image of Vancouver in the background of the site with a black opacity layer. This was to help give depth to the website. This image would slowly rotate through popular Vancouver images that have been uploaded to the site.

The largest body of content on the site is the user-generated photos. One would be able to like, comment on, and repost photos on the site. As mentioned earlier, when user-testing this idea, people stated that this could potentially spark interest for them to go out, try something new, and discover something new about Vancouver.

There are two key points of navigation on the site. The left side panel allows a user to filter the content through a predetermined category: Following, Popular, Food, Drink, Explore, and Neighbourhood. The ‘Explore’ Category has several subcategories: Activities, Arts & Culture, Events, Hotels, Outdoors, Nightlife, and Retail. And the “Neighbourhood” category has the subcategories of all of the different neighbourhoods in Vancouver. A user could also use the ‘Search’ function to look for specific items or locations.

The second point of navigation is at top-right of the page. Here a user sees tabs for ‘Add,’ ‘About,’ and their ‘Profile’ page. Under the ‘About’ tab, a user can find basic information about the site, such as Terms of Use or where to find the mobile app. The ‘Profile’ tab allows a user to jump to their profile page or a specific page on their profile. These include the user’s posts, their own uploaded photos, their albums/collections of post and photos, and their followers and following. A user’s profile will be explained in more detail later.

Newsfeed

Collections

Photos

Discoveries

Likes

SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

FOLLOWING »

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Logout

ABOUT » ADD » HANNA STEFAN »

Final website design

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DRINK

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Arts & CultureEventsHotels

OutdoorsNightlife

Retail

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

FOLLOWING »


48

The ‘Add’ tab has three key components to the site: Add Post, Upload Photo, and Create Collection. When clicking ‘Add Post,’ a user is given the option to type in a URL and add images from a different site onto Discover Vancouver. When clicking ‘Upload Photo,’ a user can upload an image from his or her own computer.

When adding a post or a photo, a user must fill out the geo-location and neighbourhood of the photo. They also must place it one of their Collections, as well as into one of the predetermined categories that were mentioned earlier. The site is about discovering new things in Vancouver, thus the locations of those things would be needed.

SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

FOLLOWING »


FOLLOWING SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

FOLLOWING FOLLOWING »»

ABOUT »ADD » HANNA STEFAN »

FOLLOWING FOLLOWING X

Location…

Neighbourhood…

UPLOAD »

SHARE »

FACEBOOK TWITTER TUMBLR FLICKR

POST

UPLOADSelect a Category:

Add to collection:

FOOD »

FANCY FOOD »

Write a Caption…

Newsfeed

Collections

Photos

Discoveries

Likes

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POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

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ABOUT »ADD » HANNA STEFAN »

X

http://

POST »

FIND IMAGES



49

5 10 23ASH ROSEN »

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STRATHCONA

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SEARCH

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FOLLOWING SEARCH

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ABOUT »» HANNA STEFAN »ADD »WEBSITE REVIEWS DIRECTIONS

STRATHCONA » BETA5 CHOCOLATES


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5 10 23

2 hours ago via TOM CAT

onto FAVOURITE DRINKS

ASH ROSEN » X

FOLLOWING

CHATTY CATHY » This looks amazing!8 minutes ago.

MADELINE OLIVIA » Ooh, can’t wait to try this! 7 minutes ago.

MR. VANCOUVER » reposted this. 7 minutes ago.

JAZZY BEAR » liked this.5 minutes ago.

Write a comment...

The homepage of the site presents you with latest posts from those who a user is following. If someone without an account is visiting the site, then they would be presented with the most popular posts.

When scrolling your mouse over any of the images, the photo would become highlighted and one would see the neighbourhood of that photo, as well as the geo-tagged location. The idea behind this feature is that someone would see an image and right away they would want to know where that image was taken. Thus that information is easily presented to them. Hovering your mouse over images also shows who posted the photo, along with how many comments, likes, and reposts the photo has.

Clicking the photo would provide you with more information. Here, a user would see who posted the photo, the neighbourhood, the geo-tagged location, as well as comments, likes, and reposts. One would also be able to like, comment on, and repost the photos themselves. They would also see other suggested content, such as other photos in the same neighbourhood or at the geo-tagged location. And, a user would also have the option to be directed away from the Discover Vancouver website and to the website of the geo-tagged location. One could also read Google reviews of get directions to said location.



50

With Discover Vancouver, a user has the option to follow (and be followed by) other users. However, one does not necessarily have to be ‘following’ someone to view their posts. Users are able to search through the site and view any of the publicly available content.

Allowing people the choice to following other users inevitably means that you are also dealing with profile pages. I decided to give the option of having either public or private profiles. This came about from my user-testing. Some people expressed interest that they would prefer private profiles, especially if they are geo-tagging their locations. However, if you were a popular food critic or an events coordinator, you want might to have a public profile. Such users would be using the site to help promote Vancouver and to help others discover the things within the city. On the other hand, you may not want to share what you do with everyone, especially if you are geo-tagging your photos, so in that case private profiles are available.

A users profile page can be broken down into their collections, their own uploaded photos, their discoveries (i.e. their posts), and their likes. Having ‘Collections’ is a way for a user to categorize their posts and photos instead of piling them all into the same generic pool.

A user’s profile page also contains the neighbourhood of the user and a short ‘About’ section. You can also view a users followers and who they are following.

EDIT

6 COLLECTIONS 18 PHOTOS 84 DISCOVERIES 32 LIKES 153 FOLLOWERS 161 FOLLOWING

FANCY FOOD » BUCKET LIST » FAVOURITE DRINKS » EASTSIDE »

IDS WEST 2012 »WEST COAST »

14 PHOTOS 18 PHOTOS 7 PHOTOS 12 PHOTOS

18 PHOTOS15 PHOTOS

West Point Grey

Cats. Coffee. Tea. Design.In that order.hannastefan.com

SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

HANNA STEFAN »


CREATE COLLECTION

EDITWest Point Grey

Cats. Coffee. Tea. Design.In that order.hannastefan.com

10 BALLOONS AARON D.

ADAM SUDS ALEX ROSS

ALEXANDRA ZANGE

CHATTY CATHY CLAIRE MARIE

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

Grandview-Woodland Grandview-Woodland


West Point Grey Strathcona







6 COLLECTIONS 18 PHOTOS 84 DISCOVERIES 32 LIKES 153 FOLLOWERS 161 FOLLOWING

SEARCH

FOLLOWING

POPULAR

FOOD

DRINK

EXPLORE»

NEIGHBOURHOOD»

HANNA STEFAN »




DETAILED WIREFRAME

51

HOME » NAVIGATION

WEBSITE DESIGN

Final website design wireframe

52

UPLOAD

DETAILED WIREFRAME

WEBSITE DESIGN


53

DISCOVER

DETAILED WIREFRAME

WEBSITE DESIGN


54

PROFILE

DETAILED WIREFRAME

WEBSITE DESIGN


MOBILE DESIGNOVERVIEW

55

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

5 10 23ASH ROSEN »

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

STRATHCONA

WEBSITE REVIEWS DIRECTIONS



View 34 more

5 10 23

ASH ROSEN »FOLLOWING

X2 hours ago via TOM CAT onto FAVOURITE DRINKS

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Other posts at BETA5 CHOCOLATES »

Other posts in STRATHCONA »

Write a comment...

CHATTY CATHY » this looks amazing! 8 minutes ago.



X DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

POPULAR

SEARCH »

NEAR ME »

ACTIVITIES »

ARTS & CULTURE »

DRINK »

EVENTS »

FOOD »

HOTELS »

OUTDOORS »

»

ACTIVITIES »

ARTS & CULTURE »

DRINK »

EVENTS »

FOOD »

HOTELS »

OUTDOORS »

POPULAR »

NEIGHBOURHOOD

NIGHTLIFE

RETAIL

»

»

»

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

KENSINGTON-CEDAR COTTAGE

NEIGHBOURHOOD

ARBUTUS RIDGE »

COAL HARBOUR »




FAIRVIEW »

FALSE CREEK »

GASTOWN »


»

« DISCOVERDISCOVER

VANCOUVERGASTOWN« NEIGHBOURHOODX

»

»

»

DISCOVER VANCOUVERPHOTO LIBRARY« CANCEL CROP

DISCOVER VANCOUVERCAMERA ROLL« ALBUMS CANCEL

CROPDISCOVER

VANCOUVEREDIT« CAMERA ROLL CROP CROPDISCOVER

VANCOUVERPOST

SHARE

« EDIT

Write a caption...

Add to collection: EASTSIDE »


FACEBOOK TWITTER

EMAIL TUMBLR

FLICKR INSTAGRAM

CANCELDISCOVER

VANCOUVERNEWSFEED

MR. VANCOUVER » liked your photo.3 hours ago.

CHATTY CATHY » commented on your photo: “Yummy!” 3 hours ago.

MADELINE OLIVIA » reposted your photo. 4 hours ago.

CHATTY CATHY » reposted your photo. 4 hours ago.

CRAIG FLOSHE » commented on your photo: How much? 4 hours ago.

10 BALLOONS » liked your photo. 4 hours ago.

10 BALLOONS » reposted your photo. 4 hours ago.

ALEX ROSS » liked your photo. 1 day ago.

HANNA STEFAN

West Point GreyCats. Coffee. Tea. Design. In that order.

153 FOLLOWERS » 161 FOLLOWING »

18 PHOTOS

84 DISCOVERIES

32 LIKES

6 COLLECTIONS

FANCY FOOD » BUCKET LIST»

FAVOURITE DRINKS » EASTSIDE »

14 PHOTOS 18 PHOTOS

7 PHOTOS 12 PHOTOS

BUCKETLIST



18 PHOTOS

84 DISCOVERIES

32 LIKES

6 COLLECTIONS

« COLLECTIONS



18 PHOTOS

84 DISCOVERIES

32 LIKES

6 COLLECTIONS

HANNA STEFAN DISCOVER VANCOUVERFOLLOWERS

10 BALLOONS » Grandview-Woodland

AARON D. » Dunbar-Southlands

ADAM SUDS » West Point Grey

ALEX ROSS » West Point Grey

ALEXANDRA ZANGE » West Point Grey

BETA5 CHOCOLATES » Strathcona

CHATTY CATHY » Dunbar-Southlands

CLAIRE MARIE » South Granville

« HANNA STEFAN

1264 Followers • 110 Following








Final mobile app design

56

HOME

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

5 10 23ASH ROSEN »

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

STRATHCONA




View 34 more

5 10 23






View 34 more

5 10 23



View 34 more

Other posts at BETA5 CHOCOLATES »

Other posts in STRATHCONA »

Write a comment...

CHATTY CATHY » this looks amazing! 8 minutes ago.



X

HOME

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

5 10 23ASH ROSEN »

BETA5 CHOCOLATES

STRATHCONA

X


STRATHCONA »

BETA5 CHOCOLATES


View 34 more

5 10 23


X2 hours ago via TOM CATonto FAVOURITE DRINKS

DETAILED WIREFRAME

MOBILE DESIGN

The final design of the mobile app follows the same design concept of the website. Essentially, it is a condensed mobile version of the website.

The navigation for the mobile app is found along the bottom of the screen. There are five key points of navigation: Home, Discover, Upload, Newsfeed, and Profile.

The home page follows the same design as the home page of the website. A user would interact with it in a similar manner. A single tap on an image would highlight the photo providing some information about the location and who posted it. Double tapping would open that image and reveal more information.

Final mobile app design wireframe

57

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

»

»

»

»

»

»

»

»

»

»

DISCOVER VANCOUVER


NEIGHBOURHOOD

ARBUTUS RIDGE »

COAL HARBOUR »




FAIRVIEW »

FALSE CREEK »

GASTOWN »


»

« DISCOVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVERGASTOWN« NEIGHBOURHOOD

DISCOVER

Arbutus Ridge

Coal Harbour

Downtown Eastside

Dunbar-Southlands


Fairview

False Creek

Gastown

Grandview-Woodland

Kensington-Cedar Cottage

Kerrisdale

Killarney

Kitsilano

Marpole

Mount Pleasant

Oakridge

Renfrew-Collingwood


Shaughnessy

South Cambie

South Granville

South Main

Strathcona

Sunset

UBC

Victoria-Fraserview

West End

West Point Grey

Yaletown

Greater Vancouver

DISCOVERVANCOUVER

POPULAR

SEARCH »

NEAR ME »

ACTIVITIES »

ARTS & CULTURE »

DRINK »

EVENTS »

FOOD »

HOTELS »

OUTDOORS »

»»

DISCOVER

GASTOWN« NEIGHBOURHOOD

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

POPULAR

SEARCH »

NEAR ME »

ACTIVITIES »

ARTS & CULTURE »

DRINK »

EVENTS »

FOOD »

HOTELS »

OUTDOORS »

»

»

»

»

EVENTSEVENTSEVENTSEVENTS »

FOODFOODFOODFOOD »

HOTELSHOTELSHOTELSHOTELS »

OUTDOORSOUTDOORSOUTDOORSOUTDOORS »

POPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULARPOPULAR »

NEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOODNEIGHBOURHOOD

NIGHTLIFE

RETAIL

»

»

»


NEIGHBOURHOOD

ARBUTUS RIDGE »

COAL HARBOUR »




FAIRVIEW »

FALSE CREEK »

GASTOWN »


»»

« DISCOVER

DISCOVER VANCOUVERNEWSFEED






10 BALLOONS » liked your photo. 4 hours ago.

10 BALLOONS » reposted your photo. 4 hours ago.

ALEX ROSS » liked your photo. 1 day ago.

NEWSFEED






10 BALLOONS » liked your photo.4 hours ago.

10 BALLOONS » reposted your photo.4 hours ago.

ALEX ROSS » liked your photo.1 day ago.

MADELINE OLIVIA

CHATTY CATHY

10 BALLOONS

NEWSFEED

DETAILED WIREFRAME

MOBILE DESIGN

The ‘Discover’ tab provides a user with all of the search options that can be used to help filter content. One feature that mobile app has that is different from the website is a ‘Near Me” search option. This allows users to search for nearby attractions based on their phone’s geographic location.

The ‘Newsfeed’ tab provides the user with the latest information on who commented on, liked, or reposted on of their photos.

.


58

»

»

»

DISCOVER VANCOUVERPHOTO LIBRARY« CANCEL CROP

DISCOVER VANCOUVERCAMERA ROLL« ALBUMS CANCEL

XCROP

DISCOVER VANCOUVEREDIT« CAMERA ROLL CROP CROP

DISCOVER VANCOUVERPOST

SHARE

« EDIT

Write a caption...



FACEBOOK TWITTER

EMAIL TUMBLR

FLICKR INSTAGRAM

CANCEL

CAMERA ROLL« ALBUMS CANCEL

X

»

»

»

PHOTO LIBRARY« CANCEL

EDIT« CAMERA ROLL CROP POST

SHARE

« EDIT

Write a caption...



FACEBOOK TWITTER

EMAIL TUMBLR

FLICKR INSTAGRAM

CANCEL

UPLOAD

DETAILED WIREFRAME

MOBILE DESIGN

With the mobile application, a user is able to take a photo and upload it to the site in the moment that it is happening, opposed to waiting until they are back home to use their computer.

A user can also perform any of the actions that are done on the website version, such as comment on, like, or repost a photo.

.


59

PROFILE

HANNA STEFAN



18 PHOTOS

84 DISCOVERIES

32 LIKES

6 COLLECTIONS



14 PHOTOS 18 PHOTOS

7 PHOTOS 12 PHOTOS

BUCKETLIST



18 PHOTOS

84 DISCOVERIES

32 LIKES

6 COLLECTIONS

« COLLECTIONS



18 PHOTOS

84 DISCOVERIES

32 LIKES

6 COLLECTIONS

HANNA STEFAN DISCOVER VANCOUVERFOLLOWERS









« HANNA STEFAN









PROFILE

HANNA STEFAN

West Point GreyCats. Coffee. Tea. Design.In that order.


18PHOTOS

84DISCOVERIES

32LIKES

6COLLECTIONS



14 PHOTOS 18 PHOTOS

7 PHOTOS 12 PHOTOS



18PHOTOS

84DISCOVERIES

32LIKES

6COLLECTIONS

HANNA STEFAN

BUCKETLIST



18PHOTOS

84DISCOVERIES

32LIKES

6COLLECTIONS

« COLLECTIONS

FOLLOWERS









« HANNA STEFAN









DETAILED WIREFRAME

MOBILE DESIGN

The mobile app’s profile page contains all the same information of the website.

.


POSTCARD DESIGNOVERVIEW

60

DISCOVER

find (something or someone) unexpectedly or in the course of a search

/dis'k v r/e e DISCOVER/dis'k v r/e ebecome aware of (a fact or situation)

DISCOVER/dis'k v r/e ebe the first to observe (a place, substance, or scientific phenomenon)


perceive the attractions of an activity (or subject) for the first time

DISCOVER VANCOUVER

Find out where this isdiscoverthiscity.com


be the first to recognize the potential of (an actor, singer, or musician)

Final Postcard Designs

The final postcard designs followed a similar concept from the earlier iterations, in which the word ‘discover’ is phonetically spelled out and a definition is given. I chose to use five different definitions of the word. Each postcard displays a different definition and has a photograph of Vancouver that reflects that definition.

The Discover Vancouver logo was removed from the front of the postcard to avoid clutter and was placed on the backside of the card. Each postcard also has its own QR code. Scanning this would link you to the website of where the image was taken.

CONCLUSION

61

I feel that the website and mobile app of Discover Vancouver will offer a new and engaging experience that does not yet exist within Vancouver. By applying a photo-based platform of user-generated content, I believe that I have created a relevant and reliable source of information. At this point, I think I have accomplished what I had set out to do, which is use user-generated content to create a website about Vancouver for locals and tourists. With this concept, tourists can visit the site and easily organize their searches and navigate the city. And then locals can use the site to help them rediscover their hometown.

This is by far the largest project I have ever worked on. Ideally, I would love a functioning website and mobile app that is actually used and enjoyed by others. But in the mean time, I am happy with how far this project has come.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHYUSER-GENERATED CONTENT FOR TRAVEL

62

Akehurst, Gary. “User-Generated Content:

the use of blogs for tourism organizations

and tourism consumers. Springerlink.com: Springer Science + Business Media

(2008): 52-61. Web. 21 Sep 2012.

This article looks at how consumers trust websites

(particularly blogs) and online reviews more than

professional guides and travel agencies. Gary Akehurst

addresses a negative aspect as well: the number of

relevant travel blogs makes the user have to locate,

extract, and interpret the information, which can be

very time consuming. For my Vancouver website, I was

hoping to centralize all the information about Vancouver

to hopefully counter the issue Akehurst talks about.

Arnhold, Ulrike. User-Generated Branding.

Germany: Springer Fachmedien, 2010. eBook.

This eBook looks at how user-generated content helps

influence and shape a brand. The study outlines

how companies can incorporate this content to help

strengthen consumer relationships. With this source,

I can look at the strengths and weaknesses of user-

generated branding to help strengthen my own project.

Bingley, Scott et all. “A Classification

Scheme for Analyzing Web 2.0 Tourism

Websites.” Journal of Electronic Commerce Research 11:4 (2011): 281-298. Print.

This article outlines various website analysis

techniques noted within user-generated content

and Web 2.0. The usefulness of these techniques

are highlighted throughout the article, as they

provide a new perspective on the analysis of blog

comments. This article will be a useful source

for when I am looking at what user-generated

features I want to apply to my Vancouver website.

Burgess, Stephen et al. “Trust perceptions

of online travel information by different

content creations: Some social and

legal implications.” Information Systems Frontier 13 (2009): 221-235. Print.

User-generated content poses some social and legal

challenges, especially in defamation, misrepresentation,

and social embarrassment. This paper looks at a

survey of 12,000 Australian travel consumers and

the results show that there are different levels of

trust for online travel information depending on

the source of the information. Looking at what

consumers trust most is an important aspect I need

to consider when I apply my research to my design.

Chabot, Anne. “Travel 2.0: future

of tourism?” MA European Tourism Management (2006-2007): n. pag. Print.

This paper looks at the influence of Web 2.0 on the

travel and tourism industry. This paper will help me

understand the impact of the ‘2.0 phenomenon’ and

how contagious user-generated content can be.

Cox, Carmen et al. “The Role of User-

Generated Content in Tourists’ Travel Planning

Behaviour.” Journal of Hospitality Marketing & Management 18:8 (2009): 743-764. Print.

This article is directly related to my research topic

and is a good starting point for user-generated

content and travel decisions. It looks at websites

containing user-generated content and the role it

plays in information search and travel behaviour. It

looks at a survey of 12,000 hospitality and tourism

consumers, and it outlines the perceptions that

they have towards Web 2.0 information value.

Del Chiappa, Giacomo. “Trustworthiness of

Travel 2.0 applications and their influence on

tourist behaviour: an empirical investigation

in Italy.” Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism (2011): 33-342. Print.

This paper will be an excellent source for looking at

the trustworthiness of user-generated content for

travel; it will be a great resource to back my design

decisions. This paper looks at Travel 2.0 and the

increasingly important role user-generated content

plays in generating the idea of travel, the planning

process, and the during and post-travel phase. It

analyzes recent studies, as well as conducts its on

survey on a sample of Italian tourists to investigate the

level of trust that is placed in Travel 2.0 applications.

ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY

63

Ghose, Anindya et al. “Designing Ranking

Systems for Hotels on Travel Search Engines

by Mining User-Generated and Crowd-

Sourced Content.” Marketing Science 31:3 (May-June 2011): 493-520. Print.

This is an interesting article that proposes (and

generates) a new ranking system based on social

media sources, using techniques form text mining,

image classification, social geo-tagging, human

annotations, and geo-mapping. It monitors hotel

reservations made on Travelocity over a three-month

period. This system is something to consider when

applying user-generated content to my own website.

Gretzel, Ulrike and Kyung Hyan Yoo. “Use

and Impact of Online Travel Reviews.” Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2008. Australia: Springer-

Verlag/Wien, 2008. 35-46. Book.

This paper looks at the growing importance of user-

generated content on travel-related decisions. It looks at

the primary demographic of TripAdvisor through a web-

based survey. I will use this article as one of several

case studies that outline the features of TripAdvisor.

Jeacle, Ingrid, and Chris Carter. “In Trip Advisor

We Trust: Rankings, calculative regimes and

abstract systems.” Accounting, Organizations and Society 36 (2011): 293-309. Print

This is a very useful article that looks at the hotel

ranking systems on the travel website TripAdvisor. It

examines the trust people place in user-generated

content and how TripAdvisor is replacing the role of

the travel agent. I will use this article as one of several


Mendes-Filho, Luiz, Felix B Tan, and Simon

Milne. “Backpacker Use of User-Generated

Content: A Consumer Empowerment Study.”

Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2010. Australia: Springer-

Verlag/Wien, 2010. 445-466. Book.

This article looks at consumer empowerment through

user-generated content and its significance in the

travel industry. It looks at a focus group of international

tourist backpackers who outline three components

of empowerment: content empowerment, social

empowerment, and process empowerment. This is a

good article to use a case-study for the implications

of user-generated content on travel decisions.

Merritt, Jennifer. “Web 2.0 Becomes

Travel Standard.” Business Travel News 23:20 (23 Oct. 2006): 3-3. Print.

This article, although slightly dated, is important in

recognizing the initial shift to the idea of ‘Travel 2.0.’

By understanding this paradigm shift, I can better

understand why it is important for my own project.

Miguéns, J., R. Baggio, and C. Costa.

“Social Media and Tourism Destinations:

TripAdvisor Case Study. Advances in Tourism Research (May 2008): 1-6. Print.

This paper examines user-generated content on

TripAdvisor with a case study on Lisbon. It looks

at how users collaborate when choosing travel

destinations. I will use this article as one of several


Strauss, Karyn. “Travel 2.0.” Hotel Magazine

(2007): n. pag. Web. 21 Sep. 2012.

This article, although slightly dated, looks at the

initial shift from Web 1.0 to Web 2.0 and the

development of Travel 2.0. It is a helpful source

for my research topic as it explores how users are

now “in the drivers seat” and consumer-generated

media lets them make their own travel decisions.

O’Connor, Peter. “User-Generated Content

and Travel: A Case Study on TripAdvisor.

Com.” Information and Communication Technologies in Tourism 2008. Australia:

Springer-Verlag/Wien, 2008. 47-58. Book.

In this paper, Peter O’Connor looks at the

implications of user-generated content for travel

businesses, with a case study on TripAdvisor. He

gives an analysis of a sample of London hotels

showing detailed and relevant user-generated

reviews. I will use this article as one of several case


64

studies that outline the features of TripAdvisor.

Ye, Qiang et al. “The Influence of user-generated

content on travel behaviour: An empirical

investigation on the effects of e-word-of-mouth

to hotel online bookings.” Computers in Human Behaviour 27 (2011): 634-639. Print.

This article is an empirical study that looks at the

impact of online user-generated reviews on business

performance in the tourism industry. The data is from

a popular online travel agency in China. The findings

show a positive relationship between good reviews

boosting hotel bookings. This article is a good source

of information in showing the impact that user-

generated contact can have on our travel decisions.

Cronin, Matt. “9 Crucial UI Features

of Social Media and Networking Sites.”

Smashing Magazine. Smashing Media. 3

Jun. 2009. Web. 22 Sep 2012.

This article discusses important features, techniques,

and concepts behind the user interface design

of social media and social networking sites. It

looks at the intuitive mapping between a user’s

intention and an application’s function. It gives

easy, general usability strategies that can be

applied to almost any interface design.

Dennis, Tom. “A Decade of Web Design.”

Computer Arts Magazine. Future Publish

Limited. 05 Feb. 2010. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

This article looks at how design has become more

prominent on the Internet over the past ten years.

It explains what different programs, such as Flash

or Dreamweaver, have brought to web design, and

it looks at the visual aesthetics of Web 2.0.

Fadeyev, Dmitry. “12 Useful Techniques

for Good User Interface Design.” Smashing Magazine. Smashing Media. 19 Jan.

2009. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

A helpful resource outlining useful design trends

in modern web applications, giving tips on what to

do and what not to do. These tips can be applied

directly to the Vancouver website I plan to create.

Jovanovic, Janko. “10 UI Design Patterns

You Should Be Paying Attention To.”

Smashing Magazine. Smashing Media. 23

Jun. 2009. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

User interface (UI) design patterns are

solutions to recurring interface problems. This

article looks at 10 common UI patterns

that can be applied to my own project.

Wroblewski, Luke. “An Event Apart: Crafting

the User Experience.” LukeW. LukeW Ideation

+ Design. 13 Jun. 2011. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

Luke Wroblewski outlines a 2011 presentation by

Sarah Parmenter at An Event Apart in Atlanta, Georgia.

The presentation discussed how principles of human

psychology can reframe how we think about Web

Design. Important points include speed, simplicity,

surprise, social behaviour, and stirring emotions. What

I found interesting was the ‘monkey see, monkey

do’ attitude towards user-generated content.

Wentk, Richard. “Beyond Web 2.0.” Computer Arts Magazine. Future Publish Limited. 16

Feb. 2007. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

This article outlines the changes in design as we

move forward with web technology. It looks at cross-

platform design, user-generated content, and design

experiences, all of which are issues to consider for

creating a user-generated Vancouver website.

BlogTO. blogTO. Freshdaily,

2012. Web. 05 Sep. 2012.

BlogTO is a Toronto-based blog which originally

inspired my idea for creating something for

Vancouver. The site helps Torontonian’s discover

what’s new in Toronto, what to do or see, and where

to eat and drink. A communications analysis of

this site will give me excellent starting point for

‘what to do’ and ‘what not to do’ in my project.

EXISTING EXAMPLES

INTERFACE DESIGN

65

Inside Vancouver. Inside Vancouver. Tourism

Vancouver, 2012. Web. 05 Sep. 2012.

Inside Vancouver is a multi-author blog (achieved

through user-generated content), written by

Vancouverites for Vancouver. It helps give an insiders

view of what’s new and great about the city. This

site, along with Vancity Buzz and Miss604, are my

most direct competition for creating my project. A

communications audit of this site will help me figure

out what works and what doesn’t, and what I can

do to set myself apart from the existing sites.

Midnight Poutine. Midnight Poutine. Freshdaily, 2012. Web. 05 Sep. 2012.

Midnight Poutine is a popular blog in Montreal,

which uses user-generated content to help those

within the city know what’s new and what to do. A

communications audit of this site will help give me

some precedence for what works and what does not.

Miss604. Miss 604. sixty4media,

2012. Web. 05 Sep. 2012.

Miss604 is a Vancouver-based blog primarily ran by

Rebecca Bollwitt. Unlike Vancity Buzz and Inside

Vancouver, Bollwitt produces most of her own content,

but there are still elements of user-generated content.

A communications audit of this site will help me

figure out what works and what doesn’t, and what I

can do to set myself apart from the existing sites.

TripAdvisor, Inc. TripAdvisor. TripAdvisor

LLC, 2012. Web. 29 Sep. 2012.

TripAdvisor is the most popular Travel 2.0 site. Looking

closely at the success of TripAdvisor will help me better

under the influence of user-generated content on travel,

as well what features to apply to my own project.

Vancity Buzz. Vancity Buzz. Buzz Connected

Media, 2012. Web. 05 Sep. 2012.

Vancity Buzz is a user-generated blog that promotes

current happenings in Vancouver. This site, along

with Inside Vancouver and Miss604, are my most

direct competition for creating my project. A

communications audit of this site will help me figure

out what works and what doesn’t, as well as what I

can do to set myself apart from the existing sites.

Statistics Canada. “Canadian Internet Use Survey

(CIUS).” Statistics Canada. 2010. Statistics

Canada, 5 Jul. 2011. Web. 4 Oct. 2012

This survey conducted by Statistics Canada

provides quantitative information on both household

and individual internet usage, including the use

of e-commerce. I will use this information as

support for my proposed design and to give an

outline of the proposed target audience.

OTHER


The Living Principles. The Living Principles. Tomorrow Partners, 2012. Web. 22 Sep. 2012.

The Living Principles is a website that guides

purposeful action in design. It frames environmental,

social, economic, and cultural sustainability in a

way in which the public can use and apply these

methodologies to their designs. I will use this source

as a guide for my project’s sustainability analysis.

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