— A PERSONALIZED SHOPPING EXPERIENCE FUELED BY ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
trailmate: ai curated, user centered
Designed in partnership with REI, TrailMate reimagines product reviews through the use of passive data collection & machine learning to create a shopping experience that is tailored to every single REI member. Along with having a companion mobile application, TrailMate emphasizes adventure over consumerism to connect users through their experiences.
OBJECTIVE
Developing an addition to the REI ecosystem that targets personalization in the field of digital marketing & online shopping.
PERSONA
The assigned persona was a male aged 18-26 who is already a member at REI. They are a novice camper who is interested in personal wellness and our area of focus is tents/camping.
TEAM
Jennifer Dowden - Wireframing, User Research
Joel Weiss - Wireframing, , User Research, Videography
Jazz Moe - Wireframing, User Research
MY ROLE
Wireframing
Ideation
User Research
Project Management
One of the final hi-fi screens of TrailMate
background
INTRODUCING A PERSONALIZED SHOPPING EXPERIENCE
Working alongside three other team members, we were tasked with pushing the boundaries of data collection and our current idea of artificial intelligence in order to tackle the pain points within the existing REI ecosystem. Using an extensive research period, we garnered the data to back up our design decisions and it led us to our final product: REI TrailMate.
user research
OUR ASSIGNED PERSONA & HIS STORY
Upon beginning this project, we were assigned a use case from the start in order for our research to be viable for our work. We were assigned a Latino male, aged 18-26, who is currently an REI member but is a novice camper. Alongside that information, our focus was on the digital experience and the product we centered our project on was tents/camping gear. This gave us a set of data that then guided who we reached out to conduct interviews and look for additional research, and it led us to our persona - Mason Maldonado.
We began our research by conducting interviews with 12 individuals to gauge their current issues with shopping for camping gear online, what they value in a shopping experience, what they value in gear they purchase, and more in order to map out what is and isn't working out well in the current REI ecosystem. From there, we gathered our information in order to understand the audience we were designated to cater to later on in the process.
the persona
Our starting persona was assigned to us and we developed him further, leading us to our final persona Mason. He is the person that our final user flow was designed for and his needs are the ones that our screens are designed for. The pain points shown in the user journey map were derived from our user research and then applied to our persona - so real user issues are addressed and soothed in our work.
the process
MOVING TOWARD OUR FINAL PRESENTABLE
We had a solid foundation of first and secondhand research when entering the development phase of this project. We looked into competitors and features from other mobile and web apps that we wanted to incorporate somehow — anything that could get us thinking about what we could do that highlights a deeply-personalized shopping experience that encompasses the brand values of REI. We began with a detailed user journey corresponding to the current REI website.
user journey map: as-is
This user journey map laid out the blueprint of what we needed to address and accomplish through our work. It was also very important for us to keep Mason in mind at all times when discussing concepts and ideas as by the end, our work was simply an example of a larger system. Mason was our focus seeing that REI was seeking out ways to improve the customer experience on their digital shopping platform.
the ideation phase
Through a series of exercises, our team developed four initial ideas that were slowly narrowed down to two developed concepts. These concepts were then presented to the REI team and they made the final call on which concept they wanted us to move forward with after a presentation. Ideas began very broad, moving towards lo-fi screens, and eventually some hi-fi screens that were included in the two-concept presentation to REI. Along the way, we refined the small details of each concept we moved forward with — setting us up for success regardless of which concept was picked.
A hi-fi screen from the concept that was not selected for further development
developing trailmate
Once the REI team told us that TrailMate was the idea they wanted us to move forward with, we had to refine our core mission and how Mason would be interacting with the new platform. We also had to choose the visual direction in order to create a very cohesive look and feel, so we decided to stick to a visual language that is similar to the current REI website.
WHAT TRAILMATE IS
A personalized shopping experience & mobile app that encompasses REI's mission statement of getting people outside and exploring the world through in-depth reviews from actual user data. TrailMate utilizes machine learning and AI to create accurate reviews tailored to each REI member and allows for easy trip-logging when members are exploring the outdoors.
WHAT TRAILMATE FEATURES
TrailMate is designed as just that - a partner for adventure and an assistant when shopping. The TrailMate app allows for passive data collection that forms AI-generated reviews that mention key features each customer wants to know about any product on the REI website. TrailMate also introduces a way for users to participate in the REI ecosystem online, referencing the in-store experience that is missing from the digital platform.
the final product
THE DELIVERABLES
We developed 35 high-fidelity screens for our final set of wireframes that encompasses Mason's journey through the REI website with the addition of TrailMate. This also includes his interaction with the TrailMate app when he takes a trip with his new tent.
a new online experience
The proposed update to the REI website introduced a personalized recommendation system based on user data. From the start, Mason's needs as a consumer are taken into account and he views a simplified shopping interface that removes any overwhelming choices. The key feature of TrailMate manifests itself in the reviews of each product. Real user data collected through the TrailMate app is presented to each REI member in a way that prioritizes the information they would like to know about each product. Through AI, customers no longer have to sit around writing reviews and potential buyers don't have to sift through layers of text to find the most helpful review.
your newest travel companion
The REI TrailMate app is designed to be a way to collect data (with consent of course!) from REI members as they take trips with their REI gear. Trips turn into trip logs that can be viewed on the REI website in several ways: the trip logs are tagged to a location on the product's page so other REI members in the area get to see what gear is used around them and how they perform, the trip logs fuel the product review system, and the trip logs simply serve as memories that can be shared on REI's website as well as on any social media platform. This encourages users to get outside and explore, which is one of the REI values we found was missing from their current digital ecosystem.
finding your next adventure
Another feature of REI TrailMate is the opportunity to share trip logs and explore destinations that interest the user. Using user-generated data, locations and fellow TrailMate users are suggested to each REI member in order to get more users to unplug and go explore. At the end of the day, TrailMate wants users to spend less time shuffling through websites for their ideal gear and more time exploring the hidden, or not so hidden, gems around them.
takeaways
USER-CENTERED DESIGN & WORKING FOR A COMPANY
This project spanned over two and a half months and is purely speculative. This posed several challenges as we had to think outside of the current boundaries of AI and machine learning to develop our final concepts. We also did not design a platform that any user would see, we had to design through the lens of Mason and his needs. Though there were a handful of tough moments, having the criticism of the REI team alongside other teams working on the same project allowed us to grow TrailMate into what is presented now. This helped us realize the potential of personalized experiences and the potential of AI in a design space dedicated to moving forward.
the video