CONTEXT
A San Diego landmark
With over a century of history and over 300 species of plants, the Botanical Building at Balboa Park has been restored to preserve structural integrity and historical charm.
PROBLEM
Visitors and tourists struggled to identify plants and access related information due to minimal on-site signage. The architecture and structural materials, which are key features of the century-old building, often went unnoticed, limiting opportunities for deeper appreciation and engagement.
We wanted to create an intuitive, accessible, and engaging experience to help tourists and visitors gain more depth into plant and building information that would otherwise be a quick and shallow experience.
SOLUTION
An interactive guide to explore the building
Plant identification and information
Visitors can use the section plant map to find the plant they were looking for. They can find relevant plant information and interactive close-ups.
Building architecture and history
Visitors can explore different parts of the building and learn about the specific history. They can also find photo spots for the related areas.
Visitor scrapbook book
The digital scrapbook allows visitors to select their favorite plant and add their name, strengthening their connection to the building.
RESEARCH
Understanding visitors with fieldwork, interviews, and surveys
We learned from staff and visitor perspectives at the Balboa Park Botanical Building, uncovering pain points around plant identification, building renovation, and access to information. By listening to their stories, we aimed to identify unmet needs and evaluate existing solutions to inform opportunities for a more engaging and accessible experience.
Accessing plant information
We interviewed 2 staff and 3 visitors
User Research Affinity Map
Key Findings
Lack of plant identification
Little plant signage and many unecessary steps navigation the site from the QR code
Left with a memorable visit
Visitors engaged with building, took photos, and signed the visitor scrapbook
Not enough information about building history
Many people were not aware of that the building was recently renovated
IDEATION
Based on the research insights, we focused on 3 features: plants, architecture, and a scrapbook
Information Architecture
Initial explorations
PROTOTYPING
Mood Board
Design System
Iterations: plant information
BEFORE
Users enjoyed the “map” user journey. There was low contrast and visibility of plants
User confusion with the catalog due to difficult arrow navigation and redundancy with the existing overview in the map
AFTER
Simplified home page to only include the map
Improved plant image visibility in the map
Iterations: scrapbook
BEFORE
Scrapbook was disengaging, and not purposeful or memorable. Book texture also needed improvement.
AFTER
Now emmulates physical stamp printing results for emotional engagement and motivation
High-fidelity features
Plant information
Building & Architecture
Scrapbook
REFLECTION
Have clear and succinct user journeys
User journeys establish the foundation for well-structured, detailed interactions. By mapping these journeys clearly, I could anticipate user needs, remove friction points, and create seamless experiences.
Photo spot suggestion as a main feature
This feature was part of the building architecture flow to motivate interaction with physical surrounding. From usability tests, it was hidden and participants indicated photo information should be advertised on the home page.
Collaboration through clear communication
Each week involved many iterations and revisions, making it essential to present updates and clearly explain major design decisions and updates.
