ANNA MERRICK VINTEN
ANNA MERRICK VINTEN
BOND PARK DESIGN INTERVENTION
Main Objective
For this project, students were instructed to pick a public place to investigate and analyze. First we identified any design related issues it might have and then conducted research and presented how those issues might be solved. Finally, we presented a foldable broadsheet with an in depth analysis of our chosen place.
BACKGROUND
Bond Park is the largest park in Cary and is utilized as its central hub for 4 Greenways that stretch across parts of Cary. The park is also used for events, exercise socializing, and more. It has hundreds of users daily that come to utilize these features. Some are more experienced with the park’s layout than others. Some users ride bikes or push strollers while others might be walking or jogging. Despite these differences in experience and method of movement, we want everyone to be able to utilize the paths to their fullest potentials.
Bond Park has plenty of room for growth when it comes to wayfinding along the trails and pathways. People should have an easier time while searching for the destinations they want to go around the park, as well as have a system that allows for discovery of new areas that they haven’t yet explored.
TASK ANALYSIS VISUALIZATION
Users have a lengthy process of searching for destinations at Bond Park. Google Maps is unrelaible as it doesn’t show the greenways in full detail. The maps tend to be confusing for new users so they need guidance from others. The focus of our solution is to help users break away from this pattern by utilizing easier-to-read maps.
Even users that are familiar with the park can have issues with the layout and navigation. When trying to find new areas, they often have to utilize either google maps or the park maps. Sometimes, they are able to figure these tools out, but there are also times these users are confused by the maps, especially since they are scattered in so few locations.
APP DESIGN
Bond Park’s current wayfinding system has shown to be difficult for new users. It also doesn’t allow for intermediate users to find new locations to explore, and doesn’t provide any up to date information (like any weather changes, events, etc.) for those who utilize the park. Bond Park needs a system that allows for guests to access maps and other information about the park more easily. Our solution includes 2 touchpoints: an app and an interactive map.
We propose an app that will make traveling from location to location within Bond Park much easier for users. This app will have 4 main tabs/pages which users can utilize to gain information regarding Bond Park. These four categories which we will discuss individually in the following pages are: Home, Map, Places and Events, as well as other separate pages within those tabs.
HOME
By tapping on the first box underneath “Fred G. Bond Metro Park” users will be taken to a page that describes Bond Park in detail. To go back to the home screen they can use a “back arrow” located above that pages title.
This tab also includes information about about the Town of Cary organization and provides links to their social medias, which users will be redirected to when they tap on each icon. There is also a “settings” button provided on all tabs which directs you to allow the app to share your location in order to use the GPS portion.
MAP
Users will be able to select areas from a list on the right side of the screen. When they tap on a category, all the places that fit in the category will be highlights. Tapping on one specific place will use the GPS feature to direct users their from their current location.
Users will also be able to report hazards like fallen trees, mud, flooding, etc. and these reports will appear to users viewing the map/using the GPS portion in order to warn them of potential hazards.
PLACES
The places tab provides a list of all the available locations to go to while visiting Bond Park. Users can click on each of these locations to read more about them. After scrolling through the information about the location, they will have an option that says “Go to (insert location)”. When users click on this box they will then be redirected to the Maps tab and that location will be set as a new destination using the GPS feature.
EVENTS
In the events tab of the app, users will be able to look through a calender of the current year using arrows and dropdown menues. they can click on any date on the calender and a pop up notification will tell them what events are scheduled for that day. Users of Bond Park will also be able to add their own events to the calendar if they are hosting one themselves. When scrolling down in this tab users will see a quick menu of upcoming events for the month.
INTERACTIVE MAP
On top of the mobile app, there will also be a physical map for guests to utilize in the park. One large interactive map will be placed in the center of the park by the boathouse for guests to utilize. It is especially helpful to new users who may not know what trails and roads lead to where. We have several goals in mind when it comes to creating this signage. Guests will learn of destinations that they may not have heard of. Bond Park will hopefully see a reduction in traffic in certain areas of the park as guests will plan on taking different routes than normal. It will also be very helpful to those who are new to the Cary area and want to explore its many different locations.
LOCATION
The map will be located near the boathouse. It measures to be about 5.5ft high and 10ft wide. It shows a simplified map of the greenway trails and the various key locations along them. Scattered on top of the map are moveable flaps with more detailed information on the trails inside for guests to explore.
DESIGN
The map itself is a simplified, condensed version of the four greenways that intersect at Bond Park. Inspired by subway system maps, the trails are color coded, they are simplified to their general directions, and they have small notches to indicate key locations.
BROADSHEET
For the final part of our project, each student individually created a broadsheet for their chosen place, analyzing and assessing it's design aspects based on their research and design intervention. Shown below are the digital designs of the broadsheet as well as a portrayal of how a user would unfold the broadsheet to read the information.
