Project diary of Mapp!app, Global Service Jam, Barcelona, 2017. The Mapp!app! is based on the idea of creating a universal, faster, shorter visual communication system that is understandable without language barriers. See how we arrived to a paper prototype from scratch, through interviews, insights and iterations, in just one weekend. -- Disclaimer by a Perfectionist: most of the content was created during the jam, running against the clock. Please forgive us if you spot a rare typo, or that the design is not always the finest.

1. Original concept based on Global Service Jam 2017 theme:
A universal, faster, shorter visual communication system that is
understandable without language barriers.

2. Thinking about a potential user group that might have a need for
easier communication without barriers: Travelers

3. 1.3 billion people are traveling abroad each year.
See the example of China. China continues to lead global outbound travel
statistics, but only 20% of population speaks —or is learning— English.
More and more people have the time and money to travel, but many of them don't speak foreign
languages, not even English, or don't even understand the local alphabet. This is especially true for
senior generations.
Despite the global travel market booming worldwide, these people might feel excluded and insecure
to travel without a group or their tech-savvy children.
How can we make them feel more confident and comfortable during their trip?

4. Persona #1: 40+ Asian traveler, not speaking foreign
languages. If it’s a family, then it’s the parent.
Persona #2: young Asian traveler, traveling alone or in
families. Speaks some level of English. If it’s a family, then it’s
the child.

5. Original problem assumption: these people (and
especially 40-50y+) don't understand the local
language/ signs/ alphabet and have problems when
moving around, eating and during their stay overall.
→ Is it true?
If it turns out to be true, how can we make them feel
more confident and comfortable during their trip?

6. Problem assumptions before interviews
● They don’t travel alone, because they are too
shy. (They don’t ask for help from real people
for the same reason.)
● They prefer traveling with a guide as they get
all the info provided.
● However, they would prefer traveling alone,
as they appreciate being free to move around.
→ if that’s proves to be true, how can we transform
or substitute the guide into something else to
facilitate the experience and make them feel
confident when traveling alone?

7. We illustrated the situations to facilitate the conversation and visualize the problem

8. To validate problems and find pain points, we went out to the
street to talk to Asian travelers of the two persona profiles:
● 40-50y plus travelers (e.g. part of families) who we assumed
not to speak decent English and also
● Younger travelers traveling alone (not as part of group) who
we assumed speak better English.

9. By observing 40-50y Asian tourists,
we saw that many of them seem to
be traveling and moving around in
groups.
A tourist guide is with them to show
them around, lead them to places,
help them find information etc.
How do the people who are not
traveling in groups get around; do
they have problems?
→ we went to talk to lone travelers or
families to validate the hypotheses
we had.
Insights and observations

10. Insight: Families use the child to navigate and
do not travel outside the country without them.
The child is the one who speaks the
language and/or English and helps the family
get around.
Persona #1: 40+ Asian traveler, not speaking foreign
languages. If it’s a family, then it’s the parent.

11. Insight: The younger age groups said that they
generally don’t have problems when getting
around.
The locals often don’t speak English, but the
travelers look for information using internet
and mobile apps (instead).
Persona #2: young Asian traveler, traveling alone or in
families. Speaks some level of English. If it’s a family, then it’s
the child.

12. Young Asian travelers we talked to often
held their smartphone in their hands!

13. Grouping what tools
people currently use
in different situations
abroad
book
hotel in
advance
Google Maps
Google Translate
Show picture
(e.g. “not knowing
how to buy
something”)
Paper map (but
sometimes doesn’t
understand the
Spanish labels)
Buy SIM card
English
menu or
with
pictures
Hand gestures,
body language
Ask people, local
services, policemen
(however, they
mentioned that
shop owners often
don’t speak
language)

14. Insights and validated assumptions
● People want to feel free to move → we validated this motivation via talking to young
people. → New assumption: the whole family has this need, older people, too, not just the
young ones.
● We validated that older generations don’t speak English (the young family members
function as interlocutor).
● Young people experienced some difficulties with communicating with locals (“Spanish
people often don’t talk EN”), they rather turned to the internet or used apps.
○ There are existing solutions that people are using to resolve it.
○ However, people are using MULTIPLE tools to resolve this problem, e.g. a
combination of Google Maps, showing pictures, Google Translate, asking people etc.
But what is the case with older generations who are less tech-savvy? How can we
provide them with a simple solution to help them find information in a faster way and
independent of languages?

15. Rough ideas and inspiration,
backed by the first insights...

16. Inspiration

17. http://www.oscarsenior.com/
Inspiration

18. Alternative solution to
Tripadvisor’s text and
icon-based map view
Selling the concept as
plugins to existing digital
businesses

19. ● Next, we went out to the streets to explore what kind
of visual mental constructions people had and how
they interpret and express their needs through
symbols and freestyle drawing.
● We found that even if people were influenced by the
emoji culture, they also used other elements such as
arrows, signs (+, ?, → ) and drew in a spatial
context, sometimes even collaborating with their
fellow traveler.
Prototyping & Second round of interviews
We looked for a way to translate this visual mental model into
a prototype that embodied our rough idea of an application
called Mapp!app.

20. Persona:
Yin is a 48y old Chinese
woman. She doesn’t speak
foreign languages. She has the
money and time to travel, but
she doesn’t feel comfortable
being in a country where she
doesn’t understand the signs.
She is not very tech-savvy,
although she has a smartphone,
but she is not very familiar with
the different applications and
websites available.
Thinking about a user narrative (example)

21. Context:
This is one of the few occasions
when Yin is traveling alone,
without a group or her 18 year
old son.
She is vegetarian, and she just
got hungry. She doesn’t speak
Spanish, and sometimes finds it
difficult to read the local
alphabet.
“As a traveler without speaking languages, I would like to easily find a vegetarian
restaurant to be able to follow my diet even when traveling.”
Thinking about a user narrative (example)

22. Drafting the
user journey
Yin sees an advertisement when buying the plane
ticket and then sees signs at the airport telling her
to download the Mapp!app
She has arrived in Barcelona
and gets hungry. She would
like to find a vegetarian
restaurant.
She opens the Mapp!app
(continues on next slide)
Solution:
The Mapp!app! is based on a
visual solution to find a response to
your question:
You can find a video that explains
the concept of the app and example
of the user journey of Yin on the
website:
application_explaination.m4v

23. The app
prompts her to
pick a
category out
of the graphic
icons. She
chooses the
icon for
restaurants.
She see options such as vegetarian
(lettuce), meat, Asian (chopsticks) etc. She
clicks on the vegetarian icon.
She sees the closest vegetarian
restaurants around her on the map.

24. What is needed:
- local businesses could support the development of the application and contribute to the content
- local governments could support the idea to improve thier city’s image and appeal
- existing digital players such as Tripadvisor or Google, Airbnb etc. could support the project and
partner to lead traffic to their website through this intuitive user interface
Actors:
- Travelers (value proposition: To be more confident and independent when traveling.)
- Local people (influencers, specialist) (value proposition: more revenue, income, more tourism,
indirectly benefitting through contribution to the local GDP and improved urban infrastructure)
- Local businesses (value proposition: reaching new demographic groups, increased traffic and
exposure)
The idea’s social and business environment

25. Mathilde: French; Freshly graduated from a MBA
E-business, I have a background in several digital
advertising agencies. I love to run around the world to
discover new places and people and test new foods. I think
meeting and working with foreign people help you to be
more open-minded.
Zsofia: Hungarian (with one of the most complicated
languages in the world!); I have a colorful background at
the intersection of innovation, insights, startups and
marketing. I’m passionate about traveling and believe in
serendipity.
Juan Carlos: Industrial design engineer and Phd
researcher in industrial design and creative processes in
my free time. Heavy dreamer, crossfitter and food lover.
Team “Hannah”
at Global Service Jam Barcelona 2017