Heatscape.
‍
Enabling adaptation to rising temperatures in urban areas.

🎨
User Research
Market Analysis
🎉
Ideation and Storyboarding
DESIGN
🗝️
Low Fidelity Prototyping
💙
User Testing Protocol
🔐
Iterations
🗂️
High Fidelity Prototype
TEST
🧢
Coding the MVP
🗺️
100 page Report
💰
Demo Day
DEVELOP

here, I led a team of 3.

In Sydney, the impact of rising temperatures is critical, with urban areas experiencing temperatures up to 12.8°C higher than non-urban areas (NSW Government, 2021)

Our cities are becoming increasingly inhabitable and unsafe. 📈😱

Phase 1:
Exploratory User Research

Discover ⇣

Urban areas experience higher temperatures than rural areas due to the UHI effect.

This increase in temperature significantly impacts urban residents' health, leading to heat-related stress and discomfort.

Methods used

Key Insight

Our research highlighted the need for more personalised heat mitigation solutions.

People needed ways to cool down quickly from any location.
Phase 2:
Existing Solutions

Discover ⇣

We researched the web for existing solutions in the field of rising temperatures and urban areas.

At the time, there were no personalised digital + physical solutions enabling fast adaptation.

There were no other apps on iOS or Android that aimed to mitigate heat stress using Maps or AI. This gap in the market could be filled with a hardware enabled digital solution.

“We were assessed on every deliverable here, getting a distinction mark and good feedback on our innovative use of technology and storytelling."

Gautham Srinivas (Me)

Phase 3:
Thematic Analysis

Define ⇣

We found key themes in the data through synthesis.

People often sought refuge in air-conditioned public areas and green spaces due to the high cost of private cooling.

User Personas

AHMED 👨‍🦱 Young adult with limited financial resources, frequently seeks refuge in shopping malls during hot days.

AVA 🧑🏽‍🎓 University student that often experiences heat-related discomfort during daily walks.

HELEN 👩‍🍼 Mother of two, avoids outdoor activities in summer due to health concerns.
Phase 4:
Ideation and Storyboarding

Develop ⇣

Using storyboards, we brainstormed possible solutions - conducting market analysis and writing a testing plan for our THREE chosen concepts. 📝

Storyboarding helped us visualise user interactions, ensuring the design catered to users' needs and scenarios where thermal stress might be overlooked.

This ideation process was crucial in exploring innovative solutions to mitigate heat stress. 💡

One of the concepts we ideated was ThermoPatch, a wearable, skin-friendly patch that uses Peltier elements to provide on-demand cooling. For city dwellers like Ava, it's a portable solution that mitigates heat discomfort.

"Three main unique solutions converged here. We used a Decision Matrix to choose the most effective, efficient and learnable solution."

Gautham Srinivas (Me)

Phase 5:
Paper Prototyping

low fidelity ⇣

We developed low-fidelity paper prototypes to quickly visualise and iterate on our design ideas. 🔄

This Lean UX approach allowed us to test various concepts rapidly and gather user feedback with minimal investment. 💸

Key Insight

We conducted A/B testing on multiple components to determine the most valuable feature for the homepage.

Using paper prototypes enabled us to make quick adjustments based on user feedback.

"Try testing out different components for the homepage. Think about the interactivity and user needs for the main screen."

Aiden, XR Developer + Tutor

Phase 6: User Testing Protocol

user testing focused on 3 goals. ⇣

I wanted to evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency and learnability of my UI.

The user testing assessed effectiveness, efficiency, and learnability.

Effectiveness ensured easy navigation for personalised plans; efficiency evaluated quick access to daily recaps; learnability gauged ease for first-time users.

Methods included cognitive walkthroughs, think-aloud sessions, and interviews, providing deep insights to guide future iterations.

Read the user testing protocol here

The Solution

Upon reflection, working on Heatscape taught me several invaluable lessons that have significantly shaped my approach towards User Experience design.
  1. Conducting 50 surveys and 9 interviews showed me the importance of user research during the discovery phase. It helps to uncover a real problem.
    ‍
  2. Having six iterations and three rounds of testing significantly enhanced the interface's usability even if that wasn't our focus.
    ‍
  3. Overcoming technical challenges in integrating thermal sensors and AI enhanced my skills in real-time data visualisations with C++, Javascript and JSON.

Full Walkthrough / Video Overview

Here is a quick walkthrough of the coded MVP that I showcased live on Demo Day to professors and general public across many universities in NSW.

Like this project?

Here is a link to the prototype: https://shorturl.at/cSofp

Icons created by Freepik - Flaticon.

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