Lincoln Park Zoo
Group project at General Assembly
Research/Design/Strategy: Jane Huntington, Jessica Kwok, Sophia Lamphier, and Marcos Vera.
Tools used: Miro, Figma, Photoshop, Google docs, and Invision.
My Role: Interviews, research, gathering assets, and project redesign after completion.
The Problem (client perspective)
The zoo website has a Conservation and Science tab, making it easy to engage with ongoing research on plants and animals. Unfortunately, the feedback is that people aren't motivated to learn about their projects beyond reading plaques.
The client is confident that most people would find the ongoing research interesting, and they feel that they could do a better job to spark curiosity beyond the zoo gates.
Research
Surveys
To get started, we started by taking a survey asking the following:
What motivates you to go to the zoo?
Describe the last time you were at the zoo?
How do you learn more about an animal?
How many times have you visited a zoo’s website?
If you did visit, what was the reason?
What does animal conservation mean to you?
How interested are you in animal habitat conservation?
How many times have you viewed a zoo's website?
How do you learn more about an animal? Select all that apply.
Interview Questions
Describe the last time you were at the zoo.
What is your favorite part? What is your favorite activity?
Do you have experience visiting places or events virtually that you used to in reality before covid?
How do you feel about the effect global warming has on natural habitats?
What are some of the ways you like to learn about a new topic?
What people are saying
“I think that supporting zoos is a great 1st step. You can learn about animals and how they live, and it raises awareness about how our day-to-day decisions affect the climate. If we all start taking smaller steps to improve the situation, we can make big changes for the planet.”
— Michael, mid 40s, frequent zoo goer and father
“I don't remember the zoo but I went to the aquarium a few years ago. I enjoyed that there was a straightforward path unlike the zoo. Sometimes at the zoo you don't always get to see everything you like.”
— Interviewee, mid 20s, no kids
“I know what would make zoos better!! If you had virtual reality so you could pet lions and sharks.”
— Bennett, Zoo enthusiast, age 9
Research Findings
Casual Zoo Goers
Those interviewed include subjects aged 20 to 30, who have no kids at home
They are concerned about the environment and wished they knew more
Learn Visually, might ready about something if they’re interested
Get much of their information online
Have ethical concerns about zoos
Zoo Enthusiasts
Parents, kids, and educators
Are concerned about the environment and have read up on the subject
Learn Visually and by reading
Thinks zoos play an important role in conservation and creating awareness
Differentiate between ethical zoos and those that are not
Both Demographics
See the zoo as a place for family, education, or a social event
Have favorite animals
Hate crowds and want to be comfortable
Want to find their way around easily
Favorite Experiences
Feeding animals at the petting zoo
4d shark theater
Glass tunnels where fish and animals swim all around you
Knobs, buttons, and drawers
Virtual reality
Comparative Analysis
Persona
Storyboard
Problem Statement
Jacob needs more control over his zoo experience so that everyone is entertained, engaged, and curious about the animals they want to see.
Ideation
Education
How might we empower Jacob to further his learning beyond plaques at the zoo?
Inclusion
How might we make the zoom a fun social experience for more age groups?
Support
How might we have Jacob walk away feeling like he helped animals in a meaningful way?
Connection
How might we recreate the same experience when animals are sleeping, or the weather is bad?
Features
By keeping users engaged with virtual content on the site, we provide opportunities for them to stay engaged with learning material that drives them to the Conservation section of the site. This will spark a desire to learn about how the Lincoln Park Zoo serves our community, animals, and world.
Interactive Map
Click on a location to find out about specific exhibits.
Animal Spotlight
Make a new animal friend each week!
Live Streams
Tour the zoo’s exhibits through live streams.
Conservation Videos
Learn more about your favorite animals and how to help them
User Flows
Interactive Map
Spotlight Animal
Design Phase: Mid Fidelity
Home Page
Conservation Videos
Interactive Map
Usability Testing
Purpose and Goal
Test how much time and in how many clicks it takes the user to complete tasks
Tasks
Task 1: Find information about rhinos.
Task 2: Find the penguin enclosure on the map (bonus points for finding live stream)
Task 3: find a conservation video of an animal.
Success Criteria
Task 1: User completes task 1 in less than 1 minute and less in 4 clicks
Task 2: User completes task 2 in less than 1 minute and less than five clicks
Task 3: User completes task 3 in less than 1 minute and less than four clicks
