UX Designer and Researcher

Survey, trend analysis, ideation, prototype, and moderated usability tests

Boating SMEs, Mapbox, Material Design, Nounproject

challenge

We're all familiar with navigational apps, but where's the go-to app for boaters?

On land and by car, navigational and recreational apps are everywhere, but on water and by boat, the digital offerings are scarce.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) responsible for maintaining and updating physical nautical charts is transitioning to completely digital charts by January 2025, signaling a big push toward digitization in the maritime industry.

This case study dives into the development of an MVP for boaters, with essential mariner information in a single application replacing the need to consult multiple, often outdated, physical resources.

outcome

Access important cruising specific info in one place.

Cruising Companion gives boaters a navigational familiarity and houses up-to-date information that mariners need while on the water, from planning a trip to looking for new activities.

research insights

Finding the modern mariners' pain points

I surveyed boaters familiar with route planning and taking extended boat trips with the possibility for limited reception.

By using surveys, I was able to glean insights that cast a wide net and were not region specific but mariner specific.

“Finding local knowledge is like an easter egg hunt.”

competitive analysis

The market's offline capabilities

Operators of planes, offroad vehicles, and boats experience variability and complexities with planning trips. In examining cross-industry interfaces, I conducted a market analysis to identify important features with our adventurer and market segment in mind.

Competitor strengths

Import/export feature for offline maps

Combining weather, wind, tides and waypoints together

Expert local knowledge with cultural intel and images

Audience interaction with reviews, comments and price checks

product roadmap

Feature prioritization for safety and familiarity

Based on the survey, boaters are spending a lot of their time piecing together information from various physical and digital sources to plan a trip.

When asked what kinds of information they need to reference, features were 50% related to navigation (maps, current, weather, tides, et. al) and 50% related to local guide type knowledge (fuel dock, supplies, best of etc.)

design details

Branding harmony between modern and historical

Because of the rich history of maritime culture, it was important to blend contemporary and traditional design aesthetics. In addition, I created a physical mood board to help me capture the feeling of the Pacific Northwest, the region where I have the greatest familiarity.

map feature details

Marina vector maps for scalability

Half the battle in arriving at a destination is orienting oneself to where the harbormaster is directing a crew, dependent upon availability at the marina and size of the vessel.

Keeping Cruising Companion's scalability in mind, I created a vector design system that could be replicated for marinas around the world.

usability details

Fuel price confirmation

Users shared feedback that the coordinates (latitude and longitude) were less important than other information related to locations like hours of operation and the telephone number.

next steps and lessons learned

Future of Cruising Companion

Based on research and initial business plan testing, this application has a market need but hasn't yet been filled, and there is growing pressure for the maritime industry to adapt.

In addition, this is a saturated digital content market, building out an API with the guidebook information may be a more successful and efficient go-to-market strategy, especially tapping into existing niche recreational groups like pilots, hunters and off-roaders.

Maritime Recreation Reimagined