Welcome! Join me on a touchpoint journey that reimagines the hiking experience at Big Basin Redwoods State Park.
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a beautiful destination near the California coast where many hikers, avid or casual, set out on a trail to enjoy the outdoors. As wonderful as this park is, the branding and outreach (like most state parks) are nearly non-existent, parking is competitive, there’s no waiting area, the hiking trails are confusing to read and follow, and the small shop they offer is often closed. On this touchpoint journey of Big Basin Redwoods State Park, I aim to update and improve hikers’ overall experience—both on and off the trails.
There are five touchpoints throughout this journey, awareness, planning, waiting, experience, and follow-up. Each touchpoint is meant to guide the user towards a pleasant and easily navigated experience. What is the current touchpoint journey that Big Basin has to offer?
The park has limited advertisement, so if you were lucky enough to find out about it, you would drive up the long and windy road along the California coast only to discover you must pay for parking. You scan for where to purchase a daily pass and your only clue is a long line you must wait through that leads to a small booth. When you reach the line, there is a weathered piece of paper taped above the window that reads, "cash only." Great, you didn't bring cash, which means you'll need to find an ATM.
After getting cash and waiting through the line, you realize you've already wasted part of your day sorting out parking when you would've preferred to be hiking. You bring the printed pass to your car and tape it to the inside of your window before grabbing your water bottle and backpack. Your water bottle is empty, so you scan the area for a faucet. You see an old dingy pipe that others seem to be using to sloppily fill their bottles. You walk over, nearly tripping over a child that ran hastily in front of you, followed by a nervous mother chasing them down. If only there was somewhere for families to wait with their kids. You reach the faucet and fill your bottle, soaking your shoes and pants in the process. The water pressure is high and spits everywhere. No wonder there was such a big puddle surrounding it. Glancing towards the restroom, you debate using it but ultimately decide against it. You've already spent time waiting in enough lines.
With wet clothes, you walk down to the directory where all of the trails are laid out. You're pleased to find that there are many different levels of difficulty to choose from. Since you've already wasted a portion of your time, you choose an easier trail. You struggle to find a small hidden sign, covered by brush, that signifies your trail. Trying to stay optimistic, you follow the path. Your hike is pleasant and beautiful. There were a lot of people at the parking lot, but they seemed to have disappeared once you started your hike. You've only passed one or two other hikers as you enjoy the quiet walk, appreciate nature, and breathe the fresh air.
Halfway through your hike, you notice your water bottle getting lower, but it's okay, you'll be back to your car in no time. More and more time passes, and you wonder how far from the parking lot you are. You should be finished with your hike by now, and you've tried your best to stay on the trail's path. You look ahead at a steep incline and hope the parking lot is on the other side. It isn't, so you keep walking. Eventually, you see another little brown sign tucked behind a thick tree trunk and your heart sinks. This is not your trail. Somehow, you accidentally switched to a more difficult trail, and you still had another 3 miles of uphill hiking to get through. With only a few sips of water left, you begin to regret your decision to hike.
Luckily you find another hiker, a local from the area, who shows you an easier route back. They let you have some of their water and you arrive safely back to the parking lot, hungry, thirsty and exhausted. You go to the store to buy something to eat, but it's closed. Frustrated, you go to your car and scrounge up the energy to drive home.
"How was your hike?" you were asked when you got home.
"I had to waste time buying a parking pass, got soaked while filling my water, had to hike with wet shoes and pants, and then I accidentally switched to a much harder trail on my hike." You slump onto your couch. "It was pretty," you admit, "But I don't know if I'll go back."
Big Basin Redwoods State Park is a beautiful park that offers a variety of hiking trails for all types of hikers. Unfortunately, it has poor advertisement, the parking is time-consuming, the waiting area is poorly managed, the trail signage is confusing, and the store is limited. By improving these points of tension, Big Basin will attract new hikers and encourage them to return.
The main research methods for this project include a learning plan, proto-personas, and guerrilla user research. Each touchpoint may include an additional research method called a comparative assessment. These research methods are meant to get into different hiker's mentality to see what they expect and what they want from their hiking experience.