NEXUS
is a navigation platform that provides personalized, emotionally resonant journeys.
is a navigation platform that provides personalized, emotionally resonant journeys.
It connects people with
hidden narratives and walkable wonders
of urban environments.
NEXUS
My Role
Solo Product Designer, Full-Stack Developer
Domain
Consumer maps for urban exploration
Scope
Concept → Research → Interaction model → High-fi deployed prototype → Field test
Timeline
12 weeks / Sep 2024 - Apr 2025
Tool
Design (Figma), Development (Python, Flask, HTML/CSS/JS)
Platform
Mobile (try web-based prototype out here)
Context and Problem
Context
Digital nomads, especially safety- & comfort-sensitive urban walkers (S³ Walkers) are people whose have certain preferences or sensitive needs over their environment. They need clearly explained routes to enjoy confident, deserved walks.
Pain Point #1
Vague emotional needs and expression
Q: “Can you explicitly express how you feel about the places you visit?”
A: “hmmm not really, usually not described in words but felt through my body.”
A: “I don’t think so but I wish I can.”
90%
thought they could not express their emotion needs very well
Insight #1
Users often struggle to recognize or articulate what they’re feeling or what kind of environment they need, making it difficult to initiate meaningful exploration.
Pain Point #2
High effort to translate feelings into action
Q: “Do you feel like you know what you want from your environment?”
A: “sometimes I just wanna a different experience but don’t know where to realize it.”
A: “I need to do a lot of works before I can understand whether a place is good for me or not.”
Insight #2
When users know what they want, they must manually research and filter through scattered information, which is time-consuming and often frustrating.
Pain Point #3
Efficiency-driven map applications
Q: “Can you explicitly express how you feel about the places you visit?”
A: “…difficulties in finding WC while walking…”
A: “lack of local insight as in resulting in visiting touristy spots”
A: “Sometimes you just don’t want to get straight where you’re going...you want to explore the city...[but] Google doesn’t allow you to do that”
Insight #3
Existing map and navigation apps prioritize speed and efficiency, offering no support for personalized needs. Users have to adopt their behavior to the app.
