Motivate public park usage among college student
MapMingle
My Role
Lead UX Researcher
Duration
August - December 2024
Team
JingYan Xu, Hanna Fu, Umme Ammara, LuYao Ma @ Georgia Tech
Skill
Interviews
Surveys
Affinity Mapping
Task Analysis
Usability Testing
Problem Space
The Challenge
The current use of green spaces among college students falls short in fostering social connections and reducing loneliness, as students often lack motivation to visit despite recognizing the benefits. Academic pressures, limited opportunities, and a lack of social prompts hinder them from engaging in these spaces with friends.
The Solution
As such, we decided to design an app that enables students to schedule social events with friends in green spaces and offers a digital scrapbook feature for sharing memories, extending the impact of these experiences.
By facilitating shared activities and preserving memories, our app motivates students to visit green spaces together, reinforcing social bonds and enhancing their mental well-being.
Background Research
Our initial literature research revealed that while students recognize the benefits of green spaces, they aren’t fully utilizing them, particularly for activities like studying or socializing with friends. For instance, although 76.1% of participants found value in studying outdoors, only 23.9% reported it as a primary activity in green spaces.
Recognizing the importance of green spaces in enhancing well-being and fostering social connections, we honed our focus on designing solutions to encourage students to use these spaces more purposefully with friends. By centering our solution on social engagement in green spaces, we aim to address student loneliness and improve overall mental health, providing a practical yet impactful approach to supporting campus well-being.
Core Research
Research Questions
Based on our problem space and background research questions were cultivated:
Research Question 1:
What motivations drive students to visit green spaces, and how might we encourage those who currently do not engage in park visits?
Research Question 2:
How do students perceive green spaces, and what experiences do they have during their park visits?
Research Question 3:
What barriers prevent students from finding green spaces appealing, and how do these factors impact their engagement?
Research Question 4:
How do students participate in community activities, and what role do park amenities play in enhancing their park experiences?
How did we approach the Problem Space?
To narrow the problem space, we began with a survey to study student behavior and usage patterns of green spaces. This initial survey helped us gather quantitative insights on how students currently interact with campus parks and green spaces.
Following this, we conducted 4 semi-structured interviews with students to gain a deeper understanding of their motivations, perceptions, and barriers related to green space usage.
To further understand the user journey, we conducted task analysis to break down the steps students take in planning, visiting, and engaging with green spaces. This approach allowed us to identify specific pain points and opportunities for encouraging more purposeful use of these areas.
Research Methods
Survey
We received survey responses from 23 college students of varied backgrounds and educational levels. By asking quantifiable questions, we aimed to understand students' behaviors, preferences, and barriers regarding green space usage, providing foundational data to support and direct our qualitative findings
Information Goal
Gauge initial motivations for visiting or avoiding green spaces, helping us identify general trends in students' engagement with these areas.
Examine students' perceptions of safety and accessibility in green spaces.
Uncover primary barriers to park usage, such as time constraints or disinterest, to inform targeted interview questions for deeper investigation.
Gain insight on social dynamics, including whether students visit parks alone or with friends, to explore community-building potentia
Method Justification
The survey method allowed us to:
Capture a broad, quantitative overview of student behaviors and attitudes toward green spaces.
Identify trends, patterns, and barriers in green space use.
Maintain consistency and reduce response bias with anonymous submissions.
Use survey data to select participants for follow-up interviews, deepening key insights.
Limitation
The survey's brevity limited exploration of complex motivations for green space use.
Selection bias may exist, as distribution was mainly through the GaTech HCI Slack channel.
The sample size of 23 may not fully capture diverse student perspectives.
Method Detail
Questions centered around:
Participant demographics, outdoor activity preferences, and park visit frequency.
Barriers to green space use, transportation methods, accessibility, and safety perceptions.
Motivations for park visits and engagement in community activities.
Recruitment: distributed online via email listings and the GaTech HCI Slack channel to reach a diverse college student sample.
Data Analysis: analyzed in Excel, with visualizations highlighting trends and response frequencies
Survey Finding:
73.9% of respondents listed walking or running as primary park activities, with reading/relaxing and picnicking also popular choices.
78.3% of students prefer visiting parks with friends, while 34.8% are comfortable going alone.
The primary barrier to park usage was lack of time, cited by 60% of students, followed by factors such as a preference for other activities and limited nearby parks
Semi-structured Interview
We conducted 4 semi-structured interviews with college students from various academic backgrounds. These interviews provided a comprehensive understanding of students’ motivations, barriers, and perceptions related to green space usage, along with insights into how they engage with these spaces alone and in groups.
Information Goal
Capture students’ perceptions, motivations, and barriers regarding green space visits.
Uncover the types of products and resources students use when visiting green spaces.
Identify specific characteristics and behaviors within our target audience.
Understand how students engage with community events or amenities within green spaces.
Assess students’ awareness of the benefits and availability of green spaces in their areas.
Method Justification
Semi-structured interviews allowed us to gather nuanced, in-depth insights into students' attitudes and behaviors, unlike broader surveys that might miss individual motivations and experiences.
This approach provided:
Detailed exploration of students’ preferences, motivations, and concerns about green spaces.
Flexibility to probe into topics like motivation, perceived benefits, and community engagement, with follow-up questions tailored to each participant’s responses.
A deeper understanding of contextual factors such as social dynamics, the use of amenities, and awareness of green space benefits.
Limitation
Interviews were limited to self-reported experiences without direct observation of green space usage.
Small sample size may not fully represent the diverse experiences of all college students across different campuses
Method Detail
Interviews were conducted with students across academic programs, selected through a survey screening process.
Interview duration: 45 to 60 minutes each.
Recruitment: email invitation and online survey.
Three interviews were conducted online via Google Meet or Teams, and one was conducted in person.
Data analysis included affinity mapping to identify recurring themes, insights on motivations, barriers, and community engagement in green spaces.
Interview Finding:
Users go to green spaces to socialize with my significant other, friends, classmates, and family.
Users lack motivation and awareness about green spaces.
Users find genuine enjoyment in going to green spaces
Research Finding
Overall Finding
After collecting and analyzing data from each method, we Integrated data from our various methods to synthesize and consolidate key findings.
Finding 1: Green spaces facilitate socialization and community connection for students.
Students prefer visiting with friends and family for both social and practical reasons.
“I wish there were more activities to meet new people.” — Participant #4
Identity-based and recurring community events (e.g., farmers' markets) make parks key social hubs.
Finding 2: Students learn about green space events through multiple sources.
Awareness comes from newsletters, social media, and word of mouth.
“I get information on park events from school and from friends.” — Participant #3
Finding 3: Tangible barriers limit green space engagement.
Safety concerns, especially at night, reduce park visits.
Navigation challenges, weather, transport issues, and time constraints further hinder engagement.
Many students lack motivation or awareness, relying on social activities to prompt visits.
Finding 4: Green spaces support students' mental and physical health.
Parks provide enjoyment, creativity, and relaxation.
“Parks allow you to be creative because there are endless possibilities... [it’s] fun and free.” — U2
Students use parks for physical activity, alone time, and stress relief.
Task Analysis
We conducted two task analyses to explore the specific actions and decisions students make when engaging with green spaces, providing insights into diverse user needs and preferences.
We examined two experiences: visiting an on-campus green space with a friend, which reflects users who value social connection, and visiting an off-campus green space alone, which reflects users who focus on personal health and well-being. This approach enabled us to design solutions that align with users' motivations and preferences, ensuring the functionality supports both social and individual goals for green space engagement.
Ideation & Next Steps…
We utilized How Might We statements, the Crazy 8's technique and storyboarding for our ideation process.
We came up with 12 different ideas and narrowed it to our top 6, based on feasibility and how well they fulfilled our design requirements. We are currently working on low-fidelity wireframes, user testing, and will eventually develop a design system and high-fidelity prototype.
Projects Overview