Insterstellar Interstate Documentation Site

The Concept

The concept behind this app was to have a roadtrip planning app based around stargazing. I wanted to create an app that you can either plan a trip to see a stargazing event, or make stops within your trip everynight to stargaze with any destination in mind. I also wanted to include features that would make the whole experience easier, such as being able to find locations and events in-app, while also being able to check weather & visability of stops, keep a list of the things you see, and shop for items you may need on the trip all in one place.

Competitive Research

1. Roadtrippers

-Good

• Plan your trip, Explore places, or explore a map.
• Main attraction points shown on map.
• Filters on stops easy to use.

-Bad

• Based mainly in North America

roadtrippers.com

2. Furkot

-Good

• Can choose Round trip or one way trip.
• Has premade trips planned to choose from.
• Choose how long days will be (hours).
• Highways or no highways.

-Bad

• Doesn't show points of interest on maps, have to go into filters to find.
• Only uses icons in filters, not words.

https://trips.furkot.com

3. Wanderlog

-Good

• Create an itinerary for each day.
• Create a budget for your trip.
• Recommends places to visit based on destination.
• View all your reservations and other in app.
• Leave yourself notes.

-Bad

• No clear way to add stops on your trip.
• Focuses on destination rather than the trip there.

https://wanderlog.com

4. Rand McNally - TripMaker

-Good

• Shows miles to destination, hours of trip, and estimated gas costs.
• When you click “things to do” option, stops along the way show on map.
• Send trip to Rand McNally GPS

-Bad

• Necessary stops to make (gas, bathrooms) in “Things to do” rather than separate section.

https://tripmaker.randmcnally.com

5. myScenicDrives

-Good

• Choose a state to find a scenic drive in and get a recommended trip.
• Give suggested seasons to make the trip in.
• Shows rating of specific trip shown.

-Bad

• No place to add stops.
• Have to make a lot of clicks to find new things

https://www.myscenicdrives.com

Process Flow

Danielle Beckett | 47 | Pocono Summit, PA

Danielle is a high school astronomy teacher. She loves all and everything astronomy. She takes trips to the best spots possible to see every astronomy event she possibly can. Danielle is using the app to plan road trips around the events for her husband and herself. Depending how far away the destination is, she wants to add stops to camp out and see the stars the nights she has to stop overnight as she is planning out the trip on her desktop. Once she is finally on the trip, she will use the mobile version to add stops for gas, bathroom breaks, and food along the way. She will also use the scanning feature to scan the sky when she stops to see what she is looking at.

Carter Matthews | 22 | Tampa, FL

Carter is senior astronomy major in college, writing his senior thesis on the regulation of star formation and the mystery of a failed spiral galaxy. He likes to sit under the stars while he writes for inspiration, and he wants to find news spots to work. He wants to use the app to find new spots to hit every night to work. He will use the desktop version to find new spots to travel to and use the reviews to find nice, yet less popular spots, so he will mor emore liekly to have a quiet area. He will use the mobile version to find spots along the way to stop for snacks and drinks to have with him. He also will download the trip directions to his phone so he always knows where he's going.

Mariah Johnson | 19 | Los Angeles, CA

Mariah is obsessed with astrology. She has a goal to see every astrological constellation. She wants to take trips with her friends around the country throughout the year trying to be able to see all of the different constellations. She wants to use the app on her desktop to see when the constellations are visible, where they are best visible, and plan her trip. She will use the mobile version to check visibility for her chosen spot before heading over to make sure she has a clear sky for the night. She also wants to use the app's checklist to mark down the constellations she has seen and see what she still needs to see.

Martin & Gloria Walsh | 74 &72 | Eastport, ME

Martin & Gloria are a retired couple who want to take a cross country road trip to Washington State to visit their children and grandkids. Martin and Gloria sit out on their back deck almost every night and watch the stars; it has become part of their nightly routine, so on their cross country trip they want to make stops each night so they carry on that routine. They are not good with technology, so they will use the desktop version and use the recommended stops to make planning easier for them. They will also use the mobile version to stop on the way for breaks and download the trip to Martin's phone so they have reassurance that they will always know where they are going when they are on the road.

Gary Stevenson | 51 | Charleston, SC

Gary is a meteorologist for his local news station in Charleston. Aside from his love for meteorology and weather, he also finds space intriguing. He wants to start camping with his wife and wants to find spots that are good for stargazing to camp at. He wants to use the desktop version to find highly-rated camping spots within a 2-3 hours radius drive from him and plan his trips to said spots. He is very familiar with technology ,so the app is very easy for him to use. He will use the mobile version to make stops along the way while driving to and from the spots. He will also use the sky scanner so he can learn more and track what he's seeing.