SMART WATER FOR LONG DISTANCE HIKERS Pacific Crest Trail Water Resources IMAGINE IOT PROTOTYPE CHALLENGE
STORY SUMMARY The Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) needs a solution to monitor the water sources along its trail to assure that long distance hikers are able to plan out the amount of their water supplies as good as possible. STORYLINE Long distance hikers are required to carefully plan out their water supplies. They need to know the distances between water resources, the resources water quality or if it is not available anymore. If hikers have the ability to check their water resources ahead and in real time, they could take necessary precautions to avoid the danger that comes with lack of water or consuming contaminated water. For example, if a source is dry, hikers have to plan their water supplies accordingly to assure that they have enough water until they reach the next resource. So far, long distance hikers are required to rely solemnly on mouthto-mouth information from fellow hikers and local residents or the PCT water report, which is a crowdsourced compilation of water information. Unfortunately, this report might not always be up to date, is difficult to read and does not cover all of the trail s water resources.
PERSONA THOMAS EXPERIENCED HIKER I am the happiest when I am on the trail and when I don't have to worry about having enough water; especially in the middle of the desert. Age: Occupation: Status: Location: Tier: Archetype: 28 Graphic Designer (entrepreneur) In a relationship San Diego, CA, USA Primary End User The Planner I am smartphone enthusiast and a fan of greatly designed apps that make my life easier, especially when it comes to planning. I am in love with hiking since I was little and I did my first long distance hike directly after college. RESPONSIBILITIES MAIN GOALS NEEDS PAIN POINTS Always assure to have enough water with me I cannot rely on other hikers solely Better management of my water supplies, be able to plan ahead and maybe adjust my hike Or on the PCT Water Report, since it is difficult to read (time consuming), made out of paper and it also could be outdated It is frustrating if you arrive at a water source just to find out that it is dry and that you have to walk many more miles to get to the next one without knowing if the next one is still usable I am responsible for myself, but I also do not want to cause any issues for other people by being an irresponsible burden on the trail I am responsible for my own water supplies and water intake I spend multiple weeks or months on planning my long distance hikes Know if the water is save to consume I need to check if a water resource is still available and consumable. Currently I am checking the PCT Water Report I have to ask other hikers if they have information about upcoming water resources, which can be difficult as they have to be hiking ahead of me I need to know if I have to carry more water with me or if I can spare the extra weight, which eases my hike I need to have an app that provides the information I need quickly and which is easy to understand, as I cannot use a lot of my smartphone battery
POV As a long distance hiker I need a way to assure having enough water with me on my hike so that I am not endangering myself with dehydration and its consequences and also not being a burden to other hikers who would have to take care of me.
USER EXPERINCE JOURNEY: GETTING WATER ACTIONS Check water supplies Start calculating the amount of water I need Check out location of the nearest water resource: it might be dry Check out location of the water resource after the nearest one: it can by dry by the time I arrive Start my journey for the day Arrive at the next available water resource Fill up my bottles for the next part of the hike MINDSET "It seems that I have enough water right now, but I am not sure how much water I need today." "How much water do I need?" "Where can I get it?" "Do I need to take extra water with me? "I need to take more water with me." "Now I know that I need to take even more water wit me, but I still take more in case the water resource is dry by then." "Yeah, it's not dry water, finally!" "Now I am good to go." FEELING Backpack Water bottles PCT Water Report PCT Water Report Water bottles Water bottles TOUCH POINTS Water bottles
MOCK-UP Smart Water for Long Distance Hikers Pacific Crest Trail Water Resources To help ensure that long distance hikers always have enough water on their way from Mexico to Canada (or the other way around), Smart Water will place a sensor at every known water resource to measure the amount of available water and the quality of the water. This way, hikers can plan their water supplies accordingly, don't have to carry too much weight with them and arrive safely at their destination. PLEASE CLICK: Two views: User can switch between a map and a list view Splash screen: User gets forwarded to an overview map of the Pacific Crest Trail PCT Overview Map: Zoom-in animation to the user's current location Zoomed in location/map view: User gets a map overview about available and dry water resources. The more the user zooms in, the more water resources are shown Map view/dialog: Shows detailed information about the water resource. The user can favor or get direct navigation to the water resource List view: Shows an overview about the nearest water resources. By clicking on the arrow the user gets detailed information