Project Information
Team Size:
3
Role:
Project Lead, Designer, Researcher, Video Editor
Where Planning meets Perspective
41%
of tourists mention that overcrowding affects the decision they make as to where to go
36%
of tourists avoid specific spots during peak hours
29%
say managing crowds is a major concern
The project was shaped by user research showing that travelers often find trip planning stressful, generic, and too tourist-focused, so the app was designed to make exploration feel more meaningful and immersive.
The team defined three main features as the app’s core strengths: Narrative Selection, Narrative Planner, and Camera Overlay. Together, these support discovery before the trip, planning during the trip, and guided exploration once the traveler is on location.
These are the different analyses we completed:
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Persona and Empathy Mapping
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User Interviews
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Affinity Mapping
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Storyboards and Epics
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Heuristic Evaluation
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User Testing
Usability Testing and Iteration
Camera Overlay Study
High reliance on arrows: Users followed directional arrows easily but largely ignored or misunderstood the minimap.
AR Confusion: Testers were unsure whether to physically move in the real world or interact only on-screen
Discoverability: Participants did not immediately recognize that buildings were interactive or that they could use voice/text commands with characters.
Path Planner Study
Data Interpretation: Users struggled to distinguish between "trip duration" and "number of stops".
Decision Support: Comparing multiple AI-generated routes was difficult because the interface didn't effectively highlight the differences between options.
Surprises and Lessons Learned
As we developed our prototypes, we conducted user tests to ensure that we develop our app with the users in mind. The following are some of the points that we registered during the tests:
We expected the minimap to be a core navigation tool, but testing revealed it was a distraction. Users preferred direct, on-screen spatial cues (arrows) over traditional top-down maps
We learned that 'immersion' can cause confusion; users weren't sure where the app ended and the physical world began, leading us to refine our AR signifiers and interaction transparency
Simple labels like 'Create Path' or the camera icon were sometimes ambiguous, teaching us the importance of clear microcopy for first-time users
Our Solution
Personalised Experience
Unified Platform
Intuitive Design
Realeyes helps users discover and plan trips through stories, characters, genres and narrative paths.
The team developed the platform with the focus on the 3 main functions - Narrative planner, narrative selection and camera overlay.
Narrative planner builds AI assisted routes, Narrative selection supports discovery, and camera overlay aids travelers with context live on location.
Our Processes
The Screen Designs
The Narrative Selection helps users browse trips through categories like genres, stories, characters, popular content, and AI-guided suggestions, while the Trip Plan screen organizes selected experiences into an itinerary.
The Narrative Planner makes route planning feel more flexible and clearer by supports building or editing routes, reviewing route details.
The Camera Overlay combines a live camera view with directional arrows, a mini map, interactive buildings, and an on-screen character or narration layer so travelers can follow the route in context and tap on places for more information.
Next Steps
Enhanced Interaction Transparency: Implementing clearer onboarding for the AR camera to guide users on when to move and when to tap.
Decision-Making Tools: Refining the Path Planner to better visualize the "Why" behind different routes, making it easier for users to choose a path that fits their mood .
Expanding the "Local Eyes" AI: Improving the character-driven "AI Guide" (Travella) to make voice and text interactions more discoverable and helpful during the journey.
Poterntial desktop iteration - Lot of users plan their vacations/trips on a larger screen. There is a saying amoung the new gen - ”Big transactions are to be made on big screens.”
Prototype
The RealEyes prototype is a narrative-driven travel planning experience that helps travelers discover, organize, and explore destinations through stories, characters, genres, and personalized paths. Designed in Figma, the app brings together three core features: Narrative Selection, Narrative Planner, and Camera Overlay. These features support travelers from early inspiration and itinerary creation to real-time exploration at their destination.
Rather than relying on generic lists of tourist attractions, RealEyes lets users choose trips based on the type of experience they want—such as a specific story, mood, genre, or character-led journey. The Narrative Planner then uses AI-assisted route options to help users build, compare, edit, and review travel paths that fit their time, interests, and preferred pace.
During the trip, the Camera Overlay provides in-context guidance through a live camera view, clear directional arrows, interactive landmarks, and a character-based AI guide. This approach makes navigation feel more immersive while helping travelers understand where to go, what to explore, and why each location matters. Story-based screens demonstrate how RealEyes can support users facing common travel challenges, including planning fatigue, overcrowded attractions, uncertainty about route choices, and the desire for more authentic local experiences.
RealEyes is a narrative-based travel planning app that helps users discover and plan trips through stories, characters, genres, and narrative paths.