Roam / Your Curiosity Awaits

Roam is a service that addresses urban alienation by transforming monotonous daily routines into curious adventures. Through a whimsical digital-physical approach, Roam gently guides long-term residents toward serendipitous discoveries, authentic connections, and a renewed sense of wonder for their surroundings

This project was a holistic exploration of the design process, starting with deep observational studies to truly understand the emotional aspects of urban life. This initial phase was the bedrock for my concept strategy, which centered on creating a service that could gently nudge people towards discovery and connection. The final phase was a dive into visual and interaction design, where I crafted an experience that is not only functional but also reflects the project’s core whimsical and delightful purpose.

Secondary Research

In the UK, around 45% of people report experiencing loneliness, And most of them are living in urban cities

My secondary research revealed a prominent issue particularly in dense, urban environments, Urban Alienation. This feeling of detachment is commonly observed in long-term residents who are stuck in a “commute mindset,” prioritising efficiency over discovery. This behaviour creates a sense of monotony & boredom, leading to people feeling detached from their surroundings and themselves

Primary Research

My diary study process was structured in three key phases, closely aligning with Loop Panel’s Guide to Diary Studies (Oberoi and Loop Panel, 2024)

1:1 Kick-off session with the participant to explain the study and gather their initial though process on how they interact with their surroundings
Logging period: A 5-day period where participants would submit daily entries of their daily experiences with regular check-ins to maintain engagement
Post Study Interview: A short session which helped me validate any patterns & habits I noticed. This session is also where I dove deeper in their submitted diary entries

Data Analysis

Post Diary Studies, I created an affinity map where I analysed the raw data from the diary entries and the 2 sessions
This involved grouping their motivators and barriers to taking spontaneous decisions & the way that they interact with their surroundings, their observations, feelings and behaviours
I then moved onto creating a prioritisation matrix to evaluate how well it addresses urban alienation and the feasibility. This guided the selection of the key pain points and problem areas

Pre-Planning: Pre-planned routines and a rigid focus on efficiency actively contribute to feelings of detachment. When users prioritise getting from A to B as fast as possible, they often overlook serene moments and spontaneous experiences. This mindset is further cemented by technology, as immersion in a phone or a single goal pulls attention away from the rich, physical world around them. This constant trade-off ultimately leads to monotony and a disconnect from the city that feels both physical and emotional
Practical & Psychological Barriers: The “commute mindset” isn’t just about what people do, but also how they think about their environment. Perceived effort of spontaneous exploration is a major hurdle. Unplanned deviations feel time-consuming and difficult, creating a powerful psychological barrier that keeps users on their familiar paths. This is compounded by practical barriers like physical distance and the feeling of being alone when exploring, which can deter individuals from breaking their habits and embracing new experiences

What Data Did I get from this

Meet Serena

I believe, there is an opportunity for a new service for Long Time Urban Residents who find their city to be monotonous and routine-bound and engage more deeply with their surroundings, who want to break free from their usual “Commute mindset” but struggle to disengage from automatic behaviours on familiar routes, consistently trade potential discovery for efficiency, and often lack the motivation to actively seek new experiences, so that their daily lives are transformed into journeys of constant revelation, fostering a vibrant and evolving relationship with their city
UX Vision Statement

Ideation

Welcome To Roam

| Takeaways

I learned to view the UX process not as a rigid, linear set of steps but as a flexible compass. My non-traditional approach, starting with a broad observation was critical to uncovering the true problem and finding & designing an original solution

The diary studies and co-ideation workshops revealed crucial emotional and psychological barriers that existing products don’t effectively address, such as the “efficiency vs. discovery” and what types of solutions / features would create value for the users

I learned how to better blend my intuition with user data to make critical design decisions. User feedback from workshops and prototype testing justified the iterative changes, ensuring the final concept was user-centred and evidence-based

My background in Communication Design, influenced my unique digital-physical solution. This was essential to combat urban alienation on both a practical and an emotional level

My experience with AI was not about automation, but using it to verify my data analysis and refine prompts for video generation (Using Google VEO) pushed me to become a more precise and articulate visual storyteller, which sharpened my skills as a designer

Tarang Parikh