Go Griffith

Project Description

Go Griffith provides crowd density information for the visitors of Griffith Park to make informed decisions and enjoy nature safely.

Problem

The COVID-19 pandemic may have brought many changes to how we live our lives, and with it, uncertainty, altered daily routines, financial pressures, and social isolation. We were worried about getting sick and how long the pandemic would last. Information overload, rumors, and misinformation can make our life feel out of control and make it unclear what to do. Even deciding to go to Griffith became complicated for fear of being in a massive crowd and possibly getting infected by Covid 19.

Insights

We learned that while people want to get outside, they consistently find themselves in situations where they don’t feel comfortable once they arrive. Visitors to Griffith Park expressed their concerns about getting outside safely. Several people told us stories of going somewhere and leaving right away because it was too crowded. Through secondary research, the more choices and control people have, the safer they feel. Our survey showed that almost 90% of people would be interested in knowing how crowded a place was before visiting. We try to figure out how best to show the crowd density data. We created a survey to test different types of visualizations to help us determine which ones would be most helpful to the users and why.

Solutions

The first one we chose is the density heat map, which 90% of survey respondents found helpful because it clearly shows people's distribution. Many people are already familiar with this type of design. We also found that 93% of respondents thought still footage from security cameras was valuable because it is most accessible for people to understand and provides trust. After all, they showed real people in the actual space. Currently, people are using online searches and forums to gauge how safe or crowded outdoor areas are.