MapQuest, now part of Verizon Wireless, is a wayfinding and mapping organization that had been outpaced in their field by competitors. MapQuest wanted to build a new offering that would engage existing users and attract a new target audience.
Tandem employed our user research and human-centered design methods to identify ways for MapQuest to re-enter the market with a social product. We hypothesized that introducing social connectedness would set Mapquest apart from its competitors. In this new product offering, people could make plans with others, from everyday activities to outings for a special occasion. We interviewed a random sampling of people to determine their habits and unearth the most likely behavior when it comes to making plans with others.
Additionally, our team was able to drill down and understand how people organize and store information, and how their calendar would fit into the mix, and how that could be improved to be more social and hit the sweet spot between a to-do list and a trip planner.
Our findings enabled us to develop a full AI-driven product concept that would streamline a user’s calendar, personalize destination “wish lists,” and manage highly customizable preferences to make powerful dynamic activity suggestions. We delivered the framework including a prototype, to build and release their first new consumer-facing product in nearly a decade.
