Adventure awaits with WAJET
WAJET is an organization that brings fellow expats around Wakayama prefecture together through events. Due to the pandemic, WAJET was unable to host events.
The Goal
Design a booklet with a list of places in Wakayama for expats to explore while in Japan.
My Role
Designer, illustrator, and coordinator
Project Duration
12 weeks
Background
This project was a collaboration with the members in WAJET. WAJET wanted to create a guide for expats to take and travel to when group events were not possible.
Challenges
Organizing a large amount of content into a cohesive guide
Creating interest to visit the places by yourself
Responsibilities
Sketch layout designs
Create wireframes and prototypes
Creating images that would be cohesive for our theme
Facilitate meetings
Delegate tasks
Created deadlines for the project
Research
Competitive Analysis
In order to get a better understanding of how to create a resource for our target audience. I looked through different tourist company’s pamphlets or online websites to see how different locations were presented.
Interviews
Discover:
How might we create a guide to inform expats living in Japan?
How might excite expats to travel around Wakayama?
I talked with fellow expats living in Wakayama to see what places they recommend and things they wish they knew when they first arrived.
Initial Sketches
After considering how to break up the content, we planned a meeting to create more tailored designs.
Meetings and the Design
Once the initial sketches and wireframes were completed, it was time to hold a design critique with WAJET. We were able to reassess the layouts and suggest ideas that were not previously though of. This led to the following designs:
The Outcome
After choosing a theme that reflects the main mode of transportations, all of the pictures and text began to fall into place. The booklet was divided into three main categories to target expats who wanted to explore specific areas and see what Wakayama had to offer.
Lessons Learned
After sending the booklet to the expats the project was finished. However, if given the opportunity again, I would like to:
Create booklets based off of specific cities in Wakayama
With so much information squeezed into one booklet, it was impossible to have an in-depth coverage of all of the cities mentioned.
Create a way for expats to add and share information about the cities they live in
The booklet was the medium that WAJET decided to create due to the manpower and time constraints. I think trying a different medium could open the possibility to collaborate with current expats and make the experience more interactive.
