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Designing a Geo-Tourism App: A Principled Approach

Augusto Ciuffoletti

TL;DR

The paper addresses the challenge of guiding visitors in natural and culturally significant spaces by moving beyond static signage to a principled smartphone-based solution. It proposes a holistic framework built on environmental features, stakeholder personas, and three design-principle groups (User-Centered, Management/Content, Sustainability) to guide development. A GPS-driven, offline-capable Android app is implemented as a proof-of-concept using a content-loaded skeleton loaded via a first-launch configuration, with GeoJSON-based POI data and an Open-Source workflow (Off tool and GitHub hosting) to ensure long-term sustainability. The work demonstrates how a simple, open, and species-rich content pipeline can support sustainable geotourism and community valorization, while outlining alternative localization approaches for future enhancement.

Abstract

Walking along trails in natural areas is a rewarding experience, but visitors sometimes need proper assistance to enhance their enjoyment, maximize learning, and ensure safety. Over the years, various signage techniques have been introduced, but today, the widespread use of smartphones offers new opportunities for visitor support. In this paper, we outline the key principles for designing an Android app tailored for geotourists. Our approach begins by defining user personas and deriving app requirements based on their needs. We then present a proof of concept that addresses the critical aspects identified during the design process.

Designing a Geo-Tourism App: A Principled Approach

TL;DR

The paper addresses the challenge of guiding visitors in natural and culturally significant spaces by moving beyond static signage to a principled smartphone-based solution. It proposes a holistic framework built on environmental features, stakeholder personas, and three design-principle groups (User-Centered, Management/Content, Sustainability) to guide development. A GPS-driven, offline-capable Android app is implemented as a proof-of-concept using a content-loaded skeleton loaded via a first-launch configuration, with GeoJSON-based POI data and an Open-Source workflow (Off tool and GitHub hosting) to ensure long-term sustainability. The work demonstrates how a simple, open, and species-rich content pipeline can support sustainable geotourism and community valorization, while outlining alternative localization approaches for future enhancement.

Abstract

Walking along trails in natural areas is a rewarding experience, but visitors sometimes need proper assistance to enhance their enjoyment, maximize learning, and ensure safety. Over the years, various signage techniques have been introduced, but today, the widespread use of smartphones offers new opportunities for visitor support. In this paper, we outline the key principles for designing an Android app tailored for geotourists. Our approach begins by defining user personas and deriving app requirements based on their needs. We then present a proof of concept that addresses the critical aspects identified during the design process.

Paper Structure

This paper contains 10 sections, 4 figures, 1 table.

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Methods
  3. Define environment features
  4. Understanding Personas in the Experience Ecosystem
  5. Design principles
  6. Results
  7. Implementation of the design principles
  8. Easy management of the configuration file
  9. Discussion
  10. Conclusion

Figures (4)

  • Figure 2: The layout of the app interface. At the top, the map displays all POIs, the user's position, and the nearest highlighted POI. In the middle, an image of the selected POI is shown. The bottom section contains its description, possibly truncated to fit the screen. The map can be navigated using standard gestures, and tapping on a POI reveals its title. The image can be enlarged by tapping on it, and similarly, the full description can be accessed if truncated.
  • Figure 3: Configuration file example with a single POI. The complete file for the use case is available at https://raw.githubusercontent.com/prin-underlandscape/Itinerario_Mulini_Montefegatesi/refs/heads/main/Itinerario_Mulini_Montefegatesi.geojson, selecting the raw option using the button on the left side of the GitHub page
  • Figure 4: The Off form to edit dataset contents
  • Figure 5: The Off form to edit a POI feature contents