Experiential Space Platform
Since COVID-19 has occurred, the way we connect and explore has shifted. Beyond is a social app that allows you to find nearby space events with the perfect location anywhere you are in the world. Find events together and connect with your loved ones no matter where you are. Stargaze, view meteor showers, and more by having the Beyond app plan and organize your current and upcoming events.
The Adler Planetarium is America’s first planetarium based in Chicago, founded in 1930 by Max Adler. There was a time when institutions targeted their marketing towards kids only. The project is a rebrand case study to re-shift the audience to be more accessible and inclusive to adults — to tourists and the rest of the community in Chicago. The rebrand of the planetarium focuses on connecting individuals to experiences, to each other, and to their inner curiosity for space. To inspire our child-like spirit and to spark meaningful conversations to our next generation.
Since COVID-19 has occurred, the way we connect and explore has shifted. Beyond is a social app that allows you to find nearby space events with the perfect location anywhere you are in the world. Find events together and connect with your loved ones no matter where you are. Stargaze, view meteor showers, and more by having the Beyond app plan and organize your current and upcoming events.
Beyond is an exciting experiential Space platform that users can discover and share upcoming space events with their loved ones, no matter the distance.
This project was designed to connect individuals globally and encourage individuals to go outside and make new experiences together.
Neill Sanders, astrologer and founder of Go Stargazing, says visits to his website increased ten-fold during lockdown. Recent studies have shown that there has been an increase in interest in astronomy since the Pandemic. These studies have created a market for astronomy and became the driving force for the creation of this app.
The COVID-19 Pandemic has created many challenges to connect with our loved ones and shifted the way we have explored the world. The challenge presented was "How can we reconnect individuals through a unique experience of activities." Since March 2020, the major lockdown forced us to find new hobbies and activities within the spaces of our home. What are new ways of connecting ourselves?
Highlighted interactions are captured within these prototypes below.
Below are a sample of mid-fidelity prototypes created to optimize content placement and the user experience.
Based on the research from existing apps, competitors have a lot of similar features and brand identities. It makes it difficult for potential users to decide on an app. Their only way to compare quality is through reviews and highlighted screens on the app store. To get a better understanding of the competitors, I downloaded the apps and made a competitive analysis on their pain points and proof points from a user's perspective. The pain points and proof points highlighted below are based on reviews of existing/past users.
There is a large white space opportunity to make Beyond a social app and let individuals use it as a platform to find events and reconnect. (e.g. Taking photos, inviting friends, adding friends to events, posting photos of the event, etc.)
For this specific project, 10 individuals within the Millennial and Gen Z age groups were selected to participate in the interviews. Millenials and Gen z have taken the most interests in astronomy and are highly tech-savvy. Majority of them have a difficult time looking for updated space news and events around the area, which makes them loose incentives to be involved in the Space events.
