Technologists at Slipspace, an interstellar space and time exploration institution, have developed an algorithm that enables people to time travel from their phones. While consumers are interested in this new tech, they are either unsure of its safety or don’t even know where to start.
Summary
For an industry as expansive as time travel, there's bound to be users with many unique motivations. After speaking with a few people excited about the product, I created 3 "power user" personas. This gave me clarity on what features and design decisions to prioritize.
Competitive analysis for time travel initially seemed like a silly step in the design process. However, after giving it some more thought, I realized travel and rideshare apps were an excellent industry parallel. They helped inform the information architecture of the app and how many steps should be between the user and their main goal. With all the background work done, I began wireframing and prototyping.
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Conclusion
Designing for emerging technology is no easy feat. While time travel doesn't actually exist, designers are beginning to tread the waters of generative AI and mixed reality. It's important to accept that some parts of the design journey will be ambigious. However, as long as we walk with our users side-by-side, we'll land somewhere amazing.