L.A. In Your Pocket
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Project Overview
L.A. In Your Pocket is a comprehensive digital resource designed in collaboration with The LA Mama to help families navigate the beautiful complexity of Los Angeles. The project aims to transform the "overwhelming" nature of the city into a curated, joyful experience by providing real-time logistical tools alongside trusted, neighborhood-specific recommendations.
Problem Statement
People in Los Angeles struggle to navigate the city's vast landscape due to significant "logistical friction," including unpredictable traffic, scarce parking, and fragmented information regarding family-friendly amenities. While many digital resources offer high-level event discovery, they fail to provide the real-time, location-based utility and trusted curation required to plan and execute a stress-free family outing in a complex metropolitan environment.
The Goal:
Design a unified "digital companion" that bridges the gap between discovery and logistics. By consolidating real-time data such as parking, restrooms, and accessibility into a single interface, the app empowers families to explore with confidence. Leveraging The LA Mama’s trusted curation, the platform simplifies the end-to-end experience through traffic-smart itineraries and geofenced mapping, turning L.A.’s complexity into a manageable family adventure.
User Research: Painpoints
Logistical Anxiety: Families face significant stress during the transition from car to destination. Parents report that while locations are listed as "open," apps fail to account for the hunt for parking or the multi-block trek to the playground. Furthermore, traffic often turns short trips into 60-minute ordeals, leaving parents stranded with restless children and no "Plan B" alternatives.
Curation Vacuum: Parents are fatigued by generic, SEO-driven "Top 10" lists that lack "Mama-checked" honesty. There is a high demand for curation that highlights unspoken realities, such as whether a splash pad is actually functional or if a park lacks shade. For new residents, this lack of local insight leads to isolation as they struggle to find the specific "vibe" of a community.
Accessibility Blindspots: Standard maps treat all paths as equal, ignoring broken pavement, missing curb cuts, or stairs that are impassable with a stroller. This uncertainty extends to the destination itself; parents often arrive at cafes to find they lack changing tables or are too cramped for strollers, resulting in wasted trips.
The Micro-Planning Burden: The cognitive load of switching between 4+ apps for traffic, food, inspiration, and parking increases stress during outings. This fragmented tooling is worsened by a real-time data void; parents cannot easily verify if a specific amenity, like a museum wing or public restroom, is unexpectedly closed, making planning feel like a high-stakes gamble.
Wireframes & User Flows
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Key Features
Curated Events & Local Guidance
Find upcoming events that are filtered to match your specific profile. From "Mom-Approved" weekend festivals to late-night gallery openings and hidden pop-ups, the app offers real-world guidance on what to expect. Every event includes "Know Before You Go" tips on crowd density, noise levels, and the best arrival times.
Expert Guides & Interactive Tours
Unlock L.A.’s neighborhoods through curated content and self-guided tours. Whether you’re looking for the most stroller-friendly park loops or a curated "Coffee & Architecture" walk through Silver Lake, these guides provide the context and turn-by-turn narrative that standard maps miss.
Radius Discovery Slider
L.A. is a city of "micro-neighborhoods." Use the interactive slider to search your immediate vicinity for what you need right now. Toggle between "Family Essentials" (playgrounds, changing tables) and "Urban Essentials" (Wi-Fi cafes, parking, or public restrooms) to find exactly what’s nearby.
Smart Wallet & Preference Engine
The Smart Wallet centralizes your Digital Member Card, saved locations, and tickets. Behind the scenes, the Preference Engine allows you to toggle your profile: switch to "Parent Mode" for child-centric recommendations, or "Explorer Mode" to focus on nightlife, dining, and adult-focused culture.
Active Tour Overlay
Once you start a tour or head to an event, the UI shifts into a high-utility overlay. This persistent feature provides turn-by-turn walking directions and logistical alerts—like parking reminders or reservation countdowns—allowing you to stay present in the moment while the app handles the navigation.
Final Designs & Project Impact
The final design simplifies the complexity of Los Angeles by prioritizing logistical transparency and personalized discovery. Developed in partnership with The LA Mama, the app integrates expert "Mama-Checked" data with a hands-free Active Tour Overlay to reduce mental load, allowing parents and explorers to focus on the experience rather than the obstacles. By utilizing the Radius Discovery Slider, the platform eliminates decision fatigue by surfacing hyper-local essentials within a user’s immediate vicinity. This project demonstrates how user-centric design and authentic local insights can turn a sprawling city into a manageable toolkit, making urban exploration effortless for every family and traveler.
