Modernizing the National Park Service App
A concept redesign of the National Park Service app focused on immersive park discovery and intuitive trip planning. The experience puts photography front and center while using clear content hierarchy to make essential park information easy to find and understand.
Final concept showing immersive park views showcasing each National Park's individual beauty.
Role: Product Designer | Team: Solo Concept | Timeline: Fall 2024 | Tools: Figma
Problem
I wanted to reimagine the National Park Service app as a more visual and immersive experience. The existing app felt like a utility: functional but forgettable. National parks deserve an equally beautiful digital experience, one that captures their natural wonder while keeping essential information accessible and easy to navigate.
This was a self-directed academic concept project completed during Fall 2024, not client work.
Research
This project was a design exploration rather than a research-driven initiative, so no formal user studies were conducted. I studied visual and interaction patterns from Apple TV, Apple Maps, and Apple's design guidelines to inform my approach to immersion, navigation, and interface simplicity.
Ideation
I explored travel and booking apps, sketched concepts, and mapped user flows before developing the interface in Figma. I focused on creating a clear content hierarchy that lets users explore each park visually while quickly accessing relevant information.
To make the experience more immersive, I removed the traditional navigation bar and explored alternative navigation through interactive cards, on-screen elements, and a floating navigation control.
Initial hand sketches exploring a photo led layout for Redwoods National Park, as an example.
Early wireframes mapping the full screen system: Parks Near Me, Recently Viewed, News, Gallery, Hikes, and Sights.
Iteration
I refined the layouts through self-critique and feedback from fellow designers and my professor. I presented my concepts for critique and conducted informal tests with classmates to evaluate the experience and refine the interface.
Next step: Conduct usability testing with a broader range of users to evaluate how easily they can navigate the alternative controls, discover park information, and plan a visit.
Outcomes
A complete app concept spanning home, gallery, and park detail screens, featuring destinations such as Yellowstone and Redwood National and State Parks. The experience combines immersive park views, clear content hierarchy, alternative navigation patterns, and a reusable Figma component library. During my final presentation my professor stated, -
“This app looks and feels like an app that Apple would make. I’m very impressed.”
Key takeaway: This project challenged me to rethink conventional interface patterns and balance visual storytelling with usability. It reinforced the importance of clear content hierarchy, thoughtful navigation, and a cohesive design system in creating a polished digital experience.
Final high fidelity prototype showing the photo first immersive design concept for the National Parks app.