Local Lens
User Research
UI Design
Product Design
Local Lens is a community-powered mobile app concept designed to help newcomers discover authentic local experiences through recommendations shared by residents. The project explores how technology can foster meaningful connections between people and the places they live by making local knowledge more accessible, trustworthy, and personal.
The Challenge
The Solution
Moving to a new city can be overwhelming. While search engines and social media make information easy to find, they often prioritize popular tourist destinations and sponsored content over authentic local experiences.
For newcomers, discovering affordable cafés, cultural spaces, hidden gems, and community events often depends on word of mouth. There is no single platform dedicated to sharing these experiences in a way that feels trustworthy, community-driven, and easy to explore.
The challenge was to design an app that bridges this gap by connecting locals who want to share their favourite places with newcomers looking for genuine recommendations.
Local Lens is a mobile app that empowers residents to share local recommendations and hidden gems while helping newcomers explore cities through authentic community experiences.
Users can browse curated categories, discover places through an interactive map, save their favourite spots, and contribute recommendations of their own. By focusing on trust, simplicity, and local culture, the platform creates a more personal way to explore a city.
The Challenge
The existing app contained several usability and content hierarchy issues that made common tasks more difficult than necessary. Onboarding provided little guidance, rewards and nutritional information lacked visibility, and menu browsing often felt cluttered.
The goal was to simplify the customer journey, improve discoverability, and modernize the experience while maintaining Harvey's brand identity.
Local Lens is a mobile app that empowers residents to share local recommendations and hidden gems while helping newcomers explore cities through authentic community experiences.
Users can browse curated categories, discover places through an interactive map, save their favourite spots, and contribute recommendations of their own. By focusing on trust, simplicity, and local culture, the platform creates a more personal way to explore a city.
The Solution
Design Approach
Final Experience
User Journey: The experience begins with a newcomer feeling lost in an unfamiliar city. After becoming frustrated with generic search results, they seek authentic experiences and discover Local Lens through community recommendations.
From there, users can explore local stories, browse categories, save favourite places, and eventually contribute recommendations of their own—transforming discovery into meaningful community participation.
From Ideas to Structure: Early wireframes focused on creating a simple and intuitive experience centered around four key actions: discovering places, exploring through maps, contributing recommendations, and managing a personal profile.
The information architecture was designed to encourage exploration while keeping the contribution process approachable for everyday users.
Discover: Browse community-curated recommendations across categories including restaurants, cafés, parks, events, cultural spaces, and budget-friendly finds.
Explore the Map: Navigate the city through an interactive map experience that highlights hidden gems and nearby recommendations shared by locals.
Share Places: Contribute favourite spots with photos, descriptions, and helpful details that give others context beyond standard reviews.
Build Your Profile: Save discoveries, track visited places, and become a trusted member of the Local Lens community.
Design Approach
User Journey: The experience begins with a newcomer feeling lost in an unfamiliar city. After becoming frustrated with generic search results, they seek authentic experiences and discover Local Lens through community recommendations.
From there, users can explore local stories, browse categories, save favourite places, and eventually contribute recommendations of their own—transforming discovery into meaningful community participation.
From Ideas to Structure: Early wireframes focused on creating a simple and intuitive experience centered around four key actions: discovering places, exploring through maps, contributing recommendations, and managing a personal profile.
The information architecture was designed to encourage exploration while keeping the contribution process approachable for everyday users.
Final Experience
Discover: Browse community-curated recommendations across categories including restaurants, cafés, parks, events, cultural spaces, and budget-friendly finds.
Explore the Map: Navigate the city through an interactive map experience that highlights hidden gems and nearby recommendations shared by locals.
Share Places: Contribute favourite spots with photos, descriptions, and helpful details that give others context beyond standard reviews.
Build Your Profile: Save discoveries, track visited places, and become a trusted member of the Local Lens community.
