Susie
Student at a large urban campus

• First year undergraduate student living on campus
• Unfamiliar with campus. Only knows a few "anchor" locations such as her dorm building, the library, and the administration building.
• Would like insight into campus building distance and routes when choosing classes. Does not want to have to run from one end of campus to the other to make a class if she can help it.
• Web- and tech-savvy, but has never owned or used a hand-held GPS device
• Is dependent upon directions from friends and upper-classmen
• Has difficulty finding useful campus maps on the campus website.
• Grew up in a small town
• Does not yet have a car, so is dependent upon friends to give her rides to places off campus

Scenario:

Night before school begins - walking the next day's course from class to class to "get the hang of it" and see how long it takes. She has her campus map pulled up digitally in front of her, but needs to stop to ask for directions and landmarks a few times. She is also interested in adding the campus bookstore and a cafe or deli to her route on the fly - she may make a quick stop for lunch and to pick up books if she gets out of her midday class early enough.

Roger
Urban traveler

• Young professional - mid-twenties
• Very Web- and tech-savvy. Buys the newest gadget as soon as they are released. Owns an iPhone.
• Travels regularly for work and is quite comfortable in new cities.
• Likes to take long weekend trips to visit friends in large cities (Boston, San Francisco, Manhattan).
• Normally drives everywhere when he is home, but has learned how to use public transportation when he is in a city that has it.
• Does not like to be lost. Will call someone (friend with Internet access) as soon as he thinks he is in the wrong area.
• Will exhaust all available resources before pulling overand asking for directions
• Uses his mobile devices for business and communication, but rarely for games or anything else.
• Is confident giving directions to someone else if he is familiar with the area.
• Has a GPS unit in his car.

Scenario:

Is visiting a friend in Manhattan, who has given him directions to get to a new Mediterranean restaurant just off 5th Avenue. His friend draws him a route.

Tanya
Local Native

• Has lived in Austin for 8 years; considers herself a local
• Drives around town numerous times a week for work-related activities. Is familiar with the city's thoroughfares and roadway.
• Does not bike or jog in town (prefers to go to a gym near her house). Unfamiliar with the smaller interior streets and neighborhoods of downtown Austin.
• Has never used a GPS unit before, but has been in a car where the driver was using one. Her impression of the system is that, "It's great for getting you to familiar places, but it's not very smart about helping you figure out the fastest way to cut through somewhere."
• Is comfortable with asking for directions. Trusts the direction-giver without question.

Scenario:

Tanya is invited to a happy hour at a coworker's condo downtown. She wants to know the quickest route to get there during rush hour, and where she might find free or cheap parking nearby. She looks at a map, then asks another colleague.

Joseph
Nature Fan

• Experienced hiker in his mid '40's; sometimes serves as a nature guide
• Has just moved to the northwest and can't wait to explore the hiking trails and primitive camping areas outside of town
• Likes to organize groups to take trips, but will go alone for quick excursions
• Enjoys getting lost and exploring along trails, but always wants the safety net of knowing he can orient himself with cardinal directions and get back to where he started
• Always prints out maps on this way to parks and outdoor areas, but usually just relies on the trail maps to lead him along a path
• Has a handheld GPS and compass, and is expert at using both when needed

Scenario:

He has heard of a 10-mile loop that involves some steep climbing in addition to heavy hiking at high altitudes. As Joseph enters the park, he takes note of the large, color-coded map at the trailhead, denoting mile markers and major landmarks.

Astrid
Jet-setting Backpacker

• Works in publishing, but is an avid amateur photographer
• Takes at least two overseas vacations a year
• Has been in numerous travel situations and is adept to navigating cities, country towns, and areas where little or no English is spoken.
• Lives out of her backpack
• Takes time to research each locale and gets a basic sense of the lay of the land before striking out
• Rarely makes random detours or excursions, but does not go on guided tours
• Loves to explore areas and become a "domain expert" on a certain part of town, street, district, or neighborhood
• Understands the cultural context of most places she visits. For example, she knows that most old Spanish and Italian towns are centered around the town square/plaza and that there is most likely a church at the very center. Because she knows this, she can orient herself to the center of town just by looking for the campanile tower (bell tower) of the church.
• Does not get anxious when she is lost unless she is trying to meet someone or catch a train/bus/plane.
• Avid journal-writer, photographer, note-taker, ephemera-collector

Scenario:

Has just arrived at the rented flat in Prague. She has researched a few places of interest - museums, cafes, castles - but wants to get out and get a street-view of the area. She will be in town for two weeks before boarding a train for a cross-European trip to Spain. She wants to find good cafes and produce stands as well. She is also interested in short day trips outside of town (into the countryside) and wants tips on where to find "off-the-beaten-track" places. She is also currently beginning a fresh new scrapbook/journal of the trip. On her first day out, she stops at the cafe below her flat, orders some tea, and strikes up a conversation with some middle-aged locals. The cafe owner joins the conversation. Astrid asks for tips, pointers, maps, sketches, stories...anything to make her trip more memorable.