wave splash
Technion – School of Practical Engineering
Research | Prototyping | UX & UI
Wave Splash is a personalized beach-finding app that helps users discover beaches based on real-time data like crowd levels, parking, and available services.
It was inspired by the common frustration of arriving at an unsuitable beach. The app turns guesswork into confidence by offering tailored, up-to-date recommendations.
Its goal is to make spontaneous beach days easy, fun, and stress-free.
Overview
Wave Splash is a smart mobile app designed to elevate the beach-going experience by offering personalized beach recommendations based on user preferences. The app provides real-time updates on beach conditions, crowd levels, parking availability, and nearby services. The project focused on designing a user-centered interface that prioritizes ease of use, accessibility, and reliable, up-to-date information—helping users make better, more enjoyable choices for their day at the beach.
Persona
The typical Wave Splash user is a 28–40-year-old parent or young adult who values convenience, efficiency, and well-informed decision-making. They seek personalized, real-time solutions to plan enjoyable beach outings with minimal hassle.
Israela Israeli
35 | mother of two | Kiryat Yam
Needs / Goals
Find a suitable beach quickly and easily – especially one that fits her family’s needs (shade, restrooms, parking, low crowd levels).
Access real-time, reliable information about beach conditions without needing to search across multiple sources.
Challenges
- Overwhelmed by too many options – with so many beaches available, she struggles to compare and choose the one best suited for her family’s current needs.
- Planning with small children requires certainty – spontaneous outings are hard, and outdated or missing info creates stress and frustration.
Research
The research process began with analyzing common behaviors and pain points of beachgoers in Israel. Despite the country’s abundance of beautiful coastlines—from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee—users often feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. This reflects the Paradox of Choice, where too much variety leads to indecision and frustration.
Interviews and surveys revealed that families and young adults frequently struggle to find up-to-date, relevant information about beach conditions such as parking availability, crowd levels, and nearby amenities. They rely heavily on word-of-mouth, scattered online reviews, and guesswork. These findings highlighted a clear need for a centralized, personalized solution that provides real-time beach data based on user preferences. These insights directly informed the app’s core features and user flow.
Favourites page
The Favorites feature was designed to support users like Israela, who may begin planning but need to pause and return later. Users can easily save preferred beaches with a single tap, and access them anytime via the navigation bar. The screen offers two primary views:
A map-based view showing nearby saved beaches with interactive pins.
A card-based view organized by categories like “Quiet Beaches,” “Family-Friendly,” or “Recommended.”
Each beach card includes a short description, user rating, and relevant tags (e.g., shaded areas, food stands, lifeguard services), allowing for quick scanning and decision-making. This feature enhances the app’s usability by creating continuity in the user journey—even when plans change unexpectedly.
